"Knock Knock"
Spoken Word Artist: Daniel Beaty
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Update on Kiera Wilmot: Charges are dropped and a scholarship is offered
I love it when things workout on a positive note!
The authorities in Florida have dropped the charges against Kiera Wilmot, the student who accidentally caused an explosion by mixing household chemicals together to see what type of reaction would occur.
The State's Attorney's office took into consideration that Kiera had no prior record and was a honor student. Instead of filing charges against her, she was offered a diversion of prosecution, which basically means that she will have to meet certain terms set up by the State Attorney's office like community service for the incident.
Kiera's science experiment has resulted in additional good news. She has been awarded a scholarship to attend the United States Advanced Space Academy by former NASA Engineer, Homer Hickman.
Home Hickman is the author of a memoir titled Rocket Boys which was turned into the movie October Sky which featured Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role.
Hickman definitely can relate to the trouble that being scientifically curious can create. He once had the police called on him for an experiment that he conducted at home.
I am glad that common sense and justice prevailed in this situation. I also hope that Kiera continues to have academic success and eventually makes major contributions to the society at large in the area of science.
You can read detailed reports about the charges being dropped at Business Insider.com and about the scholarship offer at Black Youth Project.
The authorities in Florida have dropped the charges against Kiera Wilmot, the student who accidentally caused an explosion by mixing household chemicals together to see what type of reaction would occur.
The State's Attorney's office took into consideration that Kiera had no prior record and was a honor student. Instead of filing charges against her, she was offered a diversion of prosecution, which basically means that she will have to meet certain terms set up by the State Attorney's office like community service for the incident.
Kiera's science experiment has resulted in additional good news. She has been awarded a scholarship to attend the United States Advanced Space Academy by former NASA Engineer, Homer Hickman.
Home Hickman is the author of a memoir titled Rocket Boys which was turned into the movie October Sky which featured Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role.
Hickman definitely can relate to the trouble that being scientifically curious can create. He once had the police called on him for an experiment that he conducted at home.
I am glad that common sense and justice prevailed in this situation. I also hope that Kiera continues to have academic success and eventually makes major contributions to the society at large in the area of science.
You can read detailed reports about the charges being dropped at Business Insider.com and about the scholarship offer at Black Youth Project.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The Wait is Over! My Granddaughter has Arrived!
I am happy to share the news that our newest family member made her arrival on Monday afternoon.
She was actually scheduled to be born on Tuesday by C-Section. However, it seems that our little girl decided that she would have her birthday earlier than planned.
Mom, dad and daughter are doing quite well. I
She was actually scheduled to be born on Tuesday by C-Section. However, it seems that our little girl decided that she would have her birthday earlier than planned.
Mom, dad and daughter are doing quite well. I
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Word on Wednesday
"I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate"
Spoken Word Artists: Suli Breaks and Vanity Fair
Spoken Word Artists: Suli Breaks and Vanity Fair
Just a personal note about my hiatus from posting
I have been on an unplanned hiatus from posting and I wanted to share what has been going on with you.
The past two weeks of my life have been moving at a hectic pace. I'm currently enrolled in a series of online courses through Coursera and I had reached the point where courses were ending and new ones were beginning.
May is birthday month in my family. All of my little girl's are adding another year to their ages. This keeps their adult family members on the go as we gather to celebrate.
We are also making preparations for a new family member next week. If all goes well, another girl will join our family circle.
I appreciate your support of MBEV and hopefully you will be patient as I navigate my way through this maze of events. I'm really looking forward to sharing some of the information that I have learned in the courses.
Please hang in here with me as I make my way towards the end of the semester!
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Petition on behalf of Kiera Wilmot
There is an online petition on behalf of Kiera Wilmot the 16 year student that has been expelled from school and charged with a felony due to a science experiment that went wrong.The petition is on Change.org.
I hope that you take time to read the petition and if you agree please sign it.
If you are unaware of the incident involving Kiera you can link here for the story.
You can link to the petition here.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
When a science experiment goes wrong is it really a felony?
I am going to take you back to my junior year in high school for a moment and share an incident that occurred in the lab of a science class.
We were going to do an experiment that day. A mixture of chemicals that were supposed to produce a loud popping sound after they had been shaken inside of a bottle with a cork stopper. This sounds pretty easy and I thought it would be a cinch to pour the ingredients into the beaker, shake it and remove the cork stopper, hear the popping sound and earn my grade for the lab.
What I remember about this particular day was the nice weather outside. When you reside in an area where winter is actually cold and snowy, a beautiful spring day tends to be an attention distraction. For a moment the sound of my teacher's voice disappeared while I was taking in the clear blue sky, sunshine and all the colorful blossoms on the trees and shrubs.
