News outlets to consider:
- Any major TV news outlet (Yes, I will accept The Daily Show and The Colbert Report)
- Any major international, national, regional, or local newspaper
- Any major internet news service
- Any major radio news outlet
- Any of these podcasts (you're not limited to these, but it's definitely a start if you're not familiar with podcasts)
- Any of these YouTube channels (again, not an exhaustive list, just a place to get started)
The myth has finally been disproven. I have been waiting for someone to put it to the test and test the myths mettle. The myth that’s has been dispelled is the accuracy of the American manufactured AR-15 Assault Rifle chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO up against the worlds most used Assault Rifle the AK-47 chambered in 7.62x39mm. The myth is that AK produced weapons (Avtomat Kalashnikov) are less accurate than the AR-15 and are not capable of being as accurate as an AR-15. In the test a SAM7SF variant of the AK-47 was used. Along with mounted an Aim point Comp M3 on it using an RS Regulate AK-300 mount. A RS Regulate BM-1 mount attached to the barrel to mount a Surefire X300 Ultra and a simple two-point sling with a Blue Force gear adaptor for the front sling position. It is simple. Solid gun, high quality red dot sight and a high quality light and a simple sling. The magazines used were Arsenal Circle 10 magazines that are regarded as the highest quality AK magazines ever made. The SAM7SF is not directly derived from the original AK-47 model that was invented in 1947, but still has all the same features such as being gas operated on automatic fire, a rotating bolt, and the kick and recoil of the previous models and other similar weapons in the Kalashnikov family of firearms. The SAM7 SF loaded up with a 7.62×39 load, Hornady’s outstanding 123 gr. SST ammunition. The weapon was tested at 100 meters and the shot groups were between one and two inches, easily achievable by an AR-15. So in spite the internet was wrong always saying how a Kalashnikov weapon could never be as accurate as the American produced AR-15.
ReplyDeleteKevin,
DeleteInteresting points, but the AK model is still the most popular and infamous automatic weapon in the world--so its accuracy is moot. How does your current event research affect the wider world community beyond the fact that the myth has been dispelled? What does this mean for the future of weapons trade? Is accuracy the most important aspect of a rifle?
I must admit, my working knowledge of weapons extends only to FPS games, so forgive me if I sound patronizing--those questions aren't meant to be belittling, I'm genuinely curious.
Mr. De Ceglie
Kevin,
DeleteI'll preface this by saying that I am not knowledgeable about guns. While the AK-47 variant used in these tests matched the accuracy of the AR-15, is it an affordable variant common around the world, or is it an expensive variant targeted (no pun intended) towards gun enthusiasts? How do these two rifles compare in rate of fire, stopping power, and reliability? Would replacing current US military AR 15 rifles with AK's reduce costs? What are the broader, worldwide implications of this accuracy test? Was the ammunition used in the test "average" 7.62, or was it somehow more accurate? Basically, why is it important that the AK 47 is as accurate as the AR 15?
Kevin, although more than half of your current event is gibberish to me, I still found that it was entraining and knowledgable. I believe it is good for someone to be knowledgable about guns fir protection and they should know what they are shooting.
DeleteBut I know you love guns, so I am glad that you have gotten what you wanted and the myth to be disproven. Thanks for the info.
In my 60 minutes of current event findings, the one thing that caught my attention was the Ebola epidemic. The Ebola virus is spreading around the West African region and has infected nearly 5,000 people. What is the Ebola virus? The Ebola virus is a deadly virus that causes bleeding internally and externally. As the virus spreads through the body, it damages the immune system and organs. The amount of people that are getting infected is ridiculous. The outbreak is specifically located in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. On Tuesday, President Obama sent nearly 3,000 troops, including doctors and there medical resources to help the people infected fight this virus. The epidemic is said to be growing faster than efforts to keep up with. I think it is a very horrific situation, and the fact that there is no vaccine created for this virus yet is even scarier. More than 2,400 people have actually died from this virus. This epidemic is just getting worse as the day goes by. I absolutely applaud our president for making sure the United States is getting involved in helping this crisis. Because we are such a wealthy country, I feel like putting ourselves out there to assist the people infected is necessary. Over 17 Ebola treatment centers have already been made in Liberia so far. They are calling this epidemic a global threat. I don’t think the Ebola virus will reach the United States because of how aware we are of this virus. Doctors across the country are now being reminded to ask for the travel history of anyone who comes in with symptoms. Also, Ebola isn’t a virus that just spreads rapidly; it only spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids. With that being said, I hope the Ebola virus will soon be controlled with the help of the United States.
ReplyDeleteTselote,
DeleteI agree that it's a good thing that the US is involving itself with controlling the Ebola virus. However, sending troops seems to be a bit drastic to me, too. In my research about Ebola, I've come to discover that it is transmitted through bodily fluid transfer--it's not an airborne pathogen, nor can it be transmitted via skin contact (unless the skin has an open wound and that blood is transmitted to an open wound on the other person). Ebola is spread in squalid conditions, so to me, the best course of action is sending as much monetary aid and infrastructure aid as we can so the people living in central Africa can take steps toward eliminating this virus. I also agree with you that it will not reach the United States, nor most of the industrialized world because we have access to proper healthcare (at least compared to many countries in the region of central Africa).
Mr. De Ceglie
I had no idea that the Ebola Virus has already infected that many people. But sending in U.S. troops seems a bit and rash and overall an attempt to stop something that is already set in forward motion. In addition to that, what would sending troops help to accomplish? The soldiers shooting the virus? Seems unethical, and endangering the lives of the troops because it is possible that they could become infected as well.
DeleteTselote,
DeleteIt's very saddening to hear the extent to which this terrifying virus has expanded. Though five thousand people may seem like a small amount, no one should have to experience such a terrible disease. As gruesome as the virus is, I don't think it is cause for global panic. It isn't an airborne virus, and infection can be avoided as long as bodily fluid transfer is avoided. I think the best thing to do for the affected countries would be to provide some humanitarian aid, but also provide education on what causes the disease and how to prevent it.
In response to the comments about sending troops, I actually didn’t think it was a bad idea. I feel as though President Obama is just doing the best he can do, and sending troops is his way of helping these countries. They are continuing to build more Ebola treatment centers. Not only did he send troops, but also doctors. In the news I remember President Obama stating that the troops were being sent to help contain the deadly virus and prevent it from spreading to the United States and across the globe. Also, I understand it isn’t an airborne virus but what I don’t get is how so many people are retracting the virus so fast.
DeleteTselsote,
DeleteI agree that it is shocking that this virus has spread to so many people so quickly. What I don't understand is how it is spreading so fast if it cannot be passed around by simply touching someone but through bodily fluids. I also agree with Kevin in the sense that sending US Troops does seem a bit rash since there is not much they can do to stop the virus.
Until today I wasn't aware of this outbreak. I don't think we know how to handle such an epidemic. Obama is just attempting to keep such virus away from the United States so this fatal disease doesn't cross take over our country and annihilate many of our citizens. I heard this was one of the biggest outbreaks in history which blows my minds how I didn't even know of this. I'm not sure what we're trying to do to cure this world of such infestation but I'm not certain what troops would do in order to cease this. It's not as if they can shoot every individual Ebola and destroy them all. I'm thankful for this not occurring in our home land but am very sympathetic for the countries which are being forced to deal with all this death.
DeleteI was aware of the Ebola epidemic but I had no idea that so many people were infected and dying from it. I hope that this epidemic is contained and that we develop a cure as fast as possible. Ebola isn't even airborne, which is the scary part. Imagine if it was airborne.. I think we need to get together world wide and make sure everyone has access to access to health care and that we can neutralize a disease like this, much faster in the future.
DeleteI am very shocked by this virus epidemic. This is the first that I have heard of it. I do agree that the U.S. should do what they can to help, and get involved. However, the 3,000 troops that were sent to foreign countries to assist in stopping this virus may very well get infected with it. If there is no cure or vaccine makes it even more dangerous for our troops to get involved. If they become ill, they will return to the U.S. with the virus, which will only spread it even more, and more rapidly. We need to be smart with our actions and be sure that our people are safe and protected before we attempt to help everyone else.
DeleteI have to agree. While I wouldn’t consider myself atheist (I do believe in some higher power, but I don’t agree with any particular religion.) I have to sympathize with the airman. It is shameful for such a bias to have reared its head in the military of all places. I also have to agree that the amount of religious bias in our government is a disgrace. America was founded on the idea of religious freedom and other ‘unalienable rights’, yet we constantly see people being put down and ridiculed for using this freedom. I have little hope, but if we’re lucky these stupid biases will be less prominent in the future.
DeleteI believe America should get involved, and it's better that they do. For the safety of our people, and for the safety of the people of other countries, the Ebola Virus should be treated and care for. Although I believe that the Ebola virus will not do well in a developed country, such as ours, it will have major devastation of undeveloped countries that already don't have bough resources to survive. The Ebola Virus has been around since the 1970's and it's mutation to be this awful, crazy disease has sparked fear, but from America's help, hopefully we will bring hope to these countries and peace and prosperity such as ours. Just as everyone should live by, "Service above self".
DeleteLink to the article: http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/9/17/atheist-airforceoath.html
ReplyDeleteDuring my current events reading this week, I caem across an article on Al Jazeera about an atheist member of the Air Force who had been barred from re-enlisting due to his refusal to say "so help me God" while taking his oath. Recently, the Air Force has gone back on its decision and is allowing the airman to re-enlist, saying that "individuals may omit “so help me God” from their pledges if they wish." Personally, I find it completely ridiculous that this was even an issue in the first place. Freedom of religion (or in this case, a lack of religion) is a constitutional right, and for someone to be prevented from serving in the Air Force because of their atheism is discriminatory and morally reprehensible. I find it worrisome that a government-funded institution like the Air Force would display such an obvious bias against people with certain beliefs when they are supposed to be a secular organization. This isn't a problem that's exclusive to the Air Force, either; religious bias pervades many governmental issues. For example, take the recent controversy in Texas over history textbooks. In the textbooks, Moses is referenced several times and is lauded as the inspiration for American democracy, and Christianity's role in the founding of the country is amplified. On a wider scale, there is also the issue (which most definitely shouldn't be an issue at all) of same-sex marriage: it is only legal in 19 states, and a significant amount of opposition is due to religious reasons. While people should be free to believe whatever they wish to believe, these beliefs should not hinder the progress of equality and education. Thankfully, the situation seems to be gradually improving; while 31 states still ban gay marriage, 12 of those have had the ban overturned with appeals in progress. I'm very glad that the Air Force overruled its first decision and decided to do the right thing, and I can only hope that other parts of our government follow their example.
