I think women should be allowed to be in every military position. If they meet the requirements, then I don’t see an issue. Furthermore, women should also be expected to be in the draft. It should also be said that if more than one parent in a family is drafted for war, then the other should not be drafted. However, war requiring the draft to be used seems highly unlikely. The problem of sexual tension is not a reason to bar women from the military because there are still gay men and there are still cases of soldiers raping women from the countries they occupy.
I really have to agree with Amal on this subject. I recently went to a recruiting station to sign up with the Army National Guard. In the process they had me choose a few of the many offered jobs, one of which was the Army Rangers. I was then informed that women still are not allowed to do that job, and honestly I have to admit that I was quite upset. It was something that I did, and still do, want to peruse in my career. However, we aren't barred because of sexual tension, we are barred because women have yet to prove all of the physical qualities that they are looking for. But, I also believe they haven't given us the chance. In short, I do agree with Amal.
Women should have the same amount of rights that men have. There are as many women police officers as men and this should be the case for the military. Men taking advantage of women is sickening and us as women need to fight more for equality.
Women should have the same amount of rights that men have. There are as many women police officers as men and this should be the case for the military. Men taking advantage of women is sickening and us as women need to fight more for equality.
I agree with certain points that Amal made. I definitely agree that women should be given the same military opportunities that men are given. That being said, I also agree with Hannah saying that women as a while have not proven that we have all of the physical attributes needed for certain military positions. After all, in America we look for equality of opportunity, not equality of results.
i Don't see why woman don't have the same rights as man because if a woman wants to be in the military then she should have same right to hold high position also.like Taylor said equality is a most, no matter were you are.
This is probably the dumbest thing I've seen today. They actually closed the school because of a SENTENCE. A sentence is not going to convert or indoctrinate students. Furthermore, why isn't there this same outrage over the books we read in English class that are overflowing with biblical allusions?? A Prayer for Owen Meany, which I'm currently reading for English class, literally has a quote from the Bible on every other page, and I'm not at all offended as a Muslim. Too many Americans are scared of Islam because of ignorance. If they actually learned something about the world, they'd know there is no reason to be scared.
People are scared of what they do not know. If we made the generalizations that we make with people of color towards white people, then everyone would be outraged. Why is it that as of 2015 the supreme court realized that the right to marriage is a right in general and not a religious right. America is suppose to be home of the free, but people are very prestigious towards those who are not christian. It is just a bit ironic. I agree with you Amal, it is stupid how ignorant people are towards a very peaceful religion.
It's incredible that the fear some people has of the unknown prohibits them from even allowing children to get educated. It's a cycle that is passed down from generation to generation and won't change unless some things are made mandatory to teach. It's 2016 now and there are still some places that don't require teaching evolution. It's setting kids and society up for failure to be this uneducated about things they can't wrap their minds around, mostly because they themselves were not taught when they were young.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/18/opinion/the-problem-with-focusing-on-childhood-obesity.html?ref=opinion Obesity is not just concerning in children but adults as well. I personally am disgusted at the rate of increase and how some people would want to put their bodies through that. Yes we all can splurge, but we need to appreciate our bodies more than we do.
I think that the way to stop obesity is to tech the kids when they are young.that the younger they learn the better they will be when they grow up. also lead by example not just by say do this will you do other thinks.
http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/12/16/cop-dui-suspect-shooting-california-orig-vstan.cnn Here is another shooting by the police to a person that didnt need to be shot. as you see in the video he had just been in a serious crash and was trying to get out of the car the cop drew his pistol and shot him for no reason proaly out of anger for having to chase him i think. I cant belive cops can get away with this with video footage some of these cops actions are really getting out of hand wheather the person is black or white they should have justice if the suspect is not going to harm anyone with deadly harm taze the suspect or use your cops skills you trained to take the person down shooting someone for trying to get away is not the right action especially not in this one. Laws or something needs to be done about these current events with police getting out of hand.
The "Black Lives Matter" is an extremely important movement for the African American culture.I disagree with Brandon with a few points, there is racial tension in American and though our system is not made up of "evil" or "all racist" police officers there are always a few bad apples that spoil the bunch, that I can understand. Our system is INCREDIBLY corrupt, we need to have more of a background check on our police officers, because I have known of police officers murdering for any unjust reason, but taking advantage of women. But Brandon, in some instances I can understand where the shooting was just, attacking a police officers, any instance where the officer feels their life is in danger. I agree with Trey that this issue keeps occurring. Some of which are just and some of which are not, there will continue to be racial tensions no matter what happens.
Brandon, I don't think deadly force should be the first thing an officer uses when dealing with petty crimes such as in the case of Eric Garner. I see nothing wrong with citizens demanding the highest quality police officers. Police officers are not all outstanding itizens. They're just as likely to commit crimes as civilians. Moreover, how can one look at the case of Kaleif Browder, a black man arrested at 16 and held for three years at Rikers Island for allegedly stealing a backpack, and think there is not a problem? And why are there for-profit prisons? We should not be scared of our police. And protesting the murder of 12 year old Tamir Rice is not an overreaction at all.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2600786-paul-george-fined-for-criticizing-officials-latest-details-and-comments?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial I think this ties in with history A NBA star is being charged for slandering and profanity. He has a freedom of speech if he felt that the refs where doing a bad job he should be able to say so its a freedom of speech. I feel that when someone has money somebody shoulnt be able to just take large amount just because hey have it if a regular person sliped up and said the same thing i dont think they would be getting charged $35,000
http://www.globalissues.org/article/165/racism I also agree that racism is a big problem in todays society. I think that the N word in any term should be outlawed and that you could get fined for saying it nothing big but fined or soemthing brought against you to make it die out but then again that interacts with are freedom of speech and are thoughts so we cant take that away. Racism is high everywhere in the u.s. today i feel like everyone is turning on everybody
I agree that racism is a big problem in society today, but I don't think outlawing certain words, such as the N word, is the best solution. Outlawing racist remarks would be unconstitutional, since it violates the first amendment freedom of speech. It is very saddening to see and hear racist comments, but I don't believe that the government has the right to interfere with what people are allowed to say.
This is a comment to kayla's post on obestiy in America. I think that yes it is becoming a problem in the us but also a choice its like using a hardcore drug you see what it does to peoples bodys and still some people still decide to do it just like eating fatting foods they see what it can do and continue i dont think its the government problem to regulate what we can eat but whats in are food they should. Such as when im in school they give me a 6'1 180 pound athletic male 5 chicken nuggests for lunch and are stingy with the suace for what reason ? you cant slim obese kids down by feeding them less highering the good food and lowering the bad foods. It doesnt make any since.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/27/opinions/rall-climate-agreement-everyones-business/index.html I never realized all the negative effects of climate change. I knew that we’re treating the earth horribly, and I knew that we’re running out of resources, but I didn’t know all the other things that this would affect. In countries that are greatly affected by droughts, the children spend several hours every day searching for water. If they’re spending their time looking for water, they don’t have time to get educated, or even rest. And if there aren’t enough educated people in their country, then they won’t get more money, and they can’t get more water. Therefore, we, as a planet, need to save the earth to help each other survive and flourish.
I know that this is not really what your article was about but it's something really cool that can greatly benefit third world countries. Its called gravity light and Smarter Every Day did a segment on it a few weeks ago (a link for the video is us top). A lot of people in Africa and South America use kerosene lanterns at night which can cause fires, respiratory problems, and burns. So this group made a device that can power a light using gravity. Its pretty cool and I highly suggest checking the video out.
This article talks about how something goes viral on the internet and how Donald Trump has gone viral himself. They explain, like I've said before, that his popularity comes from all of the negative things he says. People will share things about him or things he said thinking they will knock some sense into them about what he wants, but that only makes more people know his name and gains him more followers. So long story short, if you want Trump to fall, stop sharing his posts.
This is a good point, people often like to share negative things on the internet because they’re more interesting. But even if you’re making fun of Donald Trump it can actually help him. It helps him gain name recognition, which will gain him more votes whether that’s what you ended or not.
You make a great point that Trump is very popular from the media he gets. However, I feel that people only care about controversial things in the media. I feel that more people would rather hear what scandals Trump or any other politician is in, rather than their plans for the future of this country.
It is very sad how true this point is. Trump is a hateful man constantly spews hateful things to various people.Does this stop him? does this hinder his campaign in the slightest? no it does not, to quote a well known late show host, he's unselfdestructable, and what hasn't killed his campaign, has made it stronger.
