Category: Coffeehouse #3 (Page 1 of 2)

After I graduated high school, I was watching an old formula race from the late 80s and that when I started to pay attention to the livery of the cars that had all over them “Marlboro”, “John Player Special”, “Benson and Hedges” and “Camel” all cigarette brands sponsoring the teams. Tobacco companies were using motorsports to advertise their products. But in 2006 Formula 1 stopped all tobacco advertisements so the first thing that came to my head was how are they advertising it now? And that’s how the question was born. How are modern tobacco companies targeting Bronx teens? While in high school I’d see students rush to the bathrooms, or wait till the teacher turns their back, so they can take a pull of their vape, as their friends giggle and glorify it. I thought nothing of this, until I understood that vapes contain tobacco. Then I saw the correlation between vapes, cigarettes and Tabacco companies. Maybe I was desensitized to it, maybe it was the new norm, maybe I knew it was not affecting me, so it did not matter to me. But I still wonder why teens are vaping. Do they not see the harm? Do they not realize they are becoming addicted? Do they not realize that it is the modern cigarette? Something many of them despised!!! I want to say it’s not their fault for becoming addicted to nicotine, although the reality is that I don’t even know if it’s their fault, or the fault of modern tobacco companies. This is why I’m conducting this annotated bibliography. I want to enlighten myself on this topic. While conducting this research I expect to find if tobacco companies are targeting Bronx teens, and if so, how are they doing it? What are their tactics? And how are they getting away with targeting minors?

How did Hurricane Sandy impact millions of people? Well back in 2012 Hurricane Sandy left a huge toll in many places and it was one of the most devastating hurricanes in history. It made a massive impact on millions of people and destroyed millions of homes. Many things in people’s homes were gone because of the storm and people had to live somewhere else because of the causes that occurred to their homes. There were a lot of people who did not have anything after the storm occurred and could not afford to live somewhere else. There were also a lot of people who had to live with a family member or friend for the time being. If you lived by the ocean, it would be worse for you because of the big waves that were coming, and the wind speeds were extremely high, and the rain was coming down fast. This question helps me find information about hurricane sandy and how it impacted many people. I remember during that time how people could not go to school or work for a while because of how bad the hurricane was and how dangerous it was in many places, and it was hard for people to go anywhere because of how the hurricane hit many places. It was not safe to go outside and lots of people wanted to leave their homes but could not because of the hurricane was. Many people were stranded in their homes but waited for rescue teams to arrive with boats to rescue them. The waves were devastating, destroying many homes, and the wind speeds were high. Sandy was just a crazy storm to witness during that time and many people were left with nothing at all after the storm ended. 

The Herbivores Dilemma 

The term vegan is relatively new and is constantly growing. This diet is an alternative to eating meat and by products of animals. This lifestyle has been becoming more mainstream. With all the technological advancements in this modern age, we still do not know the cause and effect of veganism. How does Veganism affect young adults in the long term? According to David Cox from The Guardian “Dr. Wiznitzer published a landmark 2014 paper that showed that a well-planned vegan diet meets the nutritional requirements of endurance athletes, but we still know virtually nothing about whether it is the optimum diet.” While Veganism has many health benefits like reducing the chances of cardiovascular diseases, Scientists cannot prove this diet to be the healthiest. Without meat in your diet, it is a strong possibility you are neglecting your body certain nutrients. With increasingly vegan Influenced restaurants opening we see this lifestyle becoming more accepted in today’s society. Another popular niche in the vegan community is eating plant-based meat and dairy. According to the David Cox from The Guardian,” Vegan cheese alone is expected to develop into an industry worth nearly $4bn within the next five years.” This is a continuously growing market in the vegan community. People want to continue to eat the food that tastes and looks like the food they no longer eat. Now people fail to consider what plants and chemicals go into plant-based food. It is filled with preservatives and is highly processed. This paper will analyze the ins and outs of veganism and how it affects young adults in the long term. Veganism has many health benefits but deprives your body of much needed nutrients, especially in young adults who are still developing.  