Oh my. I can not even begin to fathom this issue. We have the right to religious freedom and for groups such as the Air Force, which people look up too, to say such things and banned someone for their religious views is despicable. This reminds me of how we're forced to speak the Pledge of Allegiance every day in school no matter our religious views (One nation under God) and are even reprimanded for not saying it. I am surprised and thankful that society as a whole is gradually improving on these problems of society trying to punish people who are different than the average and, as some say, "normal" individual.
DeleteGuillermo,
DeleteThis is a very sticky situation. My rationalization for this behavior is that many of our lawmakers and servicemen and women are highly religious, and in many cases that religion is that of Christianity. Legally, it is unethical for laws and policies to reflect any religion, that is, they must be secular, but it often comes to pass in this country, it is seemingly unpatriotic to defy the will of those putting their lives on the line for our freedoms. So, legalities and ethics aside, we have policies that discriminate against those that hold different beliefs (or have no religion).
You've made the observation that our country is becoming gradually more secular and our laws and policies will continue to reflect that. Ripping off the bandaid of religious patriotism might cause a rift in this country impossible to repair, so I think you'll see more secular laws and policies gradually rather than immediately, but rest assured--it's happening.
I agree with your statement that he does have the freedom of religion. On the other hand, it shouldn’t be a problem for him to recite something that they are asking him to. He knew the situation he was involving himself in and even though he does nto believe it, he should know that the military does, and he should respect that as well. Personally I do not want someone defending my country or myself if they do not follow the rules or recite the oath of coming into the military. If he does not believe everything that they stand for then he shouldn’t omit himself to that career or responsibility
DeleteDuring my current event findings I had come across an article about Omar Gonzalez jumping the fence to the White House, racing across the North Lawn and being able to break inside before he was caught. Secret Service made a comment that they had already been aware of Omar in an incident that had happened before but had not stated why he hasn’t been arrested in the past. President Obama and his family left the White House four minutes before this happened and the rest of the people in the White House were evacuated so the facility could be searched for any weapons he may have dropped or chemical components that could be potentially harmful. As of right now the Secret Service is acknowledging that this is a failure on their part and they are working to fix their mistake. Daniel Bongino, a former Secret Service Agent, comments that he was stunned to hear that this had happened and explained that there are multiple layers of security at the White House including dogs and agents stationed at multiple points. I find this extremely shocking because the security at the White House is to be the best of the best. Whether it had been because an agent was not stationed where they were supposed to be or they had not seen him run across the lawn, it is shocking to find out that he was able to get fully into the White House before he was arrested.
ReplyDeleteDanielle,
DeleteI wonder what Omar’s motive was. Has this happened before with him? I completely agree with you when it comes to the security at the White House. A man shouldn’t be able to run across the lawn and not tackled down by security or chased right away. I read the article on www.cnn.com , and they said he was actually able to make it inside the building before captured. Secret Service should really be ashamed of this incident. I don’t think there are no excuses to their failure. This just proves that just because it is the White House, bad things can happen whenever and wherever.
I remember hearing about Omar Gonzalez on the news. I found it startling how a person was able to jump the fence, run across the premises, and accomplish getting that far into the White House. Imagine if it had been more than the one person. This news also made me consider the reality that if the President were not safe, what would happen if he were to be assassinated? How would America respond? If the President of all people is not safe, then how can anyone ever be?
DeleteIt surprises me that someone would be able to get that far into the White House without being stopped. In 8th grade I went on the class trip to Washington DC and we got to visit the White House. There must have been at least 20 Secret Service Agents there constantly walking around the property and watching everyone. Letting Omar get that far past them must have been a real embarrassment on their half. However that also means that Omar must have planned his break in, which means there are other people who could be learning from his mistakes and planning to do the same thing.
DeleteI was actually going to write about this before I read your post! This was so shocking and I can't believe how far he got before he was arrested. The fact you mentioned that this has happened before, with the same person, shocked me even more. I agree with Noelle, this wasn't a "in the moment" decision. He planned his move and there could be other people doing this. Hopefully the security understands how bad this was and doesn't let it get this far next time.
DeleteThis is very interesting. It shocks me as well that he managed to make it all the way in. It is shocking, and makes you think whether this was a break in or if it was some kind of plan that this man made with someone on the White House Staff. Current reports that it was "just a mishap" and a mistake of the Secret Service are merely statements until the investigation is completed. Security at the White House should be more prominent and for an intruder to hop the fence and run directly across the lawn is questionable. I hope they get to the bottom of the situation and release any news on whether it was a spontaneous intruding or if there was some kind of connection between this intruder and perhaps a member of the White House staff.
DeleteDanielle,
DeleteOne of the pressing concerns for me hearing about this is how is the United States handling its VFWs? The VA Hospitals are direly underfunded and vets are having incredible amounts of trouble getting mental health counseling. Sure, the Secret Service was caught with their pants down on this one, and I'm sure security would have been much more tight if the first family was in, but is that the biggest issue here?
This is a serious matter, but a funny one too. Just imagine seeing a man running across the white house front yard, id probably laugh and record it on video. I agree with Mr. De ceglie i think if the family was there the security would be on high alert for anything and everything. I personally don't think he was trying to harm anyone if he wanted to he probably would've done it, he might have different intentions such as the thrill of being caught or even the fame.
DeleteMelanie Urias
Floyd Mayweather Jr. seems to want to drive his name into the ground in every way possible. For years he’s been running away from a fight with Manny Pacquiao or anyone that seems to be of his skill level making up multiple excuses as to why he can’t fight, making them not want to fight him by not even offering half of the pay per view money, and by making them jump through hoops to get to him. As far as most people are concerned, he is the worst person in boxing to ever have an incredible amount of skill and natural talent. Unfortunately his image has only gotten worse with him recently commenting on the Ray Rice incident saying that “I think there’s a lot worse things that go on in other people’s households, it’s just not caught on video.” Now the quote itself isn’t very good, but some could argue that he just wasn’t thinking and down played the situation not seeing it’s significance. The thing that makes it bad would be a little bit of context, the fact that he was in the same exact situation multiple times - even pleading guilty on one occasion - and has been in jail for a short period of time for domestic violence. Mayweather should have just kept his mouth shut in this situation, because even if he had something positive to add nobody would want to hear it from someone who’d been in jail for the crime he’d have been speaking out against. Then he decided to drive his name even further into the ground the next day in an interview when asked about his past experiences on the subject by saying “Everything has been allegations. Nothing has been proven. So, you know, that’s life” despite his children having witnessed the crime and having been the ones to report it. Even if he schedules a fight with Manny, there is no possible way for this man to redeem himself.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I don't understand the contribution of the statement of Mayweather running away from Pacquiao? I don't believe this has anything to do with if he has a say or not in allegations of abuse. I do agree with some points of your side of the argument as to why he shouldn't be speaking things in interviews saying that his situations were just allegations, and that there's probably things going on in Ray Rice's situation. However, I feel as though Mayweather might most likely be right in how there's more to Ray Rice's little "drunk incident" (as Rice had said that he under the influence at that point). The only evidence they have is what happened in the elevator, but based on Ray's reactions after his fiancee said something, it must have not been the first time, because after they both opened up to questions in an interview about what happened, Ray Rice's fiancee had claimed that this was all media and they're just trying to ruin their relationship. Later on, a psychologist who works with helping abused women, came to say that what Rice's fiancee has stated and how she responded to this incident, is normal behavior for someone who suffers from regular abuse.
DeleteBrandon,
DeleteIt seems to me that maybe Mayweather's statement is telling about our societal stance on domestic violence? It wasn't a positive statement, but it also wasn't negative. But it makes me think that punishing isn't enough of a way to combat the domestic abuse issue that pervades society. What we need to be doing is educating young men on how to treat and respect women; we need to educate young women on how to be self-advocates and to recognize when they are the victim of domestic abuse. Of course it occurs the other way, too, but male to female domestic violence is by far more prevalent.
That could have been what he meant, but to me it seemed more like he was shrugging this off as not a big deal, and his history also made me believe that he just didn't care about domestic violence altogether because he believed it wasn't wrong. But I may have misread the meaning
DeleteWhile exploring the world wide web, I came across the Climate Change March article in the New York Times online. There are various groups of individuals that came together to march down the median of Manhattan. This march contained rainbow colored floats and even marching bands blaring for the cause giving this event a festive feel. They are attempting a change in the behavior of the world. “The climate is changing,” said Otis Daniels, 58, of the Bronx. “Everyone knows it; everyone feels it. But no one is doing anything about it.” This march elongates over a two mile route. Did you know that meteorologists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that this summer — the months of June, July and August — was the hottest on record for the globe, and that 2014 was on track to break the record for the hottest year, set in 2010? The mayor, two senators, one-third of the council men, even Leonardo DiCaprio were joining this march to attract attention for this cause. Over 2,700 events for this interest were planned in many, about 150, countries.This group was supposedly systematized by the Georgia Climate Change Coalition but according to New York Times "The march was organized by a dozen environmental, labor and social justice groups, including the Sierra Club, Avaaz, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, 350.org, the Transport Workers Union Local 100 and 1199 S.E.I.U. In addition, more than 1,570 “partner organizations” signed on to march." This shows the multitude of contributing sources that enabled this current event. Bills were produced in order to decrease the carbon footprint in New York and they are suspecting a major drop in carbon usage from now to about 2050. To me, I feel as walking isn't doing the best it can to change the world for the better. For some reason I feel as if at least one third of the people who marched may not even realize how much they are partly responsible for in the climate change. But for the people who are aware of their footprints and know how to create a massive difference then I believe they are definitely assisting to spread the word. I'm not sure this was the most effective way but it definitely made the news and caught significant men's attention.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that part of the reason that the climate is changing is because the Earth's orbit is changing every few years? It doesn't have as much of an impact as we do, but it is still a major contributor to our climate change (although some have been saying it's the only reason for the change).