This article is about whether or not scientists should have to get permission from patients before using their cells and tissue samples for medical testing. Currently, there is no rule stating that the medical professionals and scientists need consent from the "donors" because they remove the name from the samples. I think that consent should be required before testing on someone's cells. It is unethical to use someone's cells for testing without them knowing about it.
I completely agree with you that scientists need our consent when about to use our samples. And it is very unethical that they have been doing this. I personally think that many citizens would in fact be okay with them using their blood as samples. However, the only way they would be okay with it, is if they ask for permission from the patients.
Concussions are a huge issues nowadays, especially in the world of high school sports. As a high school athlete I feel like concussions are constantly being talked about. For cheer, and I'm assuming all of the other sports, if an athlete shows any symptoms, even as small as a headache, they have to sit out until they get cleared. I realize and understand that our safety is their main priority, but sometimes it is a bit much. There has to be a better way to check for and assess concussions than just making students sit out for a headache.
I have seen a huge surge in concussion checks especially in televised football. I get where you're coming from with it being excessive, but I also understand them being safe. It's a very gray area with almost no perfect medium. I think part of the surge is caused by the new movie coming out with Will Smith in it about NFL hiding concussions. Hopefully, the excessiveness will die down after the movie but we will still be able to keep athletes safe.
This editorial spans the controversial use of our blood and tissue samples for scientific advancement without our consent. Many people didn't know that this was allowed by a law called "The Common Rule." However, this all might change on January 6th when the author says there will be a decision about proposing a new law that requires "broad consent" for the use of biospecimens. This is a very difficult topic because there is a question about this issue being an invasion of personal information and freedom or if requiring such consent will bring science to a theoretical halt. I understand and partially agree that people should give permission for scientists to use and possibly publish their DNA samples. At the least, they should know about it. But, I do also believe that this will greatly slow our current scientific progress that we are making. Groundbreaking advancements are on the verge of being discovered and without a large sample of biospecimens, no conclusions can be made. I think consent is a good idea but only if it is widely publicised that this is necessary for advancement in medicine. I just hope that if the revised law passes, people will understand how much their contribution is needed. (One other interesting thing is that this author also wrote "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" which some of us may have read over the summer for English)
I do think that scientists should ask for consent to use someone's cells in research, but I don't see why anyone would be mad if they didn't. Like the old saying goes, what you don't know won't kill you. They can be using your cells to discover many things and nothing is actually happening to you. I could see if they were doing experiments on your body and mind, but it's just cells. They are not doing any harm to your body.
I have to disagree with you guys. Why can't we have scientific advancements due to people that are enthusiastically consenting? If scientists are so keen on making new breakthroughs, why don't they politely ask people to use their cells or use their own? It's kind of silly. Ethan, you say that people should not be mad if their cells were used without their consent. To that I have to ask how you would feel if your cells were used in a negative way? I don't want to sound like one of those crazy conspiracists, but the government does not tell us everything. Taking someone's cells could lead to a plethora of unwarranted actions. Do cloning and spying on personal information sound familiar? I think that we should be asked to donate cells, sort of like how you are asked to be an organ donor when getting your licence, when you are in the hospital or at a doctor's appointment. I understand that it's just a small part of you, but it's still YOU. They are stealing a part of you without your consent, which is a HUGE invasion of privacy.
This article describes the change of America's youth from the 1960's to the present day. Highlighted in this article are contrasting features between the two notably liberal time periods. In the 1960's, the majority of students in school were white and middle classed; now, racial minorities make up nearly half of K-12 students. American youth in the 1960's tended to be more rebellious and defiant towards adults; today, the youth in America tend to speak out more towards society in general than their elders. By 2023, whites will make up less than half of the population under age 30 and the white working-age population will decline by twelve million over the next fifteen years. These are substantial numbers that are huge hints at America becoming more diverse. We, as a nation, were always meant to be a "salad bowl" country: one where many different cultures and skin colors come together and live in harmony. While we do have laws protecting racial equality, we still have a long way to go as a society in order to achieve racial harmony. You can't deny that if a white person and a black person walked down a street, the black person has a higher likelihood of being shot or meeting some other type of violence. I think that the new racial shift is incredible for my political party and my personal views on society. I believe that every soul is equal, no matter race, religion, sexuality, gender, etc. This shift will hugely benefit the Democratic party. Our youth today, which is overwhelmingly liberal, will soon be of voting age and will be able to lend their vote to the Democratic party. I know people are going to complain about the shift from white to nonwhite, but I don't see what the problem is. I think it's a little poetic that I'm literally colorblind and believe so strongly in racial equality. Hopefully, with the upcoming and inevitable transition, we will obtain it.
I agree with that statement too Brandon. we are a very diverse country, we all come from different backgrounds.to see that level of diversity increase is a pleasant one. America has always been a mixed bag of various cultures anyhow. A larger diversity wouldn't be a bad thing.
The other of this article argues that Donald Trump will ruin the Republican Party if he wins the nomination. I completely agree with this. Donald Trump is, by far, the most easily recognizable and popular candidate running for office in the Republican Party. Donald Trump's radically oppressive views are starting to merge with those of the Republican Party. If he wins the nomination, it is likely that his own party could be split. Some may vote for him, some may refuse to vote, some may vote for the Democratic candidate. If Donald Trump does NOT win the Republican nomination, it is likely that he will run as an independent. This will completely kill any chance the Republicans have at winning. It has been proven throughout several elections in American history that splitting the vote is a bad idea. It will allow the Democrats to easily slide into office. And if Donald DOES win the nomination and miraculously wins the election as well, we'll have to deal with deal with him for at least four years or until he is impeached. It's a lose-lose-lose situation. Donald Trump is -- and, to an extent, already has-- ruining the Republican Party.
This article discusses a case that has irritated me since it's initial appearance. It describes the antics of a young, wealthy, white man named Ethan Couch. Around two years ago, when he was just sixteen, Couch got behind the wheel of a car while drunk and ended up killing four people and severely injuring two others. You may be estimating in your head how much prison time this young man got for his reckless behavior. Twenty years? Fifty years? Life? All wrong. Ethan Couch got away with drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter with little more than a slap on the wrist: a trip to rehab and 10 years of probation. I hate when feminists argue that cisgender white males in America are the most privileged, but this would be an excellent example to support their claim. The defense argued that Couch should not be charged due to being rich and, therefore, being too privileged to know better. This makes me so irritated. No matter how "privileged" you are, you should know that getting behind the wheel of a car while under the influence of a drug, such as alcohol, is WRONG. I hate to be this person, but if a lower-class, African-American boy did the exact same crime, he would most likely face life in prison or the death sentence. Our legal system has proven itself to be unjust and in need of reform. Recently, Couch and his mother have been arrested. Couch broke his probation by drinking; his mother threw him a "going away party", insinuating that he was going to make a break for it. Hopefully both of them face proper justice for their crimes.
I agree with you Brandon. It's not right that this young man got away with a serious crime just because he said he was too privileged to know better. If you're privileged, that shouldn't excuse from knowing right from wrong. This is also an example of bad parenting letting your kid think that that’s a reasonable excuse to killing four people. He should at least know not to drink while on probation. There is no doubt in my mind that he deserves life in prison.
I agree with you Brandon. It's very obvious that this boy's privilege and wealth was what got him out of a proper punishment. There is no such thing as being too privileged to know when you're breaking the law. The mother was also at fault for acting like this isn't as severe as it is. Throwing a going away party for her sign when he killed four people is wildly inappropriate. If this were my mother and she caught me drinking on probation she would be the one the turn me in. This boy couldn't even accept a ten year probation.
This article argues that America's Selective Serive, the way in which men are drafted for war, should be expanded to women. While I disagree with war and drafts, I understand that they are inevitable. Therefore, I absolutely agree with this. I don't understand how it makes sense to draft a scrawny, young boy who can't even defend himself for war over a physically fit female bodybuilder who is also a master at shooting. It's ridiculous. We are at the point in history where all people are starting to be considered equal. Not allowing women to be drafted is society's way of saying that women are too weak to fight in combat and should just stay home and watch the kids. I think that expanded the Selective Service is a great way to continue the fight for gender equality. In certain instances in which women have fought, such as in Afghanistan and Iraq, they have proven themselves to be useful members of the military. This is the next step that we need to take in order to improve our military and eliminate traditional gender stereotypes.