I heard the initial instructions for the experiment but I missed one important detail while looking out of the window. The mixture was not supposed to make contact with air outside of the bottle because it would become combustible if that happened.
I remember shaking the bottle and looking at the liquid change colors and then I pulled out the cork. The mixture popped and that was expected, but the cork was supposed to be replaced right after that reaction occurred. If I had known that particular detail I would have complied. There was a tiny flame at the mouth of the bottle and I remember uttering a curse word before releasing the bottle. It fell onto the floor and shattered. That's when the tiny flame grew into a nice size little fire on the floor of the lab.
Our usual quiet lab day suddenly became a chaotic scene with students giggling and yelling out fire on the floor!
My teacher rushed over, put the fire out quickly and restored order. My face was feeling quite hot from being embarrassed by the mishap. My easy A for the day was gone.
I also caught the verbal blues from my teacher for not paying full attention to the details of the instructions.
The floor tile was scorched but the color actually blended in quite nicely with the design, no one was injured and class resumed as usual.
I have never forgotten that day because when class was over the teacher had a one on one conversation with me about how details matter in a science lab experiment as well as in other situations in life. He dropped my grade by one letter since I did follow instructions and I was sent on my way to lunch.
That incident occurred in 1970. I spent the rest of my school day being teased about being a fire starter and there were occasional siren wails while I was walking down the hallways, and remixed version of Smokey the Bear's slogan: Only you can prevent classroom fires.
Now, let's fast forward to 2013.
Another high school student does an experiment in a science lab.
She mixes common household chemicals together with water and causes a small explosion inside of the bottle. The top pops up and some smoke comes out of the bottle. No one was injured and no damage was done to the school's interior.
However, there is a major difference in what happened after the experiment went wrong.
Kiera Wilmot a 16 student at Bartow High School in Bartow, Florida was arrested by a school resources officer and charged with possession and discharging a weapon on school grounds and discharging a destructive device.
She is going to be expelled and she faces a felony hearing in which she is going to be tried as an adult.
Now it may just be me but this is a bit extreme of a response for an experiment gone wrong. Kiera admitted that she conducted the experiment to discover what would happen. Her teacher was not aware that she was conducting this experiment and that portion of this incident is not a good look, however this is what scientist do as well as curious folks. They try out their ideas to learn what the end result will be. This cycle of events was once identified as active learning. Now it's a frickin' felony!
Kiera has a good record as a student. She will not be able to return to her high school and will have to complete her education in an expulsion program instead.
She is also going to have to appear in court for this incident.
If she had come to school with the intent to create chaos, confusion and mayhem by conducting this particular experiment, I might actually understand the response. In the age where domestic terrorism has got us more edgy than usual, arresting her and expelling her from school might make sense.
But that is not the case. Even the principal of the school acknowledged the fact that Kiera made a mistake. A case of good intentions gone wrong. I can totally relate to that aspect of this situation.
I think that the real problem in this case is who is on their way to court. It should be the individual or individuals who structured a policy that fails to make allowances for human error.
It has reached the point where the rules that govern education are coming across as policy written by the sincerely stupid. I have tried to imagine what my response would of have been if I had been arrested after making a mistake in the science lab. It is an image that eludes my mind.
I have maintained for a long time that schools in this nation are not governed with any form of common sense being infused into situations. This is definitely a prime example of why I feel this way.
I hope that Kiera's case is thrown out of court and that the community rallies around her. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out on this case.
You can read the full account of Kiera's failed science experiment here.
We were going to do an experiment that day. A mixture of chemicals that were supposed to produce a loud popping sound after they had been shaken inside of a bottle with a cork stopper. This sounds pretty easy and I thought it would be a cinch to pour the ingredients into the beaker, shake it and remove the cork stopper, hear the popping sound and earn my grade for the lab.
What I remember about this particular day was the nice weather outside. When you reside in an area where winter is actually cold and snowy, a beautiful spring day tends to be an attention distraction. For a moment the sound of my teacher's voice disappeared while I was taking in the clear blue sky, sunshine and all the colorful blossoms on the trees and shrubs.
I heard the initial instructions for the experiment but I missed one important detail while looking out of the window. The mixture was not supposed to make contact with air outside of the bottle because it would become combustible if that happened.
I remember shaking the bottle and looking at the liquid change colors and then I pulled out the cork. The mixture popped and that was expected, but the cork was supposed to be replaced right after that reaction occurred. If I had known that particular detail I would have complied. There was a tiny flame at the mouth of the bottle and I remember uttering a curse word before releasing the bottle. It fell onto the floor and shattered. That's when the tiny flame grew into a nice size little fire on the floor of the lab.