DeleteIf this march caught the eyes of many and made the headlines on the news, then I truly believe that this was the most effective way on spreading this message. The best thing about this, is that they had done it peacefully, and it inspired others around the world to stand up for what they believe they can say about this " climate change". A drop in carbon usage suspected in 36 years by "they" isn't enough; this needs to be done as soon as possible, knowing that the UN could do something about it in the treaty that will come out later next year. I understand what you mean when you say that some people are probably not aware of their responsibility in this climate change, but in my opinion I feel like this movement has definitely had an impact on people's perspective on what they're doing now and how they can fix what they're doing wrong. If there were 300,000 people in that march, then 300,000 of them MUST have know their awareness of their carbon footprint.
DeleteRegardless of which side of the aisle you fall on, I feel that climate change, or at least sustainable energy is a no brainer--maintain a temperate habitual zone for future generations. I'm glad that those that participated in the march and that spoke at the UN did so peacefully and eloquently to serve as a model for the rest of the world to either emulate or, at the very least, consider and listen to.
DeleteClimate change shouldn't be a political issue--it's a scientific and human issue. It's disgusting how polarizing it has become both in societal arena and political arena. Part of the problem is that oil and non-sustainable energy corporations are lobbying in congress to stop sustainable energy from being pursued economically. They are more interested in short term profits and long term human sustainability.
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has flooded social media. Every time I log into my Facebook, I see a new video every day. I understand that it is an amazing thing to do, I even did it myself. However, is it worth doing if someone is going to die from it? Today, a Kentucky fire captain died when he helped Campbellsville University's marching band complete this challenge. Him and another fire man stood on the fire truck ladder and poured a whopping amount of water onto the University marching band. When the challenge was completed, and they were on their way back to the fire station, the ladder hit an an electrical wire that shocked both fire man. This happened on August 21, which was about a month ago. Fire Captain Tony Grider has died after a month from this incident. He suffered a high voltage electrical shock from just helping and trying to raise ALS awareness. The two fire man were officially released on September 15; however, the other fire man is still alive due to the fact that he did not suffer such intense injuries as Grider. Even though this was meant for a great cause and it ended up turning into a devastating tragedy, Tony Grider will always be remembered as a hero. He served as a fire man for 16 years, and that is how he will always be remembered.
ReplyDeleteIt is upsetting that a firefighter lost his life after a series of unfortunate events following the pursuit to raise awareness for a cause. Despite not doing the challenge, I do support the effort to bring awareness to Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the deadly neuron disease that doesn’t receive much funding. Although it makes me wonder if the event in which the ladder hit the electrical wire was rather an act of carelessness. I’m unsure of how such an accident could take place. I’m curious if this news will draw attention to the people who “go big or go home” and cause them to think before they try to get too creative with their ALS challenge.
DeleteThe death of a firefighter is one of the reasons I have not done the ALS challenge. I do not agree with having to nominate people to pour ice water over themselves to get them to donate money to a good cause. I feel that people are getting too caught up in wanting to have the best ice bucket challenge and are forgetting the real reason behind it. Also, I agree with Emma on if the ladder hitting the electrical wire was an act of carelessness and lack of planning. The ice bucket challenge has raised awareness to ALS and has helped to bring in many donations; however I feel it has gotten to the point of people just trying to get the media's attention over wanting to help victims of ALS.
DeleteWhile it is easy to dismiss the Ice Bucket challenge as just another fad, it is impossible to deny that it is indeed helping. The challenge has raised more than 114 million dollars with more than 17 million videos raising awareness. The money raised in this small amount of time is more than the last four years of donating combined. Even if no money was donated, awareness was raised by the upload of videos, with the grand total of views for these challenge videos totaling more than 1 billion views. While you could in fact die from the ice bucket challenge, statistically you are in more danger of a getting struck by lightning (1 in 70,000 chance) than you are of dying of the Ice Bucket Challenge (1 reported death).
DeleteJosie,
DeleteAs Ryan said, it's foolish to overlook how much money and good this challenge has done for the ALS community. While this incident is certainly tragic, they died from a simple, correctable oversight--basic safety and knowledge of an environmental hazard. Chalk this one up to a freak accident rather than the ALS challenge as the cause of death.
Yes, it is upsetting that a fireman lost his life during this event. However, I don’t think that his death was in any way intentional, accidents happen everyday and we can’t blame the ALS ice bucket challenge on this incident. The challenge is raisng awareness for a condition that certainly receives the recognition. I personally have done the challenge and I think that his death should not be blamed on anything. He will always be remembered as a hero. Don’t deny recognition for a great cause due to a tragedy that accidently occurred during one of the events. We can only hope that the situation never occurs again and people participating take the proper precautions during the challenge.
DeleteThe World Health Organization has stepped forward to inspect the cleanliness on airlines. Airplanes allow for the quickest method of deadly diseases to spread with about two billion people flying every year. With the current Ebola outbreak, shouldn’t sterilization be vital? According to Scott McCartney, planes are not being wiped down and disinfected between each flight, but rather after the last flight of the day. Otherwise, they are simply being “tidied up” before the next flight of people is boarded. Wall Street Journal reported that the Federal Aviation Administration does not regulate or inspect cleaning and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, has nothing to do with aircraft cleanliness. The World Health Organization is pursing health regulations on flights by putting out a guide for sanitary conditions. They are also working with flights traveling to Western Africa to try to contain the spread of Ebola. However, the most being implemented on other airlines is increasing crew safety and how to identify ill passengers. Upon reporter investigation, it was found that no airline allows the viewing of their cleaning process. When asking American United and Delta about their cleaning process, both were reluctant and responded by saying that it is confidential. Studies have been done and concluded that people who fly on planes often have a twenty percent higher chance of catching a cold from a flight. Bacteria and viruses may linger on touch surfaces on a plane for longer than a few hours. With people flying on planes every single day, how must we be certain that diseases are not being spread? How must we take a plane flight and be certain that we will not contract a disease or illness? While the Ebola outbreak is presently at concern, shouldn’t sanitation be taken especially seriously?
ReplyDeleteThis is incredibly concerning news. Airline traffic is one of the fastest methods of spreading disease, and spreads it into other regions of the world. One person could bring an entire disease into a country all by themselves because of airlines. The fact that anybody could be okay with not cleaning airplanes in between flights is appalling. Airlines won’t allow for planes to take off if they have a mechanical issue and are unsafe, how is this allowed when it poses an equal threat to more than just the passengers? The fact that the airlines won’t reveal what their cleaning process is probably means that they know exactly what they are doing and the risks they are taking.
DeleteI'm not usually germaphobic, but this makes me glad that I don't frequently travel on planes. You're already in a tight space and to think that they don't thoroughly clean them on a regular basis is very off-putting. Usually you just trust that companies are doing their jobs to keep the atmosphere sanitary at the very least, especially considering the price of airfare. Good to know though, definitely bringing my bottle of Germ-X next time I plan on flying.
DeleteThis is a very serious concern that should be looked into more than it is now, but the worst part of the whole thing is absolutely nothing will be done until something serious or deadly does happen. Then stringent implications will be seen and airlines will have to submit to cleanliness and report the status of the planes.
DeleteThis was a very interesting topic that I heard about nearly everyday on the new. I felt it was good thin that he revealed information like that because it confirmed the speculation of many citizens that we were being watched. It was also a bad thing considering the crime and consequences for such actions. In many cases being watched is a good thing because you can you will be able to track down criminals and have better evidence for cases. Being watched can also be wrong too because of the invasion of people’s privacy. Also by reveling this information Snowden has committed treason against the U.S, which makes it seem like he sacrificed his own freedom so we could know about these things.
DeleteEmma,
DeleteI think the cleanliness of aircrafts is a big concern, but I'm not entirely sure it's dire. Considering the millions of people that fly every single day and the very few that get ill from it (due to cleanliness, not motion sickness), personally it's not a huge concern of mine. By stating that airlines are reluctant to divulge their cleaning habits, I feel that it's being implied that they have something to hide--but maybe they're protecting their product so that other airlines don't steal their ideas. This is common in a capitalistic society.
As for Ebola, since it is only spread through bodily fluid contact that cleanliness of aircrafts is moot. However, for planes flying into and out of regions of Africa that are affected by Ebola, it would certainly be a good idea to test the passengers before they board.
All of that being said, it's a wonderful thing for high traffic environments to be clean! So, if the WHO is discussing cleaning up airlines, I'm on board.
During this week’s current event search I came across a Yahoo article on jobs that can kill you. The article talked about eighteen jobs that the Bureau of Labor Statistics and CareerCast.com have labeled high-risk jobs with the highest fatal work injury rates. Surprisingly enough, taxi drivers were number one. At first I was a little confused as to why taxi drivers would be before firefighters and police officers, but the article later explained that being a taxi driver is a stressful and dangerous job due to varied road and weather conditions. The drivers are responsible not only for the passenger’s safety but also for getting to a destination in a timely fashion. Roofers being on the list were not a surprise as they face the danger of falling from a great height. However, newspaper reporters, event coordinators, and public relations executives being numbers five, eight, and nine caused a state of disbelief. How is writing for a paper or public speaking dangerous? It turns out that reporting and coordinating jobs are not dangerous to you physically but mentally. Deadlines and schedules can cause an emotional strain that affects the overall health of your body. Another job that you wouldn’t consider hazardous at first is an airline pilot. My first thought was that the 63 deaths of pilots in 2013 were due to plane crashes, however it turns out that the constantly changing work schedules and lack of sleep were the real reasons. Without proper rest your body can shut down and go into a stage of shock. Common jobs that we consider dangerous, such as construction workers and electricians made the list but were towards the bottom. In 2013 there were 215 reported deaths of construction workers, but that number is compared to the 748 delivery drivers who died in 2013 due to traffic incidents.
ReplyDeleteStress is a very overlooked cause of illness and poor health in general. Stress is especially dangerous in a work environment in which so many people are counting on you to get everything right and the slightest mistake can ruin the event for everybody. You'd be surprised with what can negatively effect your physical health.