I agree with you. In order to accomplish complete equality, men and women should be treated equally in all aspects, not just the desirable ones. If women can serve in the military, they should be able to be drafted as well. This is a good step towards equality because not drafting women is like saying they’re too weak for war, and this would treat them more as equals.
This is an article about how ISIS gets their Toyota trucks that we see in these propaganda videos. During the interview Ed Lewis told CNN that he didn’t know how they were getting these trucks but he knows that they don’t associate with terrorist groups. Apparently Toyota truck have been the go to for all mid-eastern terrorist groups and not only Toyota but Ford as well. Most likely they are getting them through an overseas auction or third party dealerships, and buy these cars like normal citizens, obviously not identifying themselves with ISIS.
This is an article that says that the United States has proposed a missile strike against Iran due to their actions in the past months. In October and November Iran ran missile test, which not only violated the UN program to prevent the development of missiles. But it also was fired only 13,000 meters from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier. Thats less than 10 miles from the ship. The Truman has been on a four month deployment into the middle-east and has been carrying out air strikes against ISIS for weeks now. I think that we should look at more options on how to handle this issue because clearly the plan made by the UN is not working.
This article deals with the failure of an agreement for the world trade. At the start the American and European officials committed to producing an agreement that would help lower poorer nations to develop. China which is a developing nation started exporting more than it was importing and although that was the plan , the more richer nations demanded lower import barriers but China was unsurprisingly not agreeing. The whole mess of the world and trading is very complex so the current stalemate that many nations aren't happy with is no surprise. And most likely it will take a long time for an agreement to be drawn.
Rape is something that occurs all around the world . Although researchers have found evidence that the number of rape victims that are speaking up is rising in what they are calling the Cosby effect , there are still many that don't report anything. Cosby was a month away from being free because in Pennsylvania the time range is 12 years which would have been completed on january 15 of 2016. Although one of the reasons time limits are put is to encourage reporting the crime and unreported numbers are still a problem because the rapist has a dominant vision to continue their activity
Seattle and Texas are on the opposite sides of the spectrum over gun control. While Texas is about to have an open carry gun all around Texas excluding schools and other certain areas, Seattle is passing a higher tax on guns.Seattle gun violence fax will charge 25 dollars more for every gun brought and 2-5 cents for ammunition. The actions of these two very different plans represent the debate over gun control . There is no common ground and there are those who will stubbornly stick to their second amendment right
American officers killed 74 unarmed black people in 2015. Recently there has been a spike in social movement to promote that “black lives matter”... I think that all lives matter but the since the amount of race tension has increased many feel that the black community is strongly abused the most by police force. Obviously there is bias from all races that will never go away . However it is a problem when violence is taken . Many feel unsafe with officers from different races having a control and dominant position while dealing with a situation. Obviously something need s the change is only 8 states require a warning to be given out .
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/01/opinion/no-more-statutes-of-limitations-for-rape.html?_r=0 Those whom have been rape may have to take a minute to come to terms with such. It is an extremely life changing event, people often are too scared or embarrassed having to come forward. People are raped everyday and it is awful thing in our society that we tend to blame those who have been raped on themselves and not the rapist. This happens constantly, this can add to why people do not want to come forward and admit that they have been raped. There should not be a statue of limitation of only twelve years with this type of problem. Rapists, violate other people, it does not matter if this crime was a week ago, or twenty years ago, this person has to live with this for their whole life.
A statute of limitations can be a ridiculous idea for many cases. A claim on rape should be valid despite the time since the incident. If a person files a rape claim, it is clearly still affecting the victim. They could have only recently earned the courage to come forward with what happened. Should they be denied because they weren’t able to do it earlier? No. You are entirely correct and make a great point about living with it their whole life.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/01/opinion/Kalman-Meyerowitz-Op-Art.html?ref=opinion This is less of an opinion article but has a huge impact when looking at politics satirically. The way we have reflected on 2015 seems to be the year of fear. We fear isis, we fear a female president, we fear a tyrant. The only way to look a the upside of how 2016 could go is how much worse it could get. If we compare 2015 to the worse possible outcomes we feel better about ourselves. Which is why this article is title 2016, The Shape of Things to Come. It is satirically laughing at how we have treated air pollution in China to, fashion and how offended everyone gets.
The new mayor of of a municipality in Mexico was killed by armed men inside her home on Saturday. Just a day after she take office. The killers also killed two cops that want after them. One of the killers was a teen. The police believe that the drug cartel who are activity is behind this seen they have used a 14 year assassin before.Killing a whole family just so that they can sell drugs is really sad but killing a whole family because of the new mayors believed that they need change makes it worse.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/03/politics/barack-obama-guns-town-hall/index.html This article is about how president obama is trying to make one last push for gun control. Even though obama has had zero success on so far in his presidency. Despite his repeated, emotional appeals for change. Congress has remained a roadblock even in the face of widespread public support for Obama's past calls for universal background checks or bolstered mental health support, with near uniform opposition from Republicans and a split on the issue among Democrats. Which i believe that the obama is right on this one because they have been too many deaths. They have been to many shootings around the U.S. the past 5 years. i think there should be stronger background checks to big guns that can kill many people all at once.
this article is telling us that we should stop looking Trump as a politician, we should see him in the role he knows best: Celebrity CEO. It takes about how Trump is not winning because his a good politician but a good CEO. no one likes this guy but at the end of teh day his still leading, which gets me mad.
This is taking about how congress is thinking of declaring war on ISIS. They think that military force is needed. Congress said that they already have been fight ISIS all over the mild-east but they now think that they need the full force of the military. I have mix feelings about this because on one hand i think its a great idea because its will just wipe out ISIS but i don't want soldiers to die. so it will be nice to see what congress will do.
This article is about a study done by Dr. Stuart Slavin, a professor from St. Louis University School of Medicine. In it he studied the amounts of depression and anxiety students had due to stress. He did the testing at Irvington High School in California. The results showed that fifty-four percent of students there showed depression and eighty percent showed anxiety, and these numbers are suspected to be underestimated because of AP testing going on at the time. I personally do think that this is a problem, but I think most of the problem comes from the students themselves. Personally I have been under ten times the amount of stress since I got into high school, but I have also taken many advanced classes. Colleges may like students doing this, but many of them cannot take it. Procrastination is also another problem many of us face. Its not that our teachers give us too much work, its that we wait forever and a day to start it. If we all would start our work before the day its due we would not be up until three in the morning trying to finish it.
You make a good point, Ethan. Kids do tend to procrastinate with homework leading to more stress and anxiety when they could just do it the day it was assigned. It could also be caused from the type of classes a student takes. I personally think that stress and anxiety is more than just procrastinating homework. It could be not having enough time to relax and spend time with family and friends or do activities that you normally do.
I agree with Katie. Procrastination and lack of time management definitely play a role, but it's unhealthy that so many students aren't receiving the amount of sleep they should and don't get time to themselves. Even when there's a break for a holiday instructors see it as plenty of time to do a large assignment especially in advanced classes. I think there are definitely ways to modify the educational system that will better accommodate students.
With all of the constant gun violence that happens, there seems to be some hope that some substantial change might occur, with president obama to consider taking executive action to deal with the issue. It now seems that he is tired of this news and plans on doing something about it, even if there are those who disagree strongly with him.
Part 2: this is a very interesting thing to hear in the wake of this problem. We never thought much would be done about it due to even the most watered down legislation being turned down in congress, so to see this executive action on the table, just may lead to some change.
This article is about the risks of gene editing. The article states that gene editing technology has greatly progressed in the last three years but there is not enough research on how gene editing can affect a person throughout their life. There are many benefits to this technology but there may possibly be a lot of risks. Experts met at an international panel in Washington to call for a pause in using this technology to observe the risks.
This editorial is so fascinating. We all hear about how good we've got it but few of us really know just how wide that gap is. It is so enchanting and humbling to hear the story of our country from another perspective. The fact that libraries were rare and exclusive in Istanbul is crazy and very sad. To think that fewer and fewer people are using and appreciating this free asset. Another asset that is wrongfully dwindling is the postal service. My mom has worked for the USPS of several years. It's a shame that now everyone is switching over to internet bills and paying with your smartphone. That's incredibly dangerous to your identity because computers are easily hacked and stuff in cyberspace is on their forever. Also, this is putting immense amounts of people out of work.
