And they said there was no cheating in college...

    On Thursday, August 30th, 2012, Richard Perez-Pena wrote in the New York Times the article "Harvard Says 125 Students May Have Cheated on Exam." Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University is faced with possibly the largest cheating scandal in the history of the university's existence. The class, Introduction to Congress, had 279 students, 125 of whom were suspected of cheating during their take-home final exam in May. The professor, Matthew B. Platt, noticed similarities in some of the answers in all 125 students' exams, and reported it immediately to the administration. Harvard's College Administrative Board concluded, after a thorough investigation, that almost half of the 125 students showed signs of POSSIBLE cheating. The cheating was said to have been committed using groups. Jay Harris, the dean of undergraduate education said, "This is unprecedented in its scope and magnitude. The enabling role of technology is a big part of this picture. It’s the ease of sharing. With that has come, I believe, a certain cavalier attitude.” Harvard university is beginning to increase the incorporation of "academic integrity." Drew Gilpin Faust, Harvard's president, told the university's official newspaper, The Harvard Gazette, that, "The scope of the allegations suggests that there is work to be done to ensure that every student at Harvard understands and embraces the values that are fundamental to its community of scholars." If the students are found guilty, they are faced with up to one year suspension, which does not allow them to come back to school for the fall term, which starts on Tuesday.

An International Legacy Striped of Achievments

     On August 24, 2012, Lance Pugmire wrote in the Los Angeles Times the article "USADA strips Lance Armstrong's Tour de France victories." On Friday, August 24, 2012, the U.S Anti-Doping Agency striped Lance Armstrong, a former American professional road racing cyclist, of all seven Tour de France, the world's greatest cycling competition, titles that he won between 1999-2005. He was alleged of blood-doping and using steroids, with the proof of test results and numerous witnesses, to whom he offered and encouraged to use the same illegal substances that he was using. The peculiar aspect of this story is the fact that Armstrong never tested positive for any of the alleged substances during his races. However, instead of denying the allegations, just as how he had been doing since 1999,  he decided to voluntarily not fight against the charges. Besides the punishment of being striped of all his Tour de France titles, Armstrong has been banned from a lifetime of competition. Armstrong and the International Cycling Union are questioning wether or not the USADA have the authority to take such an action. The USADA justified their decision by releasing the statement which said, “Because Mr. Armstrong could have had a hearing before neutral arbitrators to contest USADA’s evidence and sanction and he voluntarily chose not to do so, USADA’s sanction is final.” I do not agree with the decisions the USADA has taken against Lance Armstrong. I believe Armstrong has deserved every title he has achieved, especially after having battled with testicular cancer. If during the actual races Armstrong was not tested positive in random drug tests, then the accounts of witnesses, some of which include his former cyclist teammates, and blood tests taken after the races should not count. 

"The Declaration of Independence" by Thomas Jefferson

     The "Declaration of Independence" is one of the most influential pieces of document in American history.  It established the foundation for freedom for the first time since the thirteen colonies were originally founded. Although it was written by Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, the actual speakers of the "Declaration of Independence" are the colonists found in the thirteen colonies during the time period of 1776. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin plant the opinions and concerns the colonists had into this document of history, which establishes the individual rights the colonists gained which included expressing their opinions freely. The document includes all the reasons for which the colonists seek freedom to be their own country, instead of being restrained to the rule of their motherland, England. Although the direct writers of this document are not the colonists, the entire spirit is revolved around the exact ideas that they formed themselves. The audience of the "Declaration of Independence" is King George III, along with the American colonists. The document is aimed for King George III to read, which will persuade him to believe why letting the colonies establish themselves as their own country is a logical idea, and an intelligent move for England to release them from their rule. The audience also appeals to the American colonists. The "Declaration of Independence" was aimed to inspire and to inform colonists on why they should support the Revolution, and how beneficial it would be for them to fight for their rights. It opened their eyes to the pressing issues which were beginning to take a tole on the colonies, and inspired them to fight for freedom before those issues started to really cause damage due to the decisions of King George III. The occasion of this document is July 4, 1776. Every year, July 4th is marked with different patriotic acts, celebrating the independence gained for the American colonies during 1776. July 4, 1776 was the first day which the Declaration of Independence was published and put into effect. To this very day, the fundamentals of that document play a vital role in the American government's policies.