DeleteI knew stress was mentally draining, but I never imagined the effects to be so severe. Obviously, I wasn’t surprised by your mention of roofers, police officers, and construction workers, but I’m shocked that events coordinators made the list. I didn’t realize how much stress could affect a person, imagine what it’s like to have to be that stressed and have someone tell you that it shouldn’t bother you. I can see how stress can be easily overlooked, but being so dangerous I wish that more people would start take notice of the threats it poses. It just shows how important it could be to someone if you just offered them a little help.
DeleteI'm actually not surprised that taxi drivers are number one on the list. If you think also about the area they work in, you'd realize they come in contact with some pretty sketchy people. For example, New York, New Jersey, California.. these places have a large population, which means a high crime rate. Many drivers could be mugged or murdered by their passengers along with the deaths from driving conditions.
DeleteI agree; usually I equate risk-taking occupations with danger, not stress. The order of the national rankings was also interesting. I might have to take a look at this list and take it into consideration when deciding a future career.
DeleteThis statistic surprised me, because when I think of dangerous jobs I think of oil workers, firefighters, and police officers. Actually, I've seen numerous articles stating that loggers are the most hazardous job. Doing my research now, I haven't found a single article that matches your top 10 or any of the previous I've looked at. I wonder how they calculate how dangerous a job is? If they calculate it statically by the highest mortality rate, fishermen should be the the number one, which has held the record for highest mortality rate since 1992.
DeleteDid you know that students today are under more stress than was societally acceptable in the 1950s? The stress levels students are under now could be cause for hospitalization/institutionalization in the past. How do you think we can combat this stress plague that is afflicting society? Is more work, more class, more responsibility healthy?
DeleteThe state of California has faced a severe drought issue for years, and possesses a long history of these dry disasters as well. With their kind of drought record comes the problem of wildfires, adding insult to injury. Recently, a tremendous fire has spread out of control in the town of El Dorado, sixty miles east of Sacramento. In eight days it has enveloped 82,000 acres and endangered 21,000 structures, 12,000 of which were residences. The fire, nicknamed the King wildfire, has caused the evacuation of nearly 3,000 people, and has yet to be contained even with 5,000 workers fighting it. Half-a-million gallons of water have also been used, which is not in any way ideal for such a drought-ridden region. Besides its immense size, the fact that this fire was the result of arson also makes it newsworthy. The prime suspect, Wayne Allen Huntsman, is being held on $10 million bail. This event makes me realize that one individual with bad intentions can cause a mess that takes 5,000 people to clean up. It’s striking that an average citizen can put thousands of lives at risk and destroy tens of thousands of acres of nature with barely any effort. Hopefully this event brings more attention to the danger of wildfires and the severity of arson as a crime in the dry climate of California. Public awareness is the best way to prevent issues like this. Another good outcome of this terrible incident has to do with technology. Sometimes wildfires cannot be prevented. When a wildfire gets out control, like the King Fire, its up to thousands of firefighters and volunteers to control it. As time goes on, however, we can develop better ways of fighting the issue so that it is solved faster and with less people on the dangerous front line. For example, airtankers developed by the United States Department of Agriculture are currently being used on the fire, and they carry 3,000 gallons of fire retardant. Advances like these can save the time and energy, and possibly the lives, of many.
ReplyDeleteIt is unsettling to realize that one person's bad intentions can greatly effect so much. I absolutely agree that public awareness is the most effective way in the prevention of similar future incidents. Public awareness will help to provide a common understanding of the situation and hopefully lead to solutions. We should also be so grateful for today's incredible advancements in technology. It is something I take for granted everyday, but shouldn't, because it has immensely impacted all of our lives.
DeleteYou made a very interesting point that I feel people rarely ever realize, that one person's actions can cause a very big disaster. I suppose you never realize that sort of thing is true until something awful like this wildfire is. I cannot and won't even try to fathom Huntsman's intentions behind igniting the first flame that has now enveloped thousands of acres. You are right in saying that technology can help us fight the issues of arson and other blatant destruction of wildlife, as it links people together to share information like this for others to learn from. Technology gives us the power to transmit vital information that like you said, could save lives, structures, and wildlife.
DeleteI wonder if the prime suspect has any mental health issues? Perhaps, but the fact remains that, if the fire was an act of arson, it has affected millions of lives.
DeleteAs you stated, wildfires are a natural part of the environment and it has resulted in several technological advances, but those advances are to benefit humans. Wildfires are nature's way of cleaning up the brush, could our technological innovations be hampering natures course?
One of the most controversial topics of last year was Edward Snowden. Snowden was a technical assistant for the CIA, and is responsible for one of the most significant leaks in US political history. In June 2013, Snowden was working as an NSA contractor when he disclosed to several media outlets thousands of classified government documents. These documents contained numerous global surveillance programs run by the NSA with the cooperation of telecommunication companies and European governments. These surveillance programs were used to collect data on citizens, and had raised questions on privacy of information. Some as a traitor, and has labeled Snowden by others a patriot. Over the past year, many nations had the same questions on privacy and had heated debates on government surveillance; one of them was New Zealand. The nation’s prime minister, John Key, denied any mention of mass surveillance in New Zealand by their spy agency GCSB. On Monday the 15th, Snowden claimed that Key is lying, and that communications are intentionally intercepted and monitored by the GCSB. “XKEYSCORE” is a mass surveillance tool used by the NSA and GCSB to collect private information such as emails, text messages, and Internet traffic. What does all of this mean to the everyday person? It means that the government has the ability to intercept and analyze every text message, every website you go to, every purchase you make, and every call you make. I found this new very concerning when I learned about it in my own country a year ago, and am becoming more concerned as more information continues to come out. I for one agree with what Snowden has done, and continues to do. Citizens all over the world are having their communications intercepted and recorded without any legal basis or consent. If the public wants this, let them go through their representatives, don’t go behind their backs. The information that is collected should be used to defend and secure countries, not monitor uninformed civilians without any reason for doing so.
ReplyDeleteWe live in a world where data is gold. We willingly divulge information to social media sites and other online forums, we have data saved on servers such as online shopping to make our transactions easier, but are we aiding mass surveillance, or are we the victims of it?
DeleteI am fascinated by the Snowden story, and I, for one, think he has done the right thing. But I'm also conflicted--there are some things that the government does that I don't think I should be privy to, but I also feel that transparency is a necessary operating procedure for everyone.
Have you ever watched CBS's Person of Interest?
While I was looking at some major current events, I came across the article about French farmers torching a tax office in the Brittany protest and thought it seemed extremely unusual. French farmers have started protesting about living standards and although it started off nonviolent, they eventually used arson. They set fire to tax and insurance offices and even dumped artichokes, and other vegetables in the street. Ever since the Russian embargo, many prices of goods have been dropping. The farmers have been loosing their profits and are extremely upset. In addition to setting the fires, they also blocked busy roads to prevent the firefighters from getting to the fires quickly. I thought this was very relevant because it connects to everything going on in Russia and Ukraine currently. It shows that the actions all the way in Russia are having a vast worldwide impact. Russia banned most of the Western goods and it is an extreme market to lose. Because of this, countries are having some problems with exports, especially small cities that mainly exported to Russia. Brittany is a cultural region in the north-west of France and Russia was their biggest market. French farmers have been protesting regularly, especially since their profits have been dropping and they can no longer make a normal, steady living. French farmers have a 20% higher suicide rate than Frances general population. The rates are alarming and I believe that France should do something to help the farmers out, because they are obviously crying out for help. The French minister responded to this by stating “Nothing can justify these acts of violence” and that all parties “need to find solutions to manage this crisis.” I agree slightly, but I believe that the main reason this situation got so grave, is because the French government failed to realize the severity of the crisis and how badly they need to step in. I hope that they will resolve this in a peaceful way.
ReplyDeleteThis just shows that these people are getting desperate and that Russia's embargo is impacting these people's work. Even though Russia chose to lose its access to western goods, the countries that lost their buyer failed to see the impact that it would have on its market and its citizens. Hopefully this crisis can be resolved soon, but the Ukrainian conflict needs to end first. The embargo was probably put in place after fighting began in Russia and it won’t be taken out until that conflict is resolved. Hopefully, the French government and its farmers are able to find some kind of temporary solution to solve their dilemma.
DeleteThis is a very interesting event. I don't know very much about foreign affairs, but it seems to me that many countries, ours included, are hesitant to embrace a global market economy mindset. Governments are stuck in the past while their citizens are victims of the rapidly changing global economy. The solution for this is not simple, nor will it occur soon or quickly.
DeleteWhile I was " current event hunting", I came up on this very interesting article on Yahoo. The article reviewed a three minute antigun video. The video is actually made up of pictures. The pictures are of 78 children, each of them holding up a message on a notecard. What were the messages? The notecards read: " Dear Mom and Dad, you slather me with sunscreen... you protect me from second-hand smoke and germs..." But what parents don't know is that their children are 17 times more likely to be killed by a gun than children in the next 25 developed countries combined. Parents want to protect their children from anything and everything, but they cannot do so if they are against antigun laws. This video asks for parents to use their voice. It mentions in the article that a 51 year old man gunned down his own daughter. Let that sink in. He gunned down his daughter. He then gunned down his six grandchildren. Shortly after, the man shot and killed himself. The presence of guns destroys families and children's lives. This one example is proof that guns really do destroy and cause damage. When has a domestic violence situation, with the presence of gun, not lead to a deadly and sad outcome? A gun at home makes a person 3 times as likely to be murdered. A gun at home makes a person 3-5 times as likely to commit suicide. A gun at home makes a person 4 times as likely to cause their own accidental death. A gun at home does not protect anyone. It puts them more into harms way. Parents are worrying more about if their child is wearing a helmet, but what they really should be worrying about is the one thing that could cause their child's life to come to an abrupt stop.
ReplyDeleteI'm personally in favor of heavily restricted gun control, but we also have to consider and respect the second amendment of the constitution.
DeleteThink about smoking in the US; instances of teenage smoking has plummeted over the past 20 years due to a nation wide curriculum to curtail smoking. In the next 20 years, it'll fall almost to the point of elimination. I think a similar tactic should be employed for gun control and safety. If we educate our future generations, we can limit their "need" to own a handgun. Like tobacco, though, the fruits of this wouldn't be immediate--but, over time, youth movements manifest themselves in the adults that they become.