This article is about the climate change that has affected people all over the world. Central Park bloomed flowers in December and historic floods drowned England’s old industrial cities. One possible cause for these changes was El Niño. It put a lot of heat and moisture into the air that traveled thousands of miles. Another cause, scientists say, could be the emission of greenhouse gases. They make heavy rainstorms and intense heat waves more frequent. People should really listen to scientists more often since what they say is actually true.
That's so sad that people feel the need to further the racial divide in order to get the best news story or to fuel the most rage. Racism does exist, I'm sure, but not nearly in the high amount that it seems. We are creating racism in a lot of stories that we hear on the news every day. People say they want racially equality but then they get worked up over things that weren't race crimes and make everyone more angry at each other.
This article is about the rise in depression and anxiety in students. It says that more than 54 percent of students show symptoms of moderate to severe depression and 80 percent of students show symptoms of moderate to severe anxiety. This article wasn't very shocking to me because of the amount of students that I know that have depression or anxiety or both. When I went to see my doctor about my anxiety she told me not to worry because it's very common among students especially the good students. The article also says that even young elementary school students are experiencing migraines more frequently. When I was a child I suffered from severe migraines and as I grew older these migraines became anxiety.
This article made me so sad because I hate the fact that it's become a social norm to have anxiety and depression because of school. So much pressure is put on kids, and they just don't know how to handle it, and is what we learn in high school really preparing us for the real world? And the anxiety and other mental disorders don't even stop, they get worse in college. It's so sad that elementary kids are experiencing this kind of stuff too. We just expect way too much of students these days.
Continuing on with the story that i previously mentioned, Republicans have responded to this news with immediate backlash. Each of the candidates have responded to the supposed action with two distinct points. the first, being that if one of the republican candidates wins the general election, they will overturn that action. Also, they advised that he bring his case to congress, and feel that he is abusing his executive power.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/28/opinions/booker-debt-collection-abuse/index.html This article is about how debt collectors shouldn’t be allowed to harass or threaten people who owe money. I agree with this because even though people need to pay their debts, they shouldn’t feel unsafe because of it. The article also says that someone in the military overseas can be sued for delaying their payment of their property taxes, which I think is absolutely ridiculous. They’re not even here, how are they supposed to pay taxes? They’re worried about saving their own lives and many others, bothering them about payments is just so wrong.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/23/opinions/stanley-christmas-presidential-candidates/index.html This article is about what different presidential candidates did for Christmas. It’s not real and kind of offensive, but I thought it was amusing. It says things like Rand Paul, a libertarian, thought Santa Claus’s naughty and nice list is unconstitutional, Donald Trump wants to ban Santa from entering the country, and how the Democrats steal presents from the rich and give them to the poor. This article wasn’t very professional, but I still liked it because it brought some light to the too often negative media, and it was based off of some truths and basic principles.
This article is about the release of police data to the public. Almost all cities in the United States don't release their crime data directly to the public, but instead give it to the FBI to be released at a much later time. There are also some problems with this method though, as the data is not collected by the FBI, but by the police forces themselves, which can lead to some errors. The article centers around an initiative of some cities to immediately release all of their data to allow the public to evaluate their police force. It's in its infancy and is not 100% solid, but the initiative is the first step in a direction I believe is very much needed now, accountability in all police.
This article I found is about how Donald Trump has stated that because of the policies of Obama and Clinton, Isis was created. I found this to be highly ridiculous, because I don't believe that policies create groups like this. I think an evil of this magnitude is created from the ground up. I watched the video of this speech and Trump presented no type of evidence to back up this statement. I think Trump needs to attack the real issues of Isis, like how are we as America gonna take down such threats as these? He shouldn't be making false claims as these that does nothing in his position.
It is within the interest of the United States to help bring an end to the Kim regime in North Korea. Even so, we should intervene because it is the worst human rights violation in the modern world, comparable to the Holocaust. The US can't always act as the world's peacekeeper, but this situation is so dire. The citizens of North Korea need our help. They should be our priority, not just the threat of a nuclear attack.
This article is about a group of armed protestors protesting in Oregon. Officials aren’t really sure what they are protesting, because everytime they ask the protesters what they want, they are very vague. Overall, the protestors just seem like a very unorganized nuisance to law enforcement. There is a right way to protest, and they are doing the complete opposite. The whole fiasco is about the government trying to protect animals lives from poachers. This is 2016, we don’t need to be barbarians. http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/03/us/oregon-wildlife-refuge-protest/index.html
This article is about how racial diversity at universities is declining and how some student protesters want several “safe spaces” for African American students that white people wouldn’t be allowed to be in. I think that's absolutely ridiculous, and it made me extremely angry when I read it. People are people, regardless of the color of their skin, and these protesters are just adding to the racism. Honestly, if we just put skin color aside, and treated everyone the same things would run a lot more smoothly. It so dumb. I don’t understand why the color of someones skin is such a big deal in 2016.
You’re right Pam, people are people. The upbringing of someone is what largely affects how they are as a person. Their skin tone has absolutely nothing to do with how a person is yet people are discriminated against because of it. Stereotypes are awful because they present the idea that all people of a certain ethnicity are the same. Someone may have had a bad experience with another person who has lighter or darker skin and assume that all other people with skin like theirs are just like them. People just need to realize that this is not true. People are people and if you close your eyes there is no difference. Ironically being blind would be the best way to really see.
The main take away of this story is that the girls cousins were raped and murdered. That is a much bigger tragedy, and much more important than fueling racial riots, and widening the racial divide. It really doesn't make sense to me that people want to create more problems. The girl should only have to focus on mourning over this tragedy, not having the tragic events that happened to her twisted to fit someones agenda. The media truly can be disgusting.
With the public service announcement against gun violence by the NBA airing on national television, the percentage of households that own a gun is decreasing. Many people follow these athletes and respect them as people. They are encouraged to remove guns from their lives. Football is viewed by much more people than basketball and is widely acknowledged as the most popular sport in the United States. If the NFL were to present similar public service announcements against gun violence, it would cause a dramatic decrease in the possession of guns and a decrease in gun violence therefore. This could be one of the largest factors in keeping our country, and the people living in it, safe.
Things seem to be coming ahead as tensions rise between to middle eastern powers consisting of Iran and Saudi Arabia.The longtime allies have butted heads after Saudi had executions of those they felt were involved in Al Queda killings. Recent outburst included damaging at the Saudi embassy in Tehran and Saudi issuing all Iranian citizens, or leaders out in 48 hours.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/03/politics/hillary-clinton-heckled-over-bill-clinton-sex-scandals/index.html Foremost, I contend the argument made by Clinton that is in accord with O’Brien; rape victims should be believed and heard. Aside from this, Clinton should have addressed O’Brien’s question despite her interjections. It is hard to balance being responsible for maintaining order with having patience for those with none. Clinton’s rejection of O’Brien’s questions because of her disorderly behavior –standing above the crowd and speaking without being addressed- seemed to help her campaign, but only at first. O’Brien’s questioning by CNN which led to the article at hand, made Clinton’s rejection appear callous, causing Clinton to further seem unfitting to be president of our country.
This article is about Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple and his life. Jobs was adopted when he was born which mad him mad and a little bit different. Jobs wasn't nice and he only had one gear, which was he is the best and noone is going to get in his way. This is also about Jobs was adopted but didn't even accept his own kid which is very troubling. I believe Jobs is a man who is just chasing the power that comes with money and doesn't appreciate things but he seems to mellow out as he got older.
This article is about Mark Zuckerberg and his new years resolution. His resolution is to create an artificial intelligence to help him with his life. His goal is to make it recognize faces and help his newborn daughter out if she needs something. Mark doesn't plan on getting any help on this project either he plan to do all of the coding and algorithms himself.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/opinion/sunday/opening-all-military-jobs-to-women.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
ReplyDeleteI think women should be allowed to be in every military position. If they meet the requirements, then I don’t see an issue. Furthermore, women should also be expected to be in the draft. It should also be said that if more than one parent in a family is drafted for war, then the other should not be drafted. However, war requiring the draft to be used seems highly unlikely. The problem of sexual tension is not a reason to bar women from the military because there are still gay men and there are still cases of soldiers raping women from the countries they occupy.
