Let there be Light!

Let there be light!

Thirty years ago in 1984 Larry Hester was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition in which the retina, the layer of tissue at the back of the inner eye, degrades and is no longer able to convert light images to nerve signals and sends them to the brain. Simplifying this, you slowly lose your vision as the eye is no longer able to see light. For thirty years Hester has been living with this condition, then everything changed when he met with Duke University's Eye Center. They, along with a few other medical programs all over the country had been looking into helping those with this condition see again.

They succeeded; the Argus II Retinal Prostesis Device was created. The Argus II Retinal Prostesis Device works bypassing the damaged photoreceptors altogether.  A mini camera is place on the side of the patient’s glasses which records. The video is sent to a small processor, VPU, that the patient wears, where the video is processed and orders are first sent to the glasses then to the antenna in the implant. The signals are then are used to create pulses of electricity. These pulses bypass the damaged photoreceptors and stimulate the retina’s remaining cells, which transmit the visual information along the optic nerve to the brain, creating the the illusion that there are patters of light. Patients learn to interpret these patterns.

These glasses are revolutionary in helping the blind. Children who have never before seen will finally get the change to experience the world. Mothers, father, grandparents, all will be able to interact with their families again in a way that feels more like before their disability took over. In general, the creation of this product will do much good for people all around the world.

Plessy V. Ferguson

Plessy v. Ferguson

In 1896 a case came into the Supreme Court where a black man, Homer Plessy, sued the Honorable Judge John H Ferguson over his decision in the lawsuit Homer Adolph Plessy V. State of Louisiana. In that case Judge Ferguson ruled in favor of the State of Louisiana saying that Louisiana had the right to regulate railroad companies as long as they were within state boundaries. Plessy immediately called for a writs of prohibition and certiorari in the United States Supreme Court.

The supreme court took the case with the intention of declaring the right to segregate public facilities either constitutional of unconstitutional. Plessy and his legal team fought that the segregation impeded on his rights in the fourteenth amendment. The Opinion written by Justice Brown stated that Plessy had no case as he was arguing his rights while the case was about the constitutionality of the Law. Because of this misunderstanding the Justices ruled in favor of Ferguson and ruled that the law was constitutional.

This ruling allowed for Jim Crow laws, separate but equal laws, to continue to emerge all over the south.

Sir Michael Bloomberg?

US major Knighted

72 year-old ex major of New York Michael Bloomberg was knighted this past weekend by the British crown. As Bloomberg is not a citizen of the United Kingdom he cannot called himself Sir though he is allowed to add Knight Commander to the end of his name. According to the article Bloomberg received this prestigious title due to his "'significant contribution' to British business life through Bloomberg, and his "considerable philanthropic endeavors in the arts and education". Bloomberg, while major of New York is responsible for the revival of tourism between the Big Apple and London. With this revival travel boosted a considerable amount and both the United States and the United Kingdom benefitted immensely. 

Bloomberg's financial firm was also very popular in England, because of this a lot of his philanthropic efforts were focused in England, these efforts are another reason for his honorary knighthood. Bloomberg states that he is "deeply honored" and while he is not the first American to be Knighted, or the first New York major to be Knighted he is the first of the year of 2014. 

According to the official website of the British Monarchy, a knighthood is the highest honor one can receive. In previous years Knighthood was only achieved through military service though now like with Bloomberg it is awarded to anyone who makes notable contributions to British life; ranging from musicians to scientists to teachers.

State v. Mann

I found it surprising that the original courts ruled against Mann to being with; the fact that this made it all the way to the North Carolina Supreme Court shocked me. I didn't realize that opinion of North Carolinians was in favor of the slaves. I was under the impression that slavery was accepted by almost everyone in southern society. It made me happy to learn that there were people starting to fight for the rights of slaves even as early the 1830's.

While it is thought my many that slavery is morally wrong the arguments in favor of it are more compelling. It not only has the approval of the church if practiced in a fair way, but it has many economic benefits. The souths pain profit was agriculture, and while there were very few white to work the fields there were an abundant of blacks. Without them agriculture would not have flourished and the United States in general, not just the south would suffer financially. The financial benefits of slavery outweigh the moral costs in the long run.