So it's National Chicken Month. At first I wrote this off as just another random dedication to make the passing days between summer and the holidays more celebratory, however the podcast was about more than an excuse to gorge on poultry. It was an interesting insight into the business behind the meal. The podcast was not advocating for a vegetarian lifestyle, but it did inform you about the cooperate logistics behind the slaughterhouses. As I’m sure you have heard: money makes the world go round, and farmers are still subject to the pressures of paying bills, despite the typical ruralized categorization of that small percentage of the population. Due to advancements in technology and urbanization, only three percent of the United States is involved in farming today and they are facing a more monopolized market. Powerful companies buy out suppliers or merge with smaller organizations, limiting the available options. This leaves the producers of our food stuck between a rock and a hard place. When profit becomes the end goal, morality is marginalized. Chickens are often crammed into barns, rather than allowed to roam freely simply because it’s less expensive. In addition antibiotics are pumped into the chickens to increase their size and prevent illnesses in such tight quarters. This unnecessary practice is risking the future effectiveness of our resistant drugs. Right, you’ve heard this all before and you’ve seen the gruesome videos on YouTube. It’s understandable that you would want to distance yourself from the blood. It is much easier to fight for the rights of a cute, fluffy bunny who’s being tested on rather than a tiny bird that you eat. I don’t mean to sound as though I am trying to guilt trip you into altering your diet, because I’m not. Believe me I love my meat, I just think you should be aware of what your saving a dollar or two really costs. We don’t have to give up a lot; we just have to increase the integrity with which we run our industries.
ReplyDeleteWhen you mentioned National Chicken Month I had no idea that your post was going to end with discussing what chickens go through before we eat them. I never knew that chickens were crammed into barns because it is inexpensive, but I was aware of some of the other facts mentioned. Thanks for reminding what these poor animals go through and how cruel industries can be just to gain a profit. You are correct in saying that the integrity of which we run our industries should improve. There are people who are unaware or don't care about what is in the food we buy and eat and that it can effect us in the future.
DeleteMuch like Miranda, I was unsure of where this post was headed when you mentioned that this month is National Chicken Month. At first glance I was expecting to read an entertaining story of how some chickens had escaped, which had ensued in a wild chase, or another story of similar sort. But I was I surprised to learn how low our morals are in regards to how our industries are run. I was disheartened to find that people would put these chickens in such poor conditions in order to obtain the highest profit possible. I hope that soon we will be able to recognize that integrity is much more important than gaining money.
DeleteI remember seeing a documentary in home economics in 7th grade about the conditions of slaughterhouses in the US. How large food industry businesses choose the cheapest options for production despite unethical treatment of animals in the process. This is, as you’ve said, a result of business motives and money, which means the only way to solve an issue like this is through government regulation, sadly. I might not be giving up meat anytime soon, but information like this makes me rethink ordering a one-dollar chicken sandwich at McDonalds more than once a month. I think I’ll stick to McFlurrys.
DeleteI also remember seeing a documentary in my home economics class called Food Inc that addressed the topic of animal cruelty in the food industry. It is absolutely disgusting and morally wrong how the meat industry treats the animals they butcher. The primary motive of this cruelty being money makes me question what the government is doing as this is happening. Why is the government turning a blind eye to the way that these chickens are being treated. Just because these chickens are raised to be food, does not mean that we can treat them like they are not alive. Thinking about the disgusting and crammed quarters these birds are kept in while waiting to be slaughtered makes me sick to my stomach.
DeleteMy brother saw Food inc as well. He came home and talked about how they treat chickens. He was talking about how they would knock the chick's unconscious and kill them. I know that after seeing that video he couldn't eat meat for a week. I can't believe that they treat the chickens so terribly and I didn't know that it was to this extent. While these chickens are alive they should be treated good. Not to mention that we eat these chickens. If they are raised in crammed unsanitary conditions and are injected with anti-bioics then I'm sure these chickens are not going to be the healthiest to eat. This is not how chickens should be raised and the issue should be addressed.
DeleteBriana, I think you'd very much enjoy the fast food exposé, Fast Food Nation. It discusses the very issue that you raise in your post. I love your last sentence about increasing the integrity of our food industry, but if corporate profit is the end game, how do we reconcile integrity and ethics? Money talks, and if the animals can't complain, who's going to speak for them?
Deletehttp://www.cnn.com/2014/09/20/us/alabama-school-rape-lawsuit/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
ReplyDeleteIn my Current Event findings this week, I found an article about a 14-year old special needs girl who was raped in a school bathroom. A 14-year-old girl with special needs allegedly was raped at school after a teacher's aide persuaded her to act as bait to catch an accused sexual predator, a fellow student. School administrators knew the student's extensive history of sexual and violent misconduct and were alerted to the substantial risk he posed. About a week before the alleged rape, Sparkman Middle School vice principals Jeanne Dunaway and Teresa Terrell received a complaint that the boy had touched a female student inappropriately and was assigned in-school suspension. June Simpson, a teacher's aide at the Huntsville-area school, told the principal, Ronnie Blair, that the boy had "repeatedly tried to convince girls to have sex with him in the boys' bathroom on the special needs students' corridor" and had actually had sex with one student. On January 22, 2010, the boy approached a 14-year-old girl with special needs who had already declined his "recent, repeated propositions" for sex. The girl told Simpson, and when she did, Simpson told her to meet up with him in the bathroom, where she would be intervening, so they can catch him in the act. The girl initially refused, but then agreed. Simpson and the girl went to Dunaway's office to explain the plan. Dunaway "did not respond with any advice or directive." The girl left Dunaway's office, found the boy in the hallway, and "agreed to meet for sex." However, something went wrong. Instead of meeting in the boys' bathroom on the special needs students' corridor, the boy told the girl to meet him in the sixth-grade boys' bathroom, in another part of the school, where there were no teachers to intervene. "She stalled for time. She continually tried to fight him off but ultimately was anally raped by this young man," attorney Eric Artrip told CNN. The girl was uncommunicative after the incident, and there was not a strong enough case to argue. The school listed the alleged rape as "inappropriate touching a female in boys' bathroom," on the student's computerized disciplinary report. The boy was suspended for five days and sent to an alternative school. Attorneys claim the boy had a long history of sexual and other misconduct in school and Sparkman Middle School administrators knew it. The boy had been involved in 15 violent or sex-related proven incidents of misconduct before the alleged rape. The girl's father filed the federal lawsuit in October 2010 against the boy, the three administrators claiming it violated the Title IX, which is a federal law aimed at ending sexual discrimination in education. The judge tossed out the federal claims -- that the school district violated Title IX and that Simpson and school administrators deprived the girl of her civil rights. The girl was withdrawn from Sparkman Middle School and underwent extensive counseling. She went to live with her mother in North Carolina, but her mother died soon after. Her and her brother were sent to the Child Protective Services in North Carolina. Ronnie Blair and Teresa Terrell are still principal and vice principal at Sparkman Middle School.
Jeanne Dunaway is now principal at Madison County Elementary School. June Simpson resigned shortly after the incident.
This story honestly has me disgusted. How could administrators allow this plan to be followed through? It's morally wrong to use some little girl as 'bait'. Even further, they didn't list this assault as rape?! "Inappropriate touching a female in boys' bathroom"? This should be listed as rape and the boy should be in Juvenile Detention. The school clearly needs more responsible teachers and perhaps better security and disciplinary protocols. I'm honestly very baffled by this article. How could someone allow this to happen? Somehow, someone must've been able to intervene and stop the boy before his 15 "violent or sex-related incidents". By his first, he should've been expelled and served time in Juve.
DeleteEveryone is aware of the conflict taking place in Ukraine, which started when Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula which was a move condemned by Ukraine and the West. A couple months after fighting began a truce was agreed, that is currently in effect and has been repeatedly violated. Today there were thousands of protesters who marched in Moscow for an anti-war rally. These people were protesting Russia's involvement in the Ukraine conflict chanting "No to war!" and "Stop the lies!". There was a variety of protests taking place in multiple Russian cities as the protesters carried Russian and Ukrainian flags in their hands and marched along the streets. People sometimes forget that just because the country says it is going to fight, it does not mean that its citizens want to. Moscow police reported 5,000 protesters, but a reporter claims that there were at least 20,000. This was Russia's first major anti-war rally since fighting began five months ago. Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to accuse Russia of arming rebels in the east and sending Russian troops across the border while Russia continues to deny this accusation. Fighting is to resume Sunday despite an agreement set on Friday to set up a buffer zone. The government in Kiev said that its military forces would not pull back until pro-Russian forces stop firing and Russian troops pull leave. For the time being Russia denies that its forces are involved. I believe that the main reason this conflict arose and has started a war is because Russia wanted to have more control and is now not willing to let it go. The people are obviously upset by this and the events that follow or they would not have organized this anti-war rally.
ReplyDeleteThis week in the news, I was intrigued to hear that a man had actually slipped by the Secret Service and got into the White House Friday evening. Apparently, a man by the name of Omar Gonzalez, 42, from Copperas Cove, Texas, had jumped one of the large fences, ran across the yard and entered the mansion using the front door. The intruder caused an evacuation of the White House. Luckily, the Obama family had left earlier on vacation. Secret Service had drawn their guns in search of this man. Gonzalez had ignored the command of officers to halt and was then tackled just inside of the house. Secret Service agents searched him, but no weapons were found. This man was charged with unlawful entry into the White House. Due to complaints of chest pain, he was sent straight to the hospital instead of jail. His relatives did not answer when agents called. In later reflection, a security camera shows Gonzalez sprinting across the grass while guards are distracted by nearby pedestrians. This is not the first time Secret Service has failed. In 2012-13, agents were accused of prostitution scandals, two officers were fired after another incident of sexual misconduct, and an agent was once found drunk at a hotel the day before Obama was scheduled to arrive. This also wasn’t the first time a man had jumped the White House fence. Just last week, September 11th, a man scaled the same fence, which provoked the Secret Service agents to draw their guns and release guard dogs. This news story makes me question the people they hire for Secret Service. Are they responsible enough for the job? Maybe hiring more agents would help with the intruders and other incidents of the nature, but with the prostitution and irresponsible behavior? Perhaps a better background check before hiring is in need.