I really have to agree with Amal on this subject. I recently went to a recruiting station to sign up with the Army National Guard. In the process they had me choose a few of the many offered jobs, one of which was the Army Rangers. I was then informed that women still are not allowed to do that job, and honestly I have to admit that I was quite upset. It was something that I did, and still do, want to peruse in my career. However, we aren't barred because of sexual tension, we are barred because women have yet to prove all of the physical qualities that they are looking for. But, I also believe they haven't given us the chance. In short, I do agree with Amal.
DeleteWomen should have the same amount of rights that men have. There are as many women police officers as men and this should be the case for the military. Men taking advantage of women is sickening and us as women need to fight more for equality.
DeleteWomen should have the same amount of rights that men have. There are as many women police officers as men and this should be the case for the military. Men taking advantage of women is sickening and us as women need to fight more for equality.
DeleteI agree with certain points that Amal made. I definitely agree that women should be given the same military opportunities that men are given. That being said, I also agree with Hannah saying that women as a while have not proven that we have all of the physical attributes needed for certain military positions. After all, in America we look for equality of opportunity, not equality of results.
Deletei Don't see why woman don't have the same rights as man because if a woman wants to be in the military then she should have same right to hold high position also.like Taylor said equality is a most, no matter were you are.
Deletehttp://www.cnn.com/2015/12/18/us/virginia-school-shut-islam-homework/
ReplyDeleteThis is probably the dumbest thing I've seen today. They actually closed the school because of a SENTENCE. A sentence is not going to convert or indoctrinate students. Furthermore, why isn't there this same outrage over the books we read in English class that are overflowing with biblical allusions?? A Prayer for Owen Meany, which I'm currently reading for English class, literally has a quote from the Bible on every other page, and I'm not at all offended as a Muslim. Too many Americans are scared of Islam because of ignorance. If they actually learned something about the world, they'd know there is no reason to be scared.
I agree with you, our world is blinded with ignorance and can't see the real problem. It is not one simple race or nationality, it is the person.
DeletePeople are scared of what they do not know. If we made the generalizations that we make with people of color towards white people, then everyone would be outraged. Why is it that as of 2015 the supreme court realized that the right to marriage is a right in general and not a religious right. America is suppose to be home of the free, but people are very prestigious towards those who are not christian. It is just a bit ironic. I agree with you Amal, it is stupid how ignorant people are towards a very peaceful religion.
DeleteIt's incredible that the fear some people has of the unknown prohibits them from even allowing children to get educated. It's a cycle that is passed down from generation to generation and won't change unless some things are made mandatory to teach. It's 2016 now and there are still some places that don't require teaching evolution. It's setting kids and society up for failure to be this uneducated about things they can't wrap their minds around, mostly because they themselves were not taught when they were young.
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/18/opinion/the-problem-with-focusing-on-childhood-obesity.html?ref=opinion
ReplyDeleteObesity is not just concerning in children but adults as well. I personally am disgusted at the rate of increase and how some people would want to put their bodies through that. Yes we all can splurge, but we need to appreciate our bodies more than we do.
I think that the way to stop obesity is to tech the kids when they are young.that the younger they learn the better they will be when they grow up. also lead by example not just by say do this will you do other thinks.
Deletehttp://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/12/16/cop-dui-suspect-shooting-california-orig-vstan.cnn
ReplyDeleteHere is another shooting by the police to a person that didnt need to be shot. as you see in the video he had just been in a serious crash and was trying to get out of the car the cop drew his pistol and shot him for no reason proaly out of anger for having to chase him i think. I cant belive cops can get away with this with video footage some of these cops actions are really getting out of hand wheather the person is black or white they should have justice if the suspect is not going to harm anyone with deadly harm taze the suspect or use your cops skills you trained to take the person down shooting someone for trying to get away is not the right action especially not in this one. Laws or something needs to be done about these current events with police getting out of hand.
The "Black Lives Matter" is an extremely important movement for the African American culture.I disagree with Brandon with a few points, there is racial tension in American and though our system is not made up of "evil" or "all racist" police officers there are always a few bad apples that spoil the bunch, that I can understand. Our system is INCREDIBLY corrupt, we need to have more of a background check on our police officers, because I have known of police officers murdering for any unjust reason, but taking advantage of women. But Brandon, in some instances I can understand where the shooting was just, attacking a police officers, any instance where the officer feels their life is in danger. I agree with Trey that this issue keeps occurring. Some of which are just and some of which are not, there will continue to be racial tensions no matter what happens.
DeleteBrandon, I don't think deadly force should be the first thing an officer uses when dealing with petty crimes such as in the case of Eric Garner. I see nothing wrong with citizens demanding the highest quality police officers. Police officers are not all outstanding itizens. They're just as likely to commit crimes as civilians. Moreover, how can one look at the case of Kaleif Browder, a black man arrested at 16 and held for three years at Rikers Island for allegedly stealing a backpack, and think there is not a problem? And why are there for-profit prisons? We should not be scared of our police. And protesting the murder of 12 year old Tamir Rice is not an overreaction at all.
Deletehttp://bleacherreport.com/articles/2600786-paul-george-fined-for-criticizing-officials-latest-details-and-comments?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial
ReplyDeleteI think this ties in with history A NBA star is being charged for slandering and profanity. He has a freedom of speech if he felt that the refs where doing a bad job he should be able to say so its a freedom of speech. I feel that when someone has money somebody shoulnt be able to just take large amount just because hey have it if a regular person sliped up and said the same thing i dont think they would be getting charged $35,000
http://www.globalissues.org/article/165/racism
ReplyDeleteI also agree that racism is a big problem in todays society. I think that the N word in any term should be outlawed and that you could get fined for saying it nothing big but fined or soemthing brought against you to make it die out but then again that interacts with are freedom of speech and are thoughts so we cant take that away. Racism is high everywhere in the u.s. today i feel like everyone is turning on everybody
I agree that racism is a big problem in society today, but I don't think outlawing certain words, such as the N word, is the best solution. Outlawing racist remarks would be unconstitutional, since it violates the first amendment freedom of speech. It is very saddening to see and hear racist comments, but I don't believe that the government has the right to interfere with what people are allowed to say.
DeleteThis is a comment to kayla's post on obestiy in America. I think that yes it is becoming a problem in the us but also a choice its like using a hardcore drug you see what it does to peoples bodys and still some people still decide to do it just like eating fatting foods they see what it can do and continue i dont think its the government problem to regulate what we can eat but whats in are food they should. Such as when im in school they give me a 6'1 180 pound athletic male 5 chicken nuggests for lunch and are stingy with the suace for what reason ? you cant slim obese kids down by feeding them less highering the good food and lowering the bad foods. It doesnt make any since.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/2015/11/27/opinions/rall-climate-agreement-everyones-business/index.html
ReplyDeleteI never realized all the negative effects of climate change. I knew that we’re treating the earth horribly, and I knew that we’re running out of resources, but I didn’t know all the other things that this would affect. In countries that are greatly affected by droughts, the children spend several hours every day searching for water. If they’re spending their time looking for water, they don’t have time to get educated, or even rest. And if there aren’t enough educated people in their country, then they won’t get more money, and they can’t get more water. Therefore, we, as a planet, need to save the earth to help each other survive and flourish.
http://gravitylight.org/
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jsc-pQIMxt8
I know that this is not really what your article was about but it's something really cool that can greatly benefit third world countries. Its called gravity light and Smarter Every Day did a segment on it a few weeks ago (a link for the video is us top). A lot of people in Africa and South America use kerosene lanterns at night which can cause fires, respiratory problems, and burns. So this group made a device that can power a light using gravity. Its pretty cool and I highly suggest checking the video out.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/29/opinion/campaign-stops/donald-trumps-unstoppable-virality.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
ReplyDeleteThis article talks about how something goes viral on the internet and how Donald Trump has gone viral himself. They explain, like I've said before, that his popularity comes from all of the negative things he says. People will share things about him or things he said thinking they will knock some sense into them about what he wants, but that only makes more people know his name and gains him more followers. So long story short, if you want Trump to fall, stop sharing his posts.
This is a good point, people often like to share negative things on the internet because they’re more interesting. But even if you’re making fun of Donald Trump it can actually help him. It helps him gain name recognition, which will gain him more votes whether that’s what you ended or not.
DeleteYou make a great point that Trump is very popular from the media he gets. However, I feel that people only care about controversial things in the media. I feel that more people would rather hear what scandals Trump or any other politician is in, rather than their plans for the future of this country.