Our usual quiet lab day suddenly became a chaotic scene with students giggling and yelling out fire on the floor!
My teacher rushed over, put the fire out quickly and restored order. My face was feeling quite hot from being embarrassed by the mishap. My easy A for the day was gone.
I also caught the verbal blues from my teacher for not paying full attention to the details of the instructions.
The floor tile was scorched but the color actually blended in quite nicely with the design, no one was injured and class resumed as usual.
I have never forgotten that day because when class was over the teacher had a one on one conversation with me about how details matter in a science lab experiment as well as in other situations in life. He dropped my grade by one letter since I did follow instructions and I was sent on my way to lunch.
That incident occurred in 1970. I spent the rest of my school day being teased about being a fire starter and there were occasional siren wails while I was walking down the hallways, and remixed version of Smokey the Bear's slogan: Only you can prevent classroom fires.
Now, let's fast forward to 2013.
Another high school student does an experiment in a science lab.
She mixes common household chemicals together with water and causes a small explosion inside of the bottle. The top pops up and some smoke comes out of the bottle. No one was injured and no damage was done to the school's interior.
This sounds a lot like what I went through in science lab.
However, there is a major difference in what happened after the experiment went wrong.
Kiera Wilmot a 16 student at Bartow High School in Bartow, Florida was arrested by a school resources officer and charged with possession and discharging a weapon on school grounds and discharging a destructive device.
She is going to be expelled and she faces a felony hearing in which she is going to be tried as an adult.
Now it may just be me but this is a bit extreme of a response for an experiment gone wrong. Kiera admitted that she conducted the experiment to discover what would happen. Her teacher was not aware that she was conducting this experiment and that portion of this incident is not a good look, however this is what scientist do as well as curious folks. They try out their ideas to learn what the end result will be. This cycle of events was once identified as active learning. Now it's a frickin' felony!
Kiera has a good record as a student. She will not be able to return to her high school and will have to complete her education in an expulsion program instead.
She is also going to have to appear in court for this incident.
If she had come to school with the intent to create chaos, confusion and mayhem by conducting this particular experiment, I might actually understand the response. In the age where domestic terrorism has got us more edgy than usual, arresting her and expelling her from school might make sense.
But that is not the case. Even the principal of the school acknowledged the fact that Kiera made a mistake. A case of good intentions gone wrong. I can totally relate to that aspect of this situation.
I think that the real problem in this case is who is on their way to court. It should be the individual or individuals who structured a policy that fails to make allowances for human error.
It has reached the point where the rules that govern education are coming across as policy written by the sincerely stupid. I have tried to imagine what my response would of have been if I had been arrested after making a mistake in the science lab. It is an image that eludes my mind.
I have maintained for a long time that schools in this nation are not governed with any form of common sense being infused into situations. This is definitely a prime example of why I feel this way.
I hope that Kiera's case is thrown out of court and that the community rallies around her. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out on this case.
You can read the full account of Kiera's failed science experiment here.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Earth Day is 365/24/7 : A Message from Mother Earth
Hello,
It's me, Mother Earth.
Yesterday, you all celebrate Earth Day by placing special emphasis on taking care of me.
I appreciate the special attention that was focused on my well-being. However, let's keep it real, I need your efforts daily to support my well-being.
I'm the one that supports your life. You are able to consume what I produce. We are lifelong partners. I depend on your efforts to make sure that I'm well cared for just like you depend on me to provide for you.
There is no doubt that I've been depleted abused and neglected by your habits. You might not want to own up to this reality but it is the truth anyhow.
If you do not take care of me, eventually your lack of concern will demand a price for your lack of interest. Do you really believe that you can afford that toll? Think about what I provide for your well being? Do you ever consider what your life would be like if I stopped providing for you?
I am a beautiful and abundant source of life. You are able to enjoy my many wonders daily. This is a reality that I do not want to see come to a tragic end. What do I have to do help you understand that I am a living entity One that requires nurturing just like you?
Your deal with me is pretty straight forward. I provide for you and you in return take care of my resources and use them wisely. Together we can have a long term relationship that is magnificent! This is how I am designed to function.
If you think about me as your other mother, that might help you to really consider taking better care of our relationship. You don't just think good thoughts about your mom on Mother's Day. Hopefully, you love her year round. I would certainly appreciate that same level of consideration. Show me some love by taking the time to do something that will benefit my well being.
Your small daily efforts plus that of others can make a difference!!! Make me one of your priorities daily and encourage your family and friends to do the same.
I am counting on you to help protect me and to be a loving partner in our relationship. Failure to do so is an option, but do you really want me to respond to that attitude of neglect? I think not.
Sincerely yours,
Mother Earth
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