ReplyDeleteNYC's Times Square has filled up with around 300,000 people protesting for climate change. This happened to be a very moving and peaceful project, at first with 100,000 hands in the air along with absolute silence. This movement is focusing on taking a global stand towards the Global climate treaty that will be revealed late next year. Vine star, Jerome Jarre, actually lead me to find this article on yahoo, as he was one of the few "celebrities" that had joined in on the march, along with Leonardo DiCaprio, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. They participated in chants with the people to inform the politicians (of the UN), that what needs to be done to help this Earth is important for all of us, and our voices WILL be heard. Publicly and worldwide. These chants include "equal power", "fighting justice", and "I believe that we will win". They chanted for the arctic, they chanted to be noticed, and most importantly, they chanted to create a better environment for the world. This message has been even spread to London, with 40,000 marchers, and Australia, with 10,000. According to this article, this was the biggest climate march in history. The question is, will politicians take this into the effect of whatever decision they decide? Or will they ignore what the people fight for? And this is where the conversation starts. Many really do believe, including me, that this will have an effect on the treaty and the importance of leaving your carbon footprint in this world. But not everyone agrees; some feel like this is just a waste of time and it will require more efforts therefore requiring more money. Then is what starts a debate; a war within these 2 opinions. Which side are you on? Community matters. We don't want to PROTECT the environment. We want to create a world where the environment DOESN'T NEED PROTECTING.
ReplyDeleteA city in China known as Chongqing has created a sidewalk lane specifically designated for cellphone users. Marked in white paint on one of the city’s busiest streets are two lanes – one for those using their cellphones and the other for those who are not. The road is known as Foreigner’s Street, which is a popular area for tourists due to its imitative Western-style architecture, along with an amusement park. The developer of this idea’s spokesperson, Long Cheng stated that the sidewalk lanes are meant to remind tourists not use their cellphones and walk at the same time. The cellphone sidewalk lane was inspired by a recent study in DC where National Geographic split a sidewalk in two separating the sidewalk into two lanes: “NO CELLPHONES” and “CELLPHONES: WALK THIS LANE AT YOUR OWN RISK.” This stunt was staged for a new TV series called “Mind Over Masses” about behavioral science. In China, not everyone agreed with the new sidewalk. Some argued that this would only encourage “mobile phone addicts in the long run”, while others say it will help to prevent “potential safety hazards.” At the moment there is no future plan to create more of these divided paths elsewhere in China. It is unbelievable how much technology truly does affect our lives. When I first stumbled across this article, I was shocked that our obsession with technology has really come to putting our safety at risk. I hope that in the future these lanes will not become a necessity in our daily lives. Our eyes are so glued to our cellphones, tablets, laptops, and other screens that we don’t see the world around us.
ReplyDeleteWow, I find this pretty funny actually. I’m wondering what dangers there are stemming from cell phone use and walking at the same time. Aside from wandering into traffic, I don’t think bumping into someone while walking would be anywhere near fatal. Hopefully, however, the lane is the farthest from traffic. The idea’s practicality aside, I do find it interesting that one piece of technology has changed everything about the way people live, not including new sidewalk lanes! I agree with people saying that it would encourage cell phone use while walking, because now cell phone users have an excuse to use it without seeming rude to non-users.
DeleteAs much as I almost cannot even believe this is real, it doesn't really surprise me. You're right, as we become more and more obsessed with technology every day, society is beginning to cater to our needs. I don't necessarily think this is a good thing. I agree that this is simply enabling mobile phone addicts and encouraging them to keep their attention in cyberspace rather than what's happening in the real world around them. What I'm sure started as a silly joke has turned into something that could potentially hurl our world down the road to a WALL-E world.
DeleteWithin the past couple month’s terrorist attacks have become more prevalent. Although they were not on American soil ISIS till committed acts of terror again the United States. As a reaction to American airstrikes towards the terrorists group, Two Americans were abducted. Footage of the beheading of 31 year-old, Steven Sotloff was released. Sotloff was abducted in Syria in 2013. Steven was a journalist for Times magazine and traveled to obtain some information. The terrible occurrences displayed the upmost disrespect ISIS has for Americans.
ReplyDeleteTwo weeks following the first beheading there was a second one. In order to fight back against these hate crimes Obama declared he would not put up with bullying of our nation. This could also be a forewarning for a more devastating threat towards America. It is never clear what could be plotted on us as we speak, so we must prepare. If we don’t act soon and correctly there could be another national tragedy coming our way. When dealing with these cruel possible warnings America should be aware of possible danger. Rather than acting with armed forces America should protect our own it seems that fighting back hasn’t gotten us very far.
In American history fighting terrorism has been one of our many attributes, but we must become a lot safer about it. If we don’t take such precautions we may face grave dangers and more abductions affecting American citizens. If all peace acts fail, then armed forces may be our best bet. Currently ISIS poses a large threat to America due to the mystery of their future plots against us. The government should become more aware of the situation and also stop all imports and exports to the Middle East unless absolutely necessary. You never know if they will send over tainted goods that could poison thousands or an explosive that could kill millions. I know that our nation is strong enough to overcome any obstacle. We just have to be prepared.
I’ve heard many things about ISIS, in my US history class. The fact that they are recruiting people from different countries is outrageous, and also scary. Although they are recruiting them to another country, those people could come back, and try to start a war over in the US about the same thing. Even though we’ve had history with fighting terrorist, such as 9/11 and right now out in Iraq, we have yet to prepare for an attack that could be placed on us in the near future. Obama should start recruiting people to get prepared if such a attack happened.
DeleteAre people really beheading other people? We need to get recruit an army and get prepared because with sick people like that in the world who knows what they will do next.
DeleteSearching through global news articles, I stumbled upon a very intriguing selection covering an extreme act of protest in Tibet. A young scholar, age 22, set himself on fire in front of a police station in protest of Chinese rule over Tibet. The drastic act of objection to the political rule of his home country cost him his life, mirroring 132 others who have inflicted the same fate upon themselves since 2009. There is something very unsettling about the whole situation. The fact that 133 people have lit themselves on fire to protest their government in the past five years is insane. Something is obviously upsetting the Tibetan population that needs to stop being overlooked. It is strange to think that such drastic actions are occurring, and have been occurring for a while, without anything being done to address the underlying problem. Although China did put an end to the Tibetan uprisings fifty years ago, it seems almost unnecessary for them to remain in direct control over the foreign land. China also seems very insensitive to the Tibetan populations views on their control which is obviously stimulating much unrest. The Tibetan peoples customs and cultures have been pushed aside by harsh Chinese regulations and rules. Despite the economic growth and the strengthening of Tibet itself, without their traditional values and cultures, the Tibetan population will remain discontent with their government. Reading this article thoroughly upsets me as it shows the complete arrogance of the Chinese government. They would rather keep direct control over Tibet and have the population so unhappy that they are brutally sacrificing themselves on the streets to prove a point. To go as far as to douse yourself in flames to show how unhappy you are illustrates how desperate the Tibet population is for change, and it is truly disheartening.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThose statistics are truly alarming. As you said, if 133 people have committed this rather particularly extravagant form of suicide in order to make a statement against their government, something is seriously wrong that needs to be immediately addressed by the accused. It is unfair, to say the least, of the Chinese government to sit and watch these horrible sacrifices unfold on the streets, and do nothing about it just so they can..what? Protect their pride? I find it silly and ignorant to choose to ignore such horrible acts. How many more deaths will it take for them to realize that they need to make some kind of effort to appease their people?
DeleteThe fact that 133 people would set themselves on fire. There are so many better ways to die man.
DeleteI can see why the Tibetans have had uprisings against Chinese rule. Culture is a big part of peoples lives and if that is just taken away by Chinese rules and regulations, it's unnecessary. Tibetans shouldn't have to give up their values and be discontent with the government orders. If they have to set ablaze their bodies to show their hatred, then it's a serious problem.
DeleteApproximately 77 million years ago a dinosaur, now called “ The Dreadnoughtus schrani dinosaur” roamed the earth. Scientist measured the dinosaur at 85 feet and around 65 tons, considering it the largest animal to ever live. The name “ The Dreadnoughtus schrani” translates to “Fear Nothing” which follows the size of said dinosaur. The fossils were found in Argentina's southwestern Patagonia. They say that it wasn’t fully grown, and they question the size it could have been if it had done so. Scientist also say that the massive dinosaur was an herbivore, also considering its size, it must have to eat massive amounts of plants a day, making its life revolve around eating. It was also believed to be a member of the titanosaur family, because of the shape of their teeth and also because of the shape of its ribs. Some scientist have yet to believe that the Dreadnoughtus Schrani dinosaur was the largest dinosaur to roam the earth, because they have reason to believe that there is another one that is 2x larger call the Argentinosaurus. Researchers say that the T-rex and the Dreadnoughtus shcrani never encountered each other, and that they were on two completely different continents but if they were ever to encounter each other and got into an altercation; the Dreadnoughtus would have won, without a doubt.
ReplyDeleteResearchers also believe the cause of the dinosaurs death was because it had gotten caught in quicksand that had been created by a massive flood. In which, it created the perfect preservation for such fossils. Researchers also say that the fossils of said dinosaur have been found before, but have never been found as complete as this find.
On September 21, hundreds of thousands of people converged on the streets of New York City to protest the lack of action by the government to address climate change. It was the largest social demonstration of the past decade and largest climate protest in history. The passionate group, some dressed as the Lorax, in hemp skirts, Indian headdresses, or even in banana costumes, marched for change in hopes of raising awareness about the rapidly worsening problem of global warming. Their goal was to pressure Obama and other officials into making climate change a higher political priority. Different groups of people attended to demonstrate which social issue surrounding climate change affected them the most directly. For example, many doctors marched in lab coats to bring to light the detrimental health effects of global climate change. (It can result in heart disease, asthma, and cancer.) Another demonstrator claimed that climate change would require a shift in leadership and incorporation of the views of women and youth, and portrayed her feministic beliefs by marching topless. She says that climate change is an example of “social inequality”. Although I personally find her statement rather puzzling and unrelated to global warming, it certainly illustrates the vast array of intellectuals present at the event. It absolutely blows my mind that this many people could come together and cooperate to make this much of an impact. Although I’m not much for simply “protesting” with the goal of changing the world, educating the public is the first step toward promoting any cause. I cannot deny that this march did exactly that. It is so important for citizens of not just the United States, but also the world, to know exactly what the potential consequences of their actions are. Carbon emissions are dangerous and could possibly, eventually, leave society as we know it underwater.