DeleteIt is very sad how true this point is. Trump is a hateful man constantly spews hateful things to various people.Does this stop him? does this hinder his campaign in the slightest? no it does not, to quote a well known late show host, he's unselfdestructable, and what hasn't killed his campaign, has made it stronger.
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/30/opinion/your-cells-their-research-your-permission.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
ReplyDeleteThis article is about whether or not scientists should have to get permission from patients before using their cells and tissue samples for medical testing. Currently, there is no rule stating that the medical professionals and scientists need consent from the "donors" because they remove the name from the samples. I think that consent should be required before testing on someone's cells. It is unethical to use someone's cells for testing without them knowing about it.
Oh my gosh! Twinzies!
DeleteI completely agree with you that scientists need our consent when about to use our samples. And it is very unethical that they have been doing this. I personally think that many citizens would in fact be okay with them using their blood as samples. However, the only way they would be okay with it, is if they ask for permission from the patients.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/22/opinion/parents-stop-obsessing-over-concussions.html
ReplyDeleteConcussions are a huge issues nowadays, especially in the world of high school sports. As a high school athlete I feel like concussions are constantly being talked about. For cheer, and I'm assuming all of the other sports, if an athlete shows any symptoms, even as small as a headache, they have to sit out until they get cleared. I realize and understand that our safety is their main priority, but sometimes it is a bit much. There has to be a better way to check for and assess concussions than just making students sit out for a headache.
I have seen a huge surge in concussion checks especially in televised football. I get where you're coming from with it being excessive, but I also understand them being safe. It's a very gray area with almost no perfect medium. I think part of the surge is caused by the new movie coming out with Will Smith in it about NFL hiding concussions. Hopefully, the excessiveness will die down after the movie but we will still be able to keep athletes safe.
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/30/opinion/your-cells-their-research-your-permission.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
ReplyDeleteThis editorial spans the controversial use of our blood and tissue samples for scientific advancement without our consent. Many people didn't know that this was allowed by a law called "The Common Rule." However, this all might change on January 6th when the author says there will be a decision about proposing a new law that requires "broad consent" for the use of biospecimens. This is a very difficult topic because there is a question about this issue being an invasion of personal information and freedom or if requiring such consent will bring science to a theoretical halt. I understand and partially agree that people should give permission for scientists to use and possibly publish their DNA samples. At the least, they should know about it. But, I do also believe that this will greatly slow our current scientific progress that we are making. Groundbreaking advancements are on the verge of being discovered and without a large sample of biospecimens, no conclusions can be made. I think consent is a good idea but only if it is widely publicised that this is necessary for advancement in medicine. I just hope that if the revised law passes, people will understand how much their contribution is needed.
(One other interesting thing is that this author also wrote "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" which some of us may have read over the summer for English)
I do think that scientists should ask for consent to use someone's cells in research, but I don't see why anyone would be mad if they didn't. Like the old saying goes, what you don't know won't kill you. They can be using your cells to discover many things and nothing is actually happening to you. I could see if they were doing experiments on your body and mind, but it's just cells. They are not doing any harm to your body.
DeleteI have to disagree with you guys. Why can't we have scientific advancements due to people that are enthusiastically consenting? If scientists are so keen on making new breakthroughs, why don't they politely ask people to use their cells or use their own? It's kind of silly. Ethan, you say that people should not be mad if their cells were used without their consent. To that I have to ask how you would feel if your cells were used in a negative way? I don't want to sound like one of those crazy conspiracists, but the government does not tell us everything. Taking someone's cells could lead to a plethora of unwarranted actions. Do cloning and spying on personal information sound familiar? I think that we should be asked to donate cells, sort of like how you are asked to be an organ donor when getting your licence, when you are in the hospital or at a doctor's appointment. I understand that it's just a small part of you, but it's still YOU. They are stealing a part of you without your consent, which is a HUGE invasion of privacy.
Deletehttp://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-1229-frey-racial-generation-gap-20151229-story.html
ReplyDeleteThis article describes the change of America's youth from the 1960's to the present day. Highlighted in this article are contrasting features between the two notably liberal time periods. In the 1960's, the majority of students in school were white and middle classed; now, racial minorities make up nearly half of K-12 students. American youth in the 1960's tended to be more rebellious and defiant towards adults; today, the youth in America tend to speak out more towards society in general than their elders. By 2023, whites will make up less than half of the population under age 30 and the white working-age population will decline by twelve million over the next fifteen years. These are substantial numbers that are huge hints at America becoming more diverse. We, as a nation, were always meant to be a "salad bowl" country: one where many different cultures and skin colors come together and live in harmony. While we do have laws protecting racial equality, we still have a long way to go as a society in order to achieve racial harmony. You can't deny that if a white person and a black person walked down a street, the black person has a higher likelihood of being shot or meeting some other type of violence. I think that the new racial shift is incredible for my political party and my personal views on society. I believe that every soul is equal, no matter race, religion, sexuality, gender, etc. This shift will hugely benefit the Democratic party. Our youth today, which is overwhelmingly liberal, will soon be of voting age and will be able to lend their vote to the Democratic party. I know people are going to complain about the shift from white to nonwhite, but I don't see what the problem is. I think it's a little poetic that I'm literally colorblind and believe so strongly in racial equality. Hopefully, with the upcoming and inevitable transition, we will obtain it.
I agree with that statement too Brandon. we are a very diverse country, we all come from different backgrounds.to see that level of diversity increase is a pleasant one. America has always been a mixed bag of various cultures anyhow. A larger diversity wouldn't be a bad thing.
Deletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-conservative-party-jeopardized-by-trump/2015/12/23/3335339c-a8e2-11e5-8058-480b572b4aae_story.html
ReplyDeleteThe other of this article argues that Donald Trump will ruin the Republican Party if he wins the nomination. I completely agree with this. Donald Trump is, by far, the most easily recognizable and popular candidate running for office in the Republican Party. Donald Trump's radically oppressive views are starting to merge with those of the Republican Party. If he wins the nomination, it is likely that his own party could be split. Some may vote for him, some may refuse to vote, some may vote for the Democratic candidate. If Donald Trump does NOT win the Republican nomination, it is likely that he will run as an independent. This will completely kill any chance the Republicans have at winning. It has been proven throughout several elections in American history that splitting the vote is a bad idea. It will allow the Democrats to easily slide into office. And if Donald DOES win the nomination and miraculously wins the election as well, we'll have to deal with deal with him for at least four years or until he is impeached. It's a lose-lose-lose situation. Donald Trump is -- and, to an extent, already has-- ruining the Republican Party.
The author of this article*
DeleteDon't judge me I just woke up from a 4 hour nap
http://nypost.com/2015/12/29/maybe-prison-can-cure-ethan-couchs-affluenza/
ReplyDeleteThis article discusses a case that has irritated me since it's initial appearance. It describes the antics of a young, wealthy, white man named Ethan Couch. Around two years ago, when he was just sixteen, Couch got behind the wheel of a car while drunk and ended up killing four people and severely injuring two others. You may be estimating in your head how much prison time this young man got for his reckless behavior. Twenty years? Fifty years? Life? All wrong. Ethan Couch got away with drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter with little more than a slap on the wrist: a trip to rehab and 10 years of probation. I hate when feminists argue that cisgender white males in America are the most privileged, but this would be an excellent example to support their claim. The defense argued that Couch should not be charged due to being rich and, therefore, being too privileged to know better. This makes me so irritated. No matter how "privileged" you are, you should know that getting behind the wheel of a car while under the influence of a drug, such as alcohol, is WRONG. I hate to be this person, but if a lower-class, African-American boy did the exact same crime, he would most likely face life in prison or the death sentence. Our legal system has proven itself to be unjust and in need of reform. Recently, Couch and his mother have been arrested. Couch broke his probation by drinking; his mother threw him a "going away party", insinuating that he was going to make a break for it. Hopefully both of them face proper justice for their crimes.
I agree with you Brandon. It's not right that this young man got away with a serious crime just because he said he was too privileged to know better. If you're privileged, that shouldn't excuse from knowing right from wrong. This is also an example of bad parenting letting your kid think that that’s a reasonable excuse to killing four people. He should at least know not to drink while on probation. There is no doubt in my mind that he deserves life in prison.
DeleteI agree with you Brandon. It's very obvious that this boy's privilege and wealth was what got him out of a proper punishment. There is no such thing as being too privileged to know when you're breaking the law. The mother was also at fault for acting like this isn't as severe as it is. Throwing a going away party for her sign when he killed four people is wildly inappropriate. If this were my mother and she caught me drinking on probation she would be the one the turn me in. This boy couldn't even accept a ten year probation.
