Response #3 In a Dark Financial World

In a Dark Financial World

     Homeless people walk along the streets and no longer fear losing their belongings, but fear that they have lost their independence. Our rigid economy pushed these people out of their jobs, out of their homes, and into lives foreign to them. Dale Maharidge, author of Someplace Like America, traveled across our country studying and walking in the shoes of the modern day labor class to question the effects of the economic downfall of their everyday lives. America is in a second depression but the working people will not let a broken economy take away their pride and strength.

     Dale Meharidge and photographer Michael S. Williamson witnessed an upper-class woman fall to accepting charity and working multiple jobs just to scrape by and care for her family. They also interviewed a legal Latino man that constantly fears being beaten, yet again, by police because they assume he’s undocumented. Both Meharidge and Williamson could see strength though the cobwebs of sleep-deprivation and dismay in the eyes of the working citizens they interviewed. Despite how harsh the economy is, people who have lost everything, find something to fight for. Hope. Those who are suffering from the economic downfall look forward to a brighter time of a better financial future.

     American companies are downsizing causing people to lose jobs. Many people in our country are losing jobs that they’ve depended on for many years which in turn are causing them to lose other important aspects of their lives. Families are forced to live together and pool their last bit of income to survive. Food prices are going up, taxes are rising, and jobs are diminishing. This is much like the depression of the 1930’s. Dale Meharidge emphasized “We are survivors. We emerged from the hard times in the 1930s. We will do it again…”
     America is in a depression. Experts won’t call it that, but the modern people know it. American people are optimistic for a better future despite all the losses the times are throwing at them. This economy is denying the majority of the people the structure and the foundation of a financially stable country. Dale Meharidge and Michael S. Williamson capture this in the story of the human lives in today’s economy. People of the labor class today feel this is a depression. Depression is merely a word, but it is a word that needs to be said. It is a word that is greatly felt.

Response #2 Behind Autopsy Doors

Behind Autopsy Doors

     When it comes to the sudden death of a baby, people turn to doctors and pathologists to determine what killed them. What if the doctors are wrong? People commonly feel that they can trust the final opinions of doctors and pathologists. Society encourages the thought that people with multiple college degrees and high levels of experience in their field could not possibly be wrong or make mistakes in their area of expertise. However, a video presented by FRONTLINE poses the question of whether or not the verdict that these doctors and pathologists come up with is the correct conclusion.

     A.C Thompson, a correspondent for ProPublica and FRONTLINE researched the case of Ernie Lopez who was convicted for sexually abusing and murdering Isis, a six month old child. Lacerations on the vaginal wall were found on Isis during the autopsy and multiple bruises on her legs and skull were also discovered. Ernie Lopez was alone and babysitting for her at the time of her death. This clearly points to homicide and rape right? Wrong. FRONTLINE spoke with a well-respected chief medical examiner, Ross Zumwalt, who clearly pointed out that the medical examiner that performed the autopsy on Isis didn’t even check her past medical records. In the line of performing autopsies, it is not required to view any medical records neither before nor after the autopsy is completed. Ross Zumwalt confirmed this in the interview with FRONTLINE. It is not even required in order to be a forensic pathologist on child death cases to be board-certified within the US. It was found that Isis’s hymen was still intact and that she had a rare blood disease that made her blood very thin causing it not to clot normally. This would explain the bruises as well as any bleeding of the vaginal wall. Despite the medical proof that would acquit Ernie Lopez, the doctor working on the case was convinced that he in fact did rape and murder Isis all because of the way Isis’s body looked from the outside.

     Multiple cases similar to Ernie Lopez’s were found spread out around the United States. Surprisingly enough, there was sufficient evidence to get the accused acquitted, but many medical examiners, coroners, doctors, and pathologists are not looking at the whole picture. When a child dies from what looks on the outside as homicide, many medical examiners let their anger and grief take over and automatically determine that the accused is guilty. FRONTLINE even researched a case in which a parent of a child was sent to prison because the medical examiner was convinced that the parent shook the baby to death causing bruising on the skull. However, other pathologists have stated that it is not possible to get bruising on the skull from simply shaking a baby. The parent was finally let free when past medical records of the child shown that the bruises were from past injections that doctors gave the child to save its life when it was born.
     The medical system is not questioned nearly enough as it should be. Doctors, pathologists, and medical examiners make mistakes and it should be only right if their final opinion was reevaluated a few times before they send innocent people to prison because they don’t take the time to examine all the possible conclusions.

Response #1 It's In the Art

It’s In the Art

     People frequently wonder how anyone in the right mindset could have the nerve to access peoples’ personal information online. The answer is simply in the power. Hacking into someone’s bank accounts, websites, and emails are not the limit to my power. My whole attitude is established by my success in the hacking world. I am a hactivist and quite proud. The ability to bypass security and passwords of total strangers takes skill, and should be considered an art.

     To begin, nothing online should remain private. Gathering peoples’ information is simply a problem that needs to be solved, and solved only once. Why should I attack a corporate network when it is as simple as coaxing employees of that agency to give away detailed and important information through a simple false email. The filesharing of confidential information between one colleague to another isn’t as safe as it should be anymore, which makes my job much easier. Every bit of information is passed through email, government websites, and some other form of World Wide Web application. If the general public decides to put their personal information online, then why should it be kept private? It’s much easier to pay with a credit card online than to go to the actual location of the object being purchased and use it there. However, then I can get access to your Social Security number and bank account information. If someone decides to grant the internet access to their confidential information, then it’s free to anyone that can maneuver the internet.

     It takes talent to appropriately learn to be a hactivist. Websites such as pavietnam.net teach you how to become a hacker, but it takes a little more practice than to read the steps word for word from a page. Hacking is a language in its own. It’s an attitude, and a way of life. A community even exists of hackers. Hactivists pull together and share tips and ideas that could advance their success in the hacking world. I spent hundreds of dollars on programs to help me hack into websites and programs, but now that I have the art of hacking down, I can simply enter into any web linked page and download any program for free to me simply by rerouting the programing. Then I can start creating HTML pages that will attract the unaware victim. Beginner hactivists create flashy pages with unnecessary context that become clear warning signs to those who enter the page. This is something that must be avoided and websites that tell you how to hack don’t necessarily tell you these details. The internet is tricky to work with, but it can be done if you have the practice and the skill to do so.

     Therefore, despite all the remarks regarding how destructive hactivists are, when someone puts something on the internet, private or not, it can and will be accessible. Anyone should have access to all the information, personal data, and confidential information if it’s exposed to the World Wide Web. Hactivists unite to indoctrinate and combine these beliefs and tactics in order to accomplish the concept that the internet is a free world. Hacking is an art and it takes practice and dedication in order to be successful at it. The only way to know if you are a true hactivist is to determine if you eat, sleep, and dream hacking. If you know how to maneuver the internet and break through the barriers and obstacles that stand in your way, anything that anyone places on the web can be visible to you.
  

Political Compass chart

Left Libertarian

1st day of class- questions

Where are you from?
   18 years ago on December 18th, I was born to my mom in the majestic state of Colorado.

What is your experience with writing?
   I don't really enjoy writing much, but when I do, I'm good at it. I've won poetry contest and essay contests in my past.

What do you believe in/care about?
   Believe is such a strong word. Most of the things I've cared about and believed in has gone away. However, I do believe in and care about my family!

What kind of popular culture do you consume?
   When i want to relax, I enjoy listening to soft rock bands similar to Dishwalla. I also enjoy a variety of movie in my free time.

Why are you in college?
   I'm a planner, I always have been. I set goals long ago to attend college and push myself to be what I want to be.