Source: David Cox “Is veganism as good for you as they say?” The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/dec/29/is-veganism-as-good-for-you-as-they-say 

This reflective annotated bibliography covers “The Long-Term Effects of Standardized Testing on Student’s Learning Experiences.” Its continued relevance and importance in education make this issue intriguing.  According to the article “Effects of Standardized Testing on Students & Teachers,” Years of disagreement over standardized testing continue to impact US educational policy and practices. This debate centers on standardized testing advocates and critics. Standardized testing is essential for tracking academic success and keeping schools responsible, according to proponents. They use it to ensure students achieve requirements and schools teach well. However, opponents raise valid concerns regarding standardized testing’s adverse effects. These assessments may stress students, which is a major worry. Exam pressure may harm student’s mental and emotional health. The constant concentration on test preparation may also lead to a one-dimensional approach to education that prioritizes teaching to the exam over a comprehensive curriculum. The importance of education in determining people’s and society’s destinies makes this issue delightful. How we evaluate student’s knowledge and abilities affects their education and chances beyond the classroom. Thus, the effects of standardized testing on students and their learning are crucial. By embarking on this exploration, I hope to uncover a comprehensive spectrum of perspectives on standardized testing. This general investigation will enrich our knowledge of education’s complicated processes. This thoughtfully annotated bibliography examines numerous sources and perspectives to explain the complex issues surrounding standardized testing, its impact on students, and its consequences for teachers and schools. This technique will help one understand education’s issues and potential from a comprehensive viewpoint. The purpose is to enlighten the discussion about standardized testing’s impact on students learning and futures.

In today’s digital world, children’s screen time has become a common aspect of their daily routines, raising critical questions about the potential effects on their cognitive development and social behavior. Excessive screen time negatively impacts children’s brains, it affects their attention, language, and even their social skills, potentially causing behavioral issues and emotional disturbances. According to Common Sense Media, about all children under the age of 8 have their own tablet, and spend around 2 hours on it every day. And 1-year-olds, who were exposed to more than 4 hours of screen time, showed delays in communication and problem-solving as they grew older. According to “What Does Too Much Screen Time Do to Children’s Brains?” by Dr. Jennifer Cross, she states, “There is emerging evidence that there may be some structural brain changes associated with greater exposure to screen time as a young child.” This evidence indicates that extended screen use, especially at critical developmental stages, may impact the brain’s structure, resulting in significant changes to certain brain regions and neural connections. When young children spend most of their time on electronic devices grow reliant on the satisfaction and engaging attraction of these devices, and often find it difficult to switch to non-electronic activities. In order to counteract the potential limitations imposed by excessive screen time, it is essential to promote social interactions with peers, encourage outdoor exploration for physical development, and encourage engagement with traditional toys to stimulate creativity. This will help to ensure that young children have a well-rounded developmental experience. So, what age is appropriate to introduce screens? Many experts recommend that children under the ages of 18-24 months, should avoid screen time with the exception of video chatting with family members. And children between the ages of 2 to 5 years old, it suggested having an average of 1 to 2 hours of screen time, focusing on educational and fun content so the child can actively engage in them and learn from it. I believe that a balanced approach to screen time and a variety of activities that engage the imagination, physical activity, and social interaction are crucial for children.

Dr. Jennifer Cross. What Does Too Much Screen Time Do to Children’s Brains? Health Matters – NewYork-Presbyterian. https://healthmatters.nyp.org/what-does-too-much-screen-time-do-to-childrens-brains/

What is capital punishment? Is it the failed attempt at constitutionality? Or is it a proper legal justification sending a belligerent warning to society? By definition according to www.law.cornell.edu capital punishment  is “the state-sanctioned punishment of executing an individual for a specific crime “and by definition according to oxford dictionary constitutionality is “the quality of being in accordance with a political constitution” .…I’m not too certain the decision of who lives or dies is constitutional or the duty of man, as  I was taught as a child we are to be vessels of equality, for who are a group of individuals labeled “jury” to decide when or how anybody should live or die? It just doesn’t doesn’t scream constitutionality or land of the free.  I just continue to ask myself who are we as humans to play judge, jury, and executioners without questioning the level of ethics, mortality, or our place and purpose as a species, nation, and society. Essentially, I will be in search of what articles books, films and interviews might help me understand the qualifications/standards being met contributing to death row sentencing and the debate on capital punishment and its constitutionality. 