Deletehttp://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/12/22/draft-daughters-conscription-national-service-column/77763924/
ReplyDeleteThis article argues that America's Selective Serive, the way in which men are drafted for war, should be expanded to women. While I disagree with war and drafts, I understand that they are inevitable. Therefore, I absolutely agree with this. I don't understand how it makes sense to draft a scrawny, young boy who can't even defend himself for war over a physically fit female bodybuilder who is also a master at shooting. It's ridiculous. We are at the point in history where all people are starting to be considered equal. Not allowing women to be drafted is society's way of saying that women are too weak to fight in combat and should just stay home and watch the kids. I think that expanded the Selective Service is a great way to continue the fight for gender equality. In certain instances in which women have fought, such as in Afghanistan and Iraq, they have proven themselves to be useful members of the military. This is the next step that we need to take in order to improve our military and eliminate traditional gender stereotypes.
I agree with you. In order to accomplish complete equality, men and women should be treated equally in all aspects, not just the desirable ones. If women can serve in the military, they should be able to be drafted as well. This is a good step towards equality because not drafting women is like saying they’re too weak for war, and this would treat them more as equals.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/2015/10/06/politics/u-s-treasury-isis-toyota/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis is an article about how ISIS gets their Toyota trucks that we see in these propaganda videos. During the interview Ed Lewis told CNN that he didn’t know how they were getting these trucks but he knows that they don’t associate with terrorist groups. Apparently Toyota truck have been the go to for all mid-eastern terrorist groups and not only Toyota but Ford as well. Most likely they are getting them through an overseas auction or third party dealerships, and buy these cars like normal citizens, obviously not identifying themselves with ISIS.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/30/politics/iran-sanctions-ballistic-missiles/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis is an article that says that the United States has proposed a missile strike against Iran due to their actions in the past months. In October and November Iran ran missile test, which not only violated the UN program to prevent the development of missiles. But it also was fired only 13,000 meters from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier. Thats less than 10 miles from the ship. The Truman has been on a four month deployment into the middle-east and has been carrying out air strikes against ISIS for weeks now. I think that we should look at more options on how to handle this issue because clearly the plan made by the UN is not working.
http://nyti.ms/1JiUHpc
ReplyDeleteThis article deals with the failure of an agreement for the world trade. At the start the American and European officials committed to producing an agreement that would help lower poorer nations to develop. China which is a developing nation started exporting more than it was importing and although that was the plan , the more richer nations demanded lower import barriers but China was unsurprisingly not agreeing. The whole mess of the world and trading is very complex so the current stalemate that many nations aren't happy with is no surprise. And most likely it will take a long time for an agreement to be drawn.
http://nyti.ms/1YSfKG6
ReplyDeleteRape is something that occurs all around the world . Although researchers have found evidence that the number of rape victims that are speaking up is rising in what they are calling the Cosby effect , there are still many that don't report anything. Cosby was a month away from being free because in Pennsylvania the time range is 12 years which would have been completed on january 15 of 2016. Although one of the reasons time limits are put is to encourage reporting the crime and unreported numbers are still a problem because the rapist has a dominant vision to continue their activity
http://nyti.ms/1P4EJvy
ReplyDeleteSeattle and Texas are on the opposite sides of the spectrum over gun control. While Texas is about to have an open carry gun all around Texas excluding schools and other certain areas, Seattle is passing a higher tax on guns.Seattle gun violence fax will charge 25 dollars more for every gun brought and 2-5 cents for ammunition. The actions of these two very different plans represent the debate over gun control . There is no common ground and there are those who will stubbornly stick to their second amendment right
http://nyti.ms/1NYIkvb
ReplyDeleteAmerican officers killed 74 unarmed black people in 2015. Recently there has been a spike in social movement to promote that “black lives matter”... I think that all lives matter but the since the amount of race tension has increased many feel that the black community is strongly abused the most by police force. Obviously there is bias from all races that will never go away . However it is a problem when violence is taken . Many feel unsafe with officers from different races having a control and dominant position while dealing with a situation. Obviously something need s the change is only 8 states require a warning to be given out .
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/01/opinion/no-more-statutes-of-limitations-for-rape.html?_r=0
ReplyDeleteThose whom have been rape may have to take a minute to come to terms with such. It is an extremely life changing event, people often are too scared or embarrassed having to come forward. People are raped everyday and it is awful thing in our society that we tend to blame those who have been raped on themselves and not the rapist. This happens constantly, this can add to why people do not want to come forward and admit that they have been raped. There should not be a statue of limitation of only twelve years with this type of problem. Rapists, violate other people, it does not matter if this crime was a week ago, or twenty years ago, this person has to live with this for their whole life.
A statute of limitations can be a ridiculous idea for many cases. A claim on rape should be valid despite the time since the incident. If a person files a rape claim, it is clearly still affecting the victim. They could have only recently earned the courage to come forward with what happened. Should they be denied because they weren’t able to do it earlier? No. You are entirely correct and make a great point about living with it their whole life.
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/01/opinion/Kalman-Meyerowitz-Op-Art.html?ref=opinion
ReplyDeleteThis is less of an opinion article but has a huge impact when looking at politics satirically. The way we have reflected on 2015 seems to be the year of fear. We fear isis, we fear a female president, we fear a tyrant. The only way to look a the upside of how 2016 could go is how much worse it could get. If we compare 2015 to the worse possible outcomes we feel better about ourselves. Which is why this article is title 2016, The Shape of Things to Come. It is satirically laughing at how we have treated air pollution in China to, fashion and how offended everyone gets.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/02/americas/mexican-mayor-slain/?iid=ob_homepage_deskrecommended_pool&iref=obinsite
ReplyDeleteThe new mayor of of a municipality in Mexico was killed by armed men inside her home on Saturday. Just a day after she take office. The killers also killed two cops that want after them. One of the killers was a teen. The police believe that the drug cartel who are activity is behind this seen they have used a 14 year assassin before.Killing a whole family just so that they can sell drugs is really sad but killing a whole family because of the new mayors believed that they need change makes it worse.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/03/politics/barack-obama-guns-town-hall/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about how president obama is trying to make one last push for gun control. Even though obama has had zero success on so far in his presidency. Despite his repeated, emotional appeals for change. Congress has remained a roadblock even in the face of widespread public support for Obama's past calls for universal background checks or bolstered mental health support, with near uniform opposition from Republicans and a split on the issue among Democrats. Which i believe that the obama is right on this one because they have been too many deaths. They have been to many shootings around the U.S. the past 5 years. i think there should be stronger background checks to big guns that can kill many people all at once.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/03/opinions/pease-trump-last-of-the-80s-ceos/index.html
ReplyDeletethis article is telling us that we should stop looking Trump as a politician, we should see him in the role he knows best: Celebrity CEO. It takes about how Trump is not winning because his a good politician but a good CEO. no one likes this guy but at the end of teh day his still leading, which gets me mad.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/30/opinions/harman-congress-military-force-isis/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis is taking about how congress is thinking of declaring war on ISIS. They think that military force is needed. Congress said that they already have been fight ISIS all over the mild-east but they now think that they need the full force of the military. I have mix feelings about this because on one hand i think its a great idea because its will just wipe out ISIS but i don't want soldiers to die. so it will be nice to see what congress will do.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/03/opinion/sunday/is-the-drive-for-success-making-our-children-sick.html?ref=opinion&_r=1
ReplyDeleteThis article is about a study done by Dr. Stuart Slavin, a professor from St. Louis University School of Medicine. In it he studied the amounts of depression and anxiety students had due to stress. He did the testing at Irvington High School in California. The results showed that fifty-four percent of students there showed depression and eighty percent showed anxiety, and these numbers are suspected to be underestimated because of AP testing going on at the time. I personally do think that this is a problem, but I think most of the problem comes from the students themselves. Personally I have been under ten times the amount of stress since I got into high school, but I have also taken many advanced classes. Colleges may like students doing this, but many of them cannot take it. Procrastination is also another problem many of us face. Its not that our teachers give us too much work, its that we wait forever and a day to start it. If we all would start our work before the day its due we would not be up until three in the morning trying to finish it.