ReplyDeleteLast week on Thursday, people in Scotland were given the opportunity to vote whether they wanted their country to become independent from the United Kingdom or to stay a part of it. One man who was interviewed said it's exciting because some people have been waiting a long time for this opportunity. The next morning at 8:00am the results were revealed. There were people who did want to separate from the UK but the votes showed that the majority of citizens didn't want to become independent. 2,001,921 (55%) people voted for no independence and 1,617,989 (45%) voted yes for independence. Therefore, Scotland is staying as a part of the United kingdom. I was unaware that this election took place. Even though Scotland remained part of the UK, It is interesting to think about what would have happened if the election had been different and the majority had voted for Scotland to become independent. If Scotland seceded than the United Kingdom would lose 32% of its land. Even though it would lose that land it would only lose 8% of its population which I found surprising. There was even talk on CNN about how the title of the queen could change and how the flag could be altered slightly. None of these changes were made since the population voted no to independence but it would have been very intriguing if the result had been yes.
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DeleteIt’s amazing how people take advantage of the fact that they can vote on what goes on in their country. Choosing whether or not they get to be independent of the United Kingdom, or connect to it, is a big deal considering that US citizens wouldn't be allowed to do so. Which makes it quite new to me. Even though if we were allowed to pick and choose, people would go power crazy, and think they control the United States, when they're just one person who has voting rights. Choosing whether or not they would loose land, or gain is a big job, that the government should get to decide, not the people.
The officials of Wesleyan University announced Monday that their fraternities will be required to now accept both members of the opposite sex in a co-ed fashion. Their reasoning for this is very vague in that they want all members of their community to feel included. They hope to make their campus as inclusive and equitable as possible. Personally i see more error with this sudden change then what it actually is worth. There was not a problem with separate housing between the sexes to begin with so why is it now becoming something that needs to be fixed?
ReplyDeleteMany concerns spark my interest in this new policy. Including a possible increase in sexual violence, students feeling uncomfortable in their homes and distractions from school work. Sexual violence and assault has been a long time issue on college campuses and has increased by 50% over the last three years. Housing both female and make students together in a home-like situation can leave members of either party, especially women, vulnerable to abuse and violence from the opposite sex. Even if students of opposite sex are not allowed to room together, the close proximity of residing in the same house leaves them exposed and gives a possible abuser easier access to their target. Students may also feel uncomfortable with this new change. The students from Wesleyan University were not asked if they approved of this change or not, even though it completely effects their lives on campus. Students may feel unsafe because of previously stated reasons or even just uncomfortable because they feel as though they cannot completely relax while always being surrounded by the presence of the opposite sex. Students may not like feeling as though they always have to appear composed when they really just want to throw on a face mask and look like trash while studying for an exam. Combining houses might also distract from school work because of relations with those in their houses. No one wants to listen to a couple fighting at 2 am or dealing with parties every night from the rowdiness that teenagers develop when around each other. Personally co-ed fraternities just sound like more trouble them they are worth because a serious amount of measures and precautions need to happen if they ever hope for this plan to work.
I personally don't understand why they would have coed fraternities. I understand your concern for the rooming situations but my biggest problem with this situation is that it undermines the point of fraternities. I could see how making fraternities coed would be beneficial to the promotion of equality but if thats the goal is Wesleyan going to make sororities coed, do they even have sororities. While I know that women usually have the shorter end of the inequality stick providing something to women that isn't provided to men doesn't make the campus more equal. There are a lot of risk involved in doing such a thing and i hope Wesleyan knows what there doing.
DeleteDuring my 60 minutes of news findings I learned that three Afghanistan soldiers have been caught trying to cross the border to Canada. It has been said that the men haven’t showed anything to be concerned about, but they have interviewed by federal authorities. Although they were caught trying to avoid going back to Afghanistan, something similar has happened already. Afghanistan policemen were in Washington DC, and went missing earlier this month, only to be found in New York. These men are trying to get to Canada, where they will not be sent back to Afghanistan. There is no reason to think these men have done anything wrong, however it needs to be investigated to make sure they don’t have anyone helping them to escape the law. The fact that they are trying to get out, makes them look suspicious and I don’t think it should be taken lightly. I also don’t think they would try so hard to escape if there was no reason behind it. It has been said that this issue is no threat to the public, and we should not be worrying about it.
ReplyDeleteI think you’re right. If they weren’t trying to hide something, they wouldn’t be trying so hard to get away. That sounds like something the public should be at least a bit concerned over. The fact that it has happened more than once is also fairly worrying. Why are these men trying so hard to get to Canada? It seems really suspicious, and the fact that the government isn’t making a big deal over it is worrying. We’ve had too many terror based attacks from within our borders to ignore things like this. I guess all the government wants to do is wait and see.
DeleteThis is interesting--the idea of defecting to Canada is not new and was popularized during the Vietnam War. What do you think it says about the public's and soldier's reaction to the War(s) in the Middle East? If the soldiers are against the war and the public is against the war, and if a democracy is contingent upon its constituents to vote on policy, is the war valid?
DeleteI was mortified to discover that a man recently shot and killed his family. The total number of deaths was 7, including his 28-year-old daughter and a 3-month-old baby. The man afterward called 911 to tell them about the murder and to state that upon police arrival he would kill himself. This event is horrible, and gives little hope for the future. It is unfortunate to find that things like this really happen, and is even more shocking to find out it happened here in our own state of Florida. I am well aware of the fact that murders happen, and have happened all throughout history, but for a man to kill his daughter and grandchildren, then call dispatch and tell them about it without a shred of guilt is sickening. It takes a real monster to do something like that. The worst thought is that things like this seem to be becoming more common. It is almost as shocking as the recent beheadings, and is more of an impact because it happened within our borders. The deaths of these innocent people were unnecessary and unforgivable. The worst part is that the man didn’t even seem to have a motive. On call with the dispatcher, he sounded calm and didn’t seem to regret his actions at all. I simply can’t understand how people can do things like that. I mean, what is wrong with people? Everyone knows it’s morally unacceptable to kill another person, and yet it happens all the time anyway. This is just a recent example of a problem that runs rampant throughout America and most of the world. I see little hope for our future if things like this keep happening. And for him to be able to shoot himself without hesitation is just crazy in and of itself.
ReplyDeleteMike,
DeleteWhile the acts that he committed were certainly monstrous, and he deserves whatever punishment the law could provide for him (had he survived), I think the more central aspect of this event is that mental health problems are not dealt with properly in this country. There is a stigma to having mental health issues and the ability to get proper treatment is convoluted and bureaucratic. Maybe that's the real issue, not that these events happen, but that we're doing nothing to battle these events at the source--our mental health.
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DeleteFor my current event I decided to listen to a podcast by Freakonomics. While gazing through all of the Podcasts I came across one that really caught my eye that had to do with online dating. “What You Don't Know About Online Dating” was the title. While listening to it I actually got really infuriated. A girl named Allie was on a dating website called online OkCupid. Allie explained that she just moved to the new town and was using this website to try to meet new people. After a few days she got a few messages but did not really get to know anyone. Allie then set up a fake account on online OkCupid. Her goal was to see if men actually read the details about a women rather than just look at pictures. The pictures of the woman Allie added was stunning but her details made her a terrible person. One of the hobbies that the fake person had on her profile was hitting cups out of hobo’s hands. She also explained that she liked to bully her sister’s friends. After a few days she received over 1000 messages from different guys. What this showed is that none of the guys actually read about her personality they just saw her pictures and wanted to talk to her. During conversations they would ask her what she would be doing and she would type gibberish and they would say "so you want to do something on Friday night?" Also they studied that two men that look alike but one made a little bit more money got a lot more attention than the other guy that did not make as much money. It was stated that while writing about yourself on your profile for dating websites, you should lie a little bit.
ReplyDeleteMaddy,
DeleteI know tons of people, male and female, that have utilized online dating sites, and you're right to be infuriated. Males on these sites can be completely oblivious to the details on a female's profile. But, it seems to me that many guys are casting out a broad net, and if one girl out of 100 responds, he considers that a success. Males outnumber the females on these sites, so it's hard to blame the guys for needing to cast a net that large, when the competition is so stiff. I also feel badly for females that have to deal with the idiot guys (there are great guys that use these sites, too, by the way) that flood their inboxes with messages that showcase how little they care about details.
Regardless, online dating is becoming the new norm for our generation, and it's good that there are studies that look into the intricacies that encompass their use.
While reading your current event summary for the September 11th attack 13 years ago, I was shocked to see that many people still suffer from cancer from inhaling all of the dust and ashes. It is terrible to read that some of the patients aren’t being treated well. In my opinion, the people that suffered from September 11th and are still suffering because of sickness should get treated for free. It is good to know that more treatments are coming their way though. All of these patients deserve the best treatment because they did not deserve any of what happened.
ReplyDeleteIn my current events blog, I shall discuss Derek Jeter's retirement. Derek Jeter, who played for the New York Yankees (emphasis on the word played), finished out his career this past weekend. Jeter has attained a several successes including his ability to lead the league in singles, runs scored, and hits. In his 20-year career, Jeter conglomerated approximately 65 awards and honors. His career ended at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, the same place several baseball legends started and ended their careers. Jeter had played 153 games at Fenway and has played over 2,747 games with the Yankees and was "the hardest Yankee to hate; the hardest not to respect." The faceless rookie Yankee players will now be able to say they played with Derek Jeter, who played with Mattingly, who played with John, who played with Wynn, who played with Gomez, who played with Ruth. Jeter has become one of the greatest players of all time and will remain in the hearts of Red Sox, Yankee, and any other baseball lovers hearts.