  The United States is one of 54 advanced democratic western countries worldwide to rely on application of said punishment, while 27 states in the U.S have capital punishment as a legal penalty only 20 states are allowed to execute death sentences. Lethal injections are the most commonly used method in executions and while they are lethal sedatives are administered before execution with hopes and intent of preventing any unnecessary harm or anguish. For almost 500 years dating back to 1608 British American colonies first relied on capital punishment in aid of the execution of a spy for the Spanish government and for the 400 years succeeding according to M. Watt Espy and John Ortiz Smykla’s “Executions in the unites states, 1608-2002” the number of executions amounted to 15,269 … an obscene number of lives taken, unethical or justifiable?…

Watt, Espy M. Smykla, John Executions in the United States, 1608-2002: The Espy File Fourth ICPSR Edition., standord.edu., 2004., https://stanford.edu/group/ssds/dewidocs/icpsr8451/cb8451.pdf

When it comes to police brutality it is a very sensitive topic that requires an immense amount of attention. Some might ask what is police brutality and why is it a problem. Well, police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group that is unwilling to comply with officer orders. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality is a problem because many black people lose their life from it and they often get their rights deprived from it. Many have known all too well that law enforcement has victimized communities of color throughout U.S. history. Throughout history, the black community has dealt with the effects of police violence in different ways. Calls for defunding the police and dismantling a racist criminal justice system echoed across communities. The issue of police violence is finally receiving the attention it justifiably deserves. However, this is not enough for the issue is ongoing and is beginning to get worse as time goes on. Now when it comes to police brutality, how has it affected black communities in New York City and how can it be prevented? What are the causes of police brutality? Unfortunately, there have been numerous instances of police brutality in both the United States and New York City. A prominent example of this was The George Floyd case which received widespread media attention in the United States and sparked protests across the country beginning in May 2020. Floyd was a 46-year-old black man who was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin after being arrested for using a suspected counterfeit bill. Chauvin knelt on the neck of George Floyd for more than nine minutes while he was lying face-down on the street, handcuffed. As a result of Floyd’s death, reforms for law enforcement accountability were passed, and policies were implemented. This paper will dive deeper into the problem of police brutality in black communities in New York City.

Source: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/a-crisis-within-a-crisis-police-killings-of-black-emerging-adults/

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Gentrification happens when a poor urban area is changed by wealthier people moving in meaning improving housing, and attracting new businesses, typically displaying current inhabitants in the process and forcing them to move somewhere else. My basic research question for my topic is “How can we reduce gentrification?” Gentrification is a big problem in today’s society because it shows urban areas being renovated by wealthy people and this is bad for people living in the urban areas because it will shift the neighborhood characteristics and racial-ethnic composition, and the rent there will begin to increase, the mortgages, and the property taxes and this forces the people living in the area to start moving out and find somewhere else to live, somewhere where they can afford the cost of living in a place and not somewhere expensive. According to Carpenito, Thomas. “How to Fix Gentrification.” Medium, Medium, 11 Sept. 2020, medium.com/@thomascarpenito3/how-to-fix-gentrificationcb74ccd35447#:~:text=The%20best%20way%20to%20do,housing%20and%20universal%20rent%2Dstabilization.&text=%E2%80%9CMandatory%20Inclusive%20Housing%E2%80%9D%20is%20a,affordable%20housing%20across%20the%20city.”Upzoning (rezoning an area to increase density/height), however, is a massive political feat. Both low-income and high-income neighborhoods lobby and fiercely reject upzoning due to the numerous negative effects associated with it. This tremendous resistance and almost unanimous resistance to increasing housing in the city council has meant that there has hardly been any rezoning during the entire De Blasio administration (2014-Current). In the city council, members often vote in line with the council member whose district is being rezoned. To garner support for upzoning a variety of policies must first be implemented before rezoning to allow the rezoning to be beneficial and politically viable to all residents.” This Communicates that a lot of people are putting up resistance to Gentrification because all of the people know the side and negative effects of having their area/community gentrified and the government is rezoning people so they can build what they want in people’s community.