"Salvation" by Langston Hughes

     Langston Hughes not only is the author of this essay, but he is also the speaker. "Salvation" is about a point in Hughes' life where he experienced a situation that dramatically changed his perception on divine faith. Hughes's is an African American poet, playwright, fiction writer, essayist, and autobiographer. He is best known for being a major influence in the Harlem Renaissance, a time where African American literature, art, music, and scholarship flourished. The occasion for "Salvation" is the period of time when Hughes was a twelve year old child attending church. However, that day was not the ordinary "church day", because it was going to impact a group of children in a way they had never experienced before. That day was the time when the children of that African American community, were going to experience their first connection with Jesus. This was a very special occasion because, according to Hughes', "My aunt told me that you were saved... hear and feel Jesus in your soul."(179) Hughes' tone starts off with expectancy and then confusion. From the accounts of many old people, including his own aunt, Hughes's was expectant that his connection with Jesus would occur almost immediately, just how it had occurred with the other children in the church. He became confused however, when all the children, except for himself and one other boy, had gone to the alter, claiming that they had seen Jesus. He was overcome with sadness and hopelessness as he became the only child that did not establish a connection with Him. Deciding to save the rest of the congregation from further delay and to save himself from embarrassment, he decided to lie and pretend that he had been saved. Hughes's tone switched to guilt towards the end of the story because he felt he had deceived the church and could not bear to tell the truth to his aunt. The fact that Jesus did not appear to come save him from his misery caused Hughes to lose his faith in the existence of God and Jesus.

Russian Punk Rockers Convicted for Opposing Russian President

      Sergei L. Loiko and Carol J. Williams wrote an article called "Sentencing of punk rockers in Russia reignites opposition" on August 17, 2012 at 6:38 P.M. in the Los Angeles Times, which was about an event that has globally shaken the world about the injustice currently occurring in Russia. On Friday, August 17, 2012, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, all members of an infamous Russian band called "Pussy Riot", received a sentence of two years in prison. Their crime occurred in February, when the three young punk rockers entered a Russian Orthodox Church, Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral, and began a "punk prayer" in the alter, which was a series of songs with their messages aimed to use religion as a way for Russia to remove their own president, Vladimir Putin, from office. The verdict seemed to not only upset avid anti-Putin believers, but also famous musicians such as Paul McCartney, Madonna, Sting, and Bjork who are in disagreement with the treatment of the musicians by the Russian government. On behalf of the United States, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, "The United States is concerned about both the verdict and the disproportionate sentences handed down by a Moscow court in the case against the members of the band Pussy Riot and the negative impact on freedom of expression in Russia. We urge Russian authorities to review this case and ensure that the right to freedom of expression is upheld." 

  The brutal treatment of the three women during their detainment along with the unreasonable verdict given to them by the Russian court, shows the lack of freedom of expression given to Russian citizens. It limits their freedom in a way that they are only allowed to express themselves if they are in agreement with the government. This shows Russia's strenuous control on their citizens and the necessity to have the people unified by using strict rules and conducts that limits anything beyond what is considered "right" by the Russian upper class.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-russia-band-sentence-20120818,0,4588693.story

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

     As a student at Pilibos, we are assigned many books which are mandatory to read as part of our class curriculum. However, by the end of this book, I had forgotten all about the "mandatory" aspect and enjoyed all the lessons The Last Lecture had taught me. Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and well knew his time on Earth was about to end faster than he had expected. A professor's "last lecture" at Carnegie Mellon is supposed to analyze the most important subject in their life and what they picture the end of their life to be. Randy chose "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" as his lecture topic. During the duration of the book, he explains all the experiences he went through during his short life, and how he accomplished all the goals he set for himself. For example, while chaperoning students on a trip to NASA, he was not allowed to enter a spaceship on display, as it was only available to the students. He decided to find a "loop-hole" by changing his status to become a journalist, a person who is allowed to explore the spaceship. One can acquire many lessons from this short memoir, but the one that I acquired seemed the most significant; you cannot change destiny. You can, however, change the way you perceive every moment and become optimistic on all situations. Randy teaches this lesson by using the quote, " We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." An example of this includes his wedding day. Randy and his wife, Jai, were supposed to fly away in a hot-air balloon as a romantic getaway. The balloon had complications along the way, and had shifted paths so that they did not have a place to land. Randy reminisces about this event not in a pessimistic way, but by an optimistic point of view, by saying that it would make a very memorable and unique wedding story to share with their children. He establishes the essence of "living every moment as if it was your last" and taught readers that not all good things come easy. The Last Lecture is my favorite book because it reminds me that no matter how tragic a problem can be, there is always a more tragic one somewhere in the world. All you have to do is keep your head high, and push forward because the end results are always rewarding. Also, a pessimist has a lesser chance of accomplishing a goal than an optimist does, and therefore I choose to be a "Tigger"(optimist) and not an "Eeyore"(pessimist), as Randy says it. 

Memorable quotes from the novel that are forever encrypted into my mind include:

-"The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They're there to stop the other people."

-"Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think."

-"If nobody ever worried about what was in other people's heads, we'd all be thirty three percent more effective in our lives and in our jobs."

-"Have something to bring to the table. Because that will make you more welcome"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo  - The actual lecture