ReplyDeleteMelanie Urias
ReplyDeleteWe all know what the ice bucket challenge was over the summer, and maybe even some of us participated in the challenge of suffering, being a little cold or maybe refreshing ourselves with a nice big bucket of ice; the cause was to raise money for ALS; but now what? Where is all that money going? The challenge helped raise more than 114 million dollars! Charity watchers call it "impulse giving." This summer 2.5 million first-time donors gave to fund a cure for ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. Now charity watchers say the spotlight is on the ALS association to see if they can responsibly manage and spend all the money. Over 17 million videos were uploaded to Facebook and on YouTube there was a billion views. Nobody was expecting all the proceeds that came in. It all started out with just a couple families that had family members with the disease. It is said that most of the money will go into trying to find a cure for the deadly illness. The rest of the funds will go into care giving and advocacy. Fortunately the ALS Association raised 4 times as much as they did last year, this year. I believe that the ice bucket challenge was a success even for it not being planned or intended. It was really fun as well. Although all the funds gained through the donations are a positive factor, a negative one could be the publicity ASL is now has, I believe this only because if in any way shape or form the funds that were donated, go to anything besides finding a cure and helping people with the illness the public can get really mad. Just like following the 9/11 attacks the public was furious at the American Red Cross for not using the donations directly for the attacks but were saving them for another future incident. ASL has to also watch out how they spend their funds; they might not receive these kinds of donations again so making last is important.
So this event isn't really a current event but when i asked Mr. DeCeglie said that he considered anything that still to this day effects us can be used as such. For my story i would like to talk about science. I watched Vertasiums youtube channel for almost over an hour and the one video really stood out to me conceptually. Everything in the world is made of atoms and all atoms have an electrical charge. The outside of all atoms is negatively charged and negative charges repeal other negative charges. Your really feeling coulombs repulsion force. What that blatant oversimplification is leading to is that if at a base level your atoms repeal each other are they really touching at all. Are you really touching anything at all. I don't know why this stood out to me but although its a minuscule distance you aren't really sitting when you sit in a chair, your floating.
ReplyDeleteOne extremely controversial topic of this year is the numerous incidents that have occurred within the NFL and it's players. One topic that is controversial but not a incident is the fact that the first openly gay football player was drafted into the NFL, his name is Michael Sam. I find it extremely odd that it took this long for it to happen. I mean it's 2014 and just now we had the first openly gay football player drafted into the NFL? That just seems crazy to me. Now lets move on to an incident. Recently a video of Ray Rice knocking out his then fiancé and now wife as been released to the public. Now that itself is controversial but if you dig a little deeper you can begin to wonder why he was just now suspended after the video hit the internet. Don't you think the NFL would know about the incident before the rest of the world and be able to give him consequences earlier? The NFL commissioner claims they saw the video the same time the rest of the world did but I find this highly unlikely. Many people are trying to get the commissioner fired due to this incident and his irresponsibility. Incidents far worse then a player knocking out their spouse has happened but this is one time were there is pretty much proof that the NFL was trying to cover up the incident. This is one big hole that Ray Rice and the NFL is going to need to dig themselves out of. Perhaps time is the only the thing that is going to allow them to move on from this incident. Hopefully next time the NFL will be more responsible and punish their athletes correctly to stop things like this from happening again.
ReplyDeleteForty-two year old Thomas Duncan passed on October 8th from the deadly virus commonly known as “Ebola”. Mr.Duncan was the first person in the United States of America to be diagnosed with this West African based virus. Two days after arriving in the states he was admitted to the Texas Health Presbyterian in Dallas, Texas. He was heavily medicated during the last ten days of his life. His body still possibly able to emit the virus, is being cremated in hopes of stopping the virus from spreading. The Duncan family has been relocated and are currently being monitored for signs of Ebola. They were criticized after being quarantined, and are now going through the process of sanitizing their belongings. Karasiah, his ninteen year old son who flew into Dallas to see his father that he had not seen in sixteen years due to avoiding a civil war in Liberia was unable to meet with his father. Thomas Duncan died two days before their scheduled meeting. Recently, it has been announced that there will now be screenings for the virus at airports. Even though the potential infections have been proven to not be Ebola, the public is growing more concerned and panicking anyway. Out of the one hundred people that recently passed Mr. Thomas Duncan had encountered, none of them have been diagnosed and or sick. Our advanced health care system has stated that they there will not be an outbreak of Ebola. It is highly difficult to catch, and so far Duncan is the only case known in the country. Troops have been issued to build Ebola clinics, as the number of patients are doubling in other countries every month. It is said to be expected that there will be many more cases outside of West Africa, and even a few here but there will not be an outbreak here in the United States.
ReplyDeletePanic attacks are widespread in numbers but are considered to be extremely individualized when they occur. 2.8% of Americans “suffer” from panic attacks. Panic attacks occur more often than bipolar disorder and OCD. These attacks are called panic disorder. You can have panic attacks without having the disorder. It is stated that science does not understand what happens when these attacks occur, they do not know if it is genetic or if this is something that you adapt through stress or any other thing affecting your body negatively. A specific gene is considered to be responsible for these attacks because it provides extra sense of danger or panic throughout your body. During a panic attack you experience this severe sense of fear and your body does not know to fight, flight, or freeze therefore causing insanity in your body. The way that panic attacks are discussed thoroughly bothers me. They discuss these attacks as something so severe that it is dangerous to anyone around them. I understand that it can be scary however these people are not typically going to harm others and I do not like that they make it seem that it is something that normal people could not have. I have panic attacks and I’m sure that over half of teenagers have these attacks too. They seem to blame the person instead of the activities that cause all of the stress. I do not believe that panic attacks are triggered by nothing, most Americans are stressed beyond their breaking point. Why don’t we try to calm them down, reduce stress level, remove them from the situation completely before jumping to medicine or extreme solutions. It is quite simple to blame the person but since this is such a common thing in America it could be something that many of us do and we just haven’t linked the connection yet.
ReplyDeleteISIS strikes and president Obama speaks out on these attacks. The attacks from ISIS show the leader beheading an british aid worker and two more people where beheaded previously to this. Further more Obama informs us that we are in war with ISIS and that its not just the US but its all the boarder international coalition and allied countries that are in war with ISIS. ISIS ranks up about 31,500 soldiers while the estimate for US right now is 10,000 but president Obama states the numbers don't matter. In my opinion i feel with the rage and number that the ISIS people are bringing that we should be worried because these ISIS people want stop till their forced to and i feel we need to force them to stop or come up with a good strategy for them to lose this battle. Example of that is the speech Obama had with the ISIS journalist and he stated that there coming for New York times and atlantic people. so this shows you that no matter what you do their not going to stop till their out of choices to do.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people around the globe strive to become millionaires. The most easiest way to become millionaires is as easy as 1 2 3, I'm just kidding if it was that easy then I would be one right now. Most millionaires become millionaires from them profit they make, their jobs. However, it is said that it isn't true, it is the important decision you decide to make with your money. Although, I believe that it is true, I think the income you make from your job is also quite important as well because where do you think you will be getting your money from. Resuming back to the article, it states that it is common knowledge to know how to spend your money accordingly. And if you spend it wisely unlike most people nowadays, your profit will accumulate a lot more overtime. What you need to buy to become this millionaire that everyone can become in these easy steps, it's just like one of those 5 steps to a 5 books so I'm sure you'll love it. Definitely, it's totally rad. One of these easiest tasks are the easiest thing to do in your entire life, but it can be very tedious to the average human. These 3 tasks are; Use your time wisely, buy what you really need, good management skills. Task 1 explains that if you invest your money at a young age, you'll start to accumulate money over time. But if you miss out on doing this in your fine glorious days then this isn't for you, you old scarab. Task 2 explains that most people in this economic world just buy what they want. It isn't something that is necessary at all, you're just funding yourself on garbage in all honestly. Which will plummet you down to the pits of poverty. Task 3 indulges ourselves to the intelligent and quick minded people.
ReplyDeleteChris,
DeleteThe steps you listed seem to be very accurate as i believe saving early and only spending on necessities can save you a ton of money, but don't you think you are forgetting the factor of intuition and entrepreneurship? just saving money and being intelligent will not turn you into a millionaire. step 1 "use your time wisely" can be expanded to such aspects as going to college or starting your own business and using steps 2 and 3 to make yourself successful and raise profits. clarifying step 1 would make your article much more helpful to everyone reading.
Many people have heard about the videogame Minecraft. the game has a cult following and many people play it for hours on a daily basis, even kids in our school. Minecraft has sold a miraculous amount of copies at 17,021,868 to this day, and that's only on the pc version, resulting in an approximate 323,415,492 million dollars in revenue. early on september 20th corporate giant Microsoft announced their purchase of Minecraft for a whopping total of 2.5 billion dollars. many PC fans of minecraft have voiced their concern and disspointment as microsoft is not the most trusted of companies for keeping games true to their original form. many PC gamers think of microsoft as a money grubbing corporation that will do anything to gain more profit including ripping off customers with locked content that has a paywall for a game you have already purchased. Notch himself sold the company because he believed that the fame and hate was too much for him. he said in a quote "I was at home with a bad cold a couple of weeks ago when the Internet exploded with hate against me over some kind of EULA situation that I had nothing to do with. I was confused. I didn't understand. I tweeted this in frustration. Later on, I watched the This is Phil Fish video on YouTube and started to realize I didn't have the connection to my fans I thought I had. I've become a symbol. I don't want to be a symbol, responsible for something huge that I don't understand, that I don't want to work on, that keeps coming back to me. I'm not an entrepreneur. I'm not a CEO. I'm a nerdy computer programmer who likes to have opinions on Twitter," If you think about it what he says makes perfect sense. I believe that Minecraft should have changed hands, but i don't agree with the choice of selling it to Microsoft.
ReplyDeleteCharles Manson, a mass murder who is 18 years old, is receiving a marriage privilege from prison, where he is spending for the rest of his life. His “bride to be” is a 26 year old girl names Star who was attracted to him 9 years ago by is his work when he was an environmentalist. She also has a six-year-old daughter, and her parent’s think she is smart, but don’t exactly approve of the marriage. Starr says that Manson respects her, and has treated her right.
ReplyDeleteI don’t believe that she should marry a mass murder. He is in jail, and also, she should think of the safety of her daughter. I believe she is with him to be in the spotlight, and to make a name for her-self. If she gets benefits from him, that could also be another reason as to why she would want to marry a man that can’t support her.