AI Chat Bots: Digital Husks

Artificial intelligence, often abbreviated as AI, is defined as the ability of software or machines to exhibit intelligent behavior. AI chat bots are software made with the goal of mimicking human conversation, usually through text. One of the earliest examples of this technology was ELIZA, developed in the mid 1960s by Joseph Weizenbaum. The program aimed to act as a psychotherapist by looking for keywords in user inputs to engage in conversations using the DOCTOR script. It was one of the first of its kind that was able to pass the Turing test, an experiment to see if a machine’s behavior could be told apart from that of a human. Weizenbaum was surprised to find that people became attached to the program, as it had no true understanding of words. In his book, Computer Power and Human Reason: From Judgement to Calculation, he states, “I was startled to see how quickly and how very deeply people conversing with DOCTOR became emotionally involved with the computer and how unequivocally they anthropomorphized it… What I had not realized is that extremely short exposures to a relatively simple computer program could induce powerful delusional thinking in quite normal people.” (pg. 6-7) In retrospect, it can seem obvious that ELIZA’s “intelligence” was just an illusion, but can the same be said about the chat bots of the future? The case of ELIZA and the software’s trickery reveals to us that it does not matter if a machine is not actually wise, compassionate, or intelligent. It only matters if people believe it is. That said, how could the advancement of AI chat bot technology affect the communication and human-machine relationships of future generations in the United States? This annotated bibliography will explore this question by looking at the developments of AI chat bot software and its effects on human psychology and society.

307 WORDS

Weizenbaum, Joseph. Computer Power and Human Reason: From Judgment to Calculation. W. H. Freeman and Company, 1976.

It is common knowledge that processed food is unhealthy for you and if eaten should be done so in moderation at the least. However, there are certain chemicals used within processed foods that are concerning and surprising and may make one wonder why they are even put in processed food. One of these chemicals, phthalates, is used in plastics to make them more durable, vinyl flooring, lubricating oils and even hair sprays. This may lead some to wonder, why are phthalates in processed food, how do phthalates affect our personal health? Do phthalates somehow contribute to developing certain types of diseases? This paper will dive deeper into these topics and show the usage of this chemical in processed foods and why any company would even think of using this chemical in a food product. Sources will be detailed and cited to help us get more of an accurate look at this chemical and its need for being used in processed foods. The sources will also help us determine if phthalates have adverse health effects on us and see how big of a threat to the population the chemical may be. This paper will also take a look into potential diseases that can be partially developed due to consuming food with phthalates in them.

The first article we will be looking into is “Recent Studies Raise Concerns About Phthalates in Foods”. The article details to us “Testing found that plastic gloves, often blamed for phthalate contamination, contained lower levels of the chemicals than the food items themselves. As a result, researchers concluded that processed foods must pick up phthalates through contact with multiple phthalate-containing surfaces along the supply chain. Recent studies by scientists with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have also found detectable levels of phthalates in fast food packaging and food processing materials, suggesting that conveyor belts and tubing are potential sources of phthalate contamination.” This shows to us that it is likely not even intended to be in the foods on purpose like companies putting additives in cigarettes to make the product more addictive, it likely is just due to contact with equipment used when creating and packaging these products.

Recent Studies Raise Concerns About Phthalates in Foods

Murray