You make a good point, Ethan. Kids do tend to procrastinate with homework leading to more stress and anxiety when they could just do it the day it was assigned. It could also be caused from the type of classes a student takes. I personally think that stress and anxiety is more than just procrastinating homework. It could be not having enough time to relax and spend time with family and friends or do activities that you normally do.
DeleteI agree with Katie. Procrastination and lack of time management definitely play a role, but it's unhealthy that so many students aren't receiving the amount of sleep they should and don't get time to themselves. Even when there's a break for a holiday instructors see it as plenty of time to do a large assignment especially in advanced classes. I think there are definitely ways to modify the educational system that will better accommodate students.
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/02/us/politics/obama-to-consider-executive-actions-on-gun-violence.html?mabReward=A7&_r=0
ReplyDeleteWith all of the constant gun violence that happens, there seems to be some hope that some substantial change might occur, with president obama to consider taking executive action to deal with the issue. It now seems that he is tired of this news and plans on doing something about it, even if there are those who disagree strongly with him.
Part 2: this is a very interesting thing to hear in the wake of this problem. We never thought much would be done about it due to even the most watered down legislation being turned down in congress, so to see this executive action on the table, just may lead to some change.
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/18/opinion/a-pause-to-weigh-risks-of-gene-editing.html?ref=opinion
ReplyDeleteThis article is about the risks of gene editing. The article states that gene editing technology has greatly progressed in the last three years but there is not enough research on how gene editing can affect a person throughout their life. There are many benefits to this technology but there may possibly be a lot of risks. Experts met at an international panel in Washington to call for a pause in using this technology to observe the risks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/03/opinion/why-the-post-office-makes-america-great.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
ReplyDeleteThis editorial is so fascinating. We all hear about how good we've got it but few of us really know just how wide that gap is. It is so enchanting and humbling to hear the story of our country from another perspective. The fact that libraries were rare and exclusive in Istanbul is crazy and very sad. To think that fewer and fewer people are using and appreciating this free asset. Another asset that is wrongfully dwindling is the postal service. My mom has worked for the USPS of several years. It's a shame that now everyone is switching over to internet bills and paying with your smartphone. That's incredibly dangerous to your identity because computers are easily hacked and stuff in cyberspace is on their forever. Also, this is putting immense amounts of people out of work.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/31/science/climate-chaos-across-the-map.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront
ReplyDeleteThis article is about the climate change that has affected people all over the world. Central Park bloomed flowers in December and historic floods drowned England’s old industrial cities. One possible cause for these changes was El Niño. It put a lot of heat and moisture into the air that traveled thousands of miles. Another cause, scientists say, could be the emission of greenhouse gases. They make heavy rainstorms and intense heat waves more frequent. People should really listen to scientists more often since what they say is actually true.
i agree we are doing this to our own world that we live in so we need to take measures to stop pollution. also find other means of energy.
DeleteThat's so sad that people feel the need to further the racial divide in order to get the best news story or to fuel the most rage. Racism does exist, I'm sure, but not nearly in the high amount that it seems. We are creating racism in a lot of stories that we hear on the news every day. People say they want racially equality but then they get worked up over things that weren't race crimes and make everyone more angry at each other.
ReplyDeletehttp://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/01/03/opinion/sunday/is-the-drive-for-success-making-our-children-sick.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about the rise in depression and anxiety in students. It says that more than 54 percent of students show symptoms of moderate to severe depression and 80 percent of students show symptoms of moderate to severe anxiety. This article wasn't very shocking to me because of the amount of students that I know that have depression or anxiety or both. When I went to see my doctor about my anxiety she told me not to worry because it's very common among students especially the good students. The article also says that even young elementary school students are experiencing migraines more frequently. When I was a child I suffered from severe migraines and as I grew older these migraines became anxiety.
This article made me so sad because I hate the fact that it's become a social norm to have anxiety and depression because of school. So much pressure is put on kids, and they just don't know how to handle it, and is what we learn in high school really preparing us for the real world? And the anxiety and other mental disorders don't even stop, they get worse in college. It's so sad that elementary kids are experiencing this kind of stuff too. We just expect way too much of students these days.
Deletehttp://www.cnn.com/2016/01/03/politics/republicans-react-to-obama-gun-control/index.html
ReplyDeleteContinuing on with the story that i previously mentioned, Republicans have responded to this news with immediate backlash. Each of the candidates have responded to the supposed action with two distinct points. the first, being that if one of the republican candidates wins the general election, they will overturn that action. Also, they advised that he bring his case to congress, and feel that he is abusing his executive power.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/28/opinions/booker-debt-collection-abuse/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about how debt collectors shouldn’t be allowed to harass or threaten people who owe money. I agree with this because even though people need to pay their debts, they shouldn’t feel unsafe because of it. The article also says that someone in the military overseas can be sued for delaying their payment of their property taxes, which I think is absolutely ridiculous. They’re not even here, how are they supposed to pay taxes? They’re worried about saving their own lives and many others, bothering them about payments is just so wrong.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/23/opinions/stanley-christmas-presidential-candidates/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about what different presidential candidates did for Christmas. It’s not real and kind of offensive, but I thought it was amusing. It says things like Rand Paul, a libertarian, thought Santa Claus’s naughty and nice list is unconstitutional, Donald Trump wants to ban Santa from entering the country, and how the Democrats steal presents from the rich and give them to the poor. This article wasn’t very professional, but I still liked it because it brought some light to the too often negative media, and it was based off of some truths and basic principles.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/which-cities-share-the-most-crime-data/
ReplyDeleteThis article is about the release of police data to the public. Almost all cities in the United States don't release their crime data directly to the public, but instead give it to the FBI to be released at a much later time. There are also some problems with this method though, as the data is not collected by the FBI, but by the police forces themselves, which can lead to some errors. The article centers around an initiative of some cities to immediately release all of their data to allow the public to evaluate their police force. It's in its infancy and is not 100% solid, but the initiative is the first step in a direction I believe is very much needed now, accountability in all police.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/02/politics/donald-trump-barack-obama-hillary-clinton-created-isis/
ReplyDeleteThis article I found is about how Donald Trump has stated that because of the policies of Obama and Clinton, Isis was created. I found this to be highly ridiculous, because I don't believe that policies create groups like this. I think an evil of this magnitude is created from the ground up. I watched the video of this speech and Trump presented no type of evidence to back up this statement. I think Trump needs to attack the real issues of Isis, like how are we as America gonna take down such threats as these? He shouldn't be making false claims as these that does nothing in his position.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/21/opinions/fontaine-north-korea-repression/index.html
ReplyDeleteIt is within the interest of the United States to help bring an end to the Kim regime in North Korea. Even so, we should intervene because it is the worst human rights violation in the modern world, comparable to the Holocaust. The US can't always act as the world's peacekeeper, but this situation is so dire. The citizens of North Korea need our help. They should be our priority, not just the threat of a nuclear attack.
i agree the US cant always be the worlds peace keeper. Sometimes we have to let other countries sort out their own problems.
DeleteThis article is about a group of armed protestors protesting in Oregon. Officials aren’t really sure what they are protesting, because everytime they ask the protesters what they want, they are very vague. Overall, the protestors just seem like a very unorganized nuisance to law enforcement. There is a right way to protest, and they are doing the complete opposite. The whole fiasco is about the government trying to protect animals lives from poachers. This is 2016, we don’t need to be barbarians. http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/03/us/oregon-wildlife-refuge-protest/index.html
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/2015/12/28/opinions/mcwhorter-campus-diversity/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about how racial diversity at universities is declining and how some student protesters want several “safe spaces” for African American students that white people wouldn’t be allowed to be in. I think that's absolutely ridiculous, and it made me extremely angry when I read it. People are people, regardless of the color of their skin, and these protesters are just adding to the racism. Honestly, if we just put skin color aside, and treated everyone the same things would run a lot more smoothly. It so dumb. I don’t understand why the color of someones skin is such a big deal in 2016.
DeleteYou’re right Pam, people are people. The upbringing of someone is what largely affects how they are as a person. Their skin tone has absolutely nothing to do with how a person is yet people are discriminated against because of it. Stereotypes are awful because they present the idea that all people of a certain ethnicity are the same. Someone may have had a bad experience with another person who has lighter or darker skin and assume that all other people with skin like theirs are just like them. People just need to realize that this is not true. People are people and if you close your eyes there is no difference. Ironically being blind would be the best way to really see.
The main take away of this story is that the girls cousins were raped and murdered. That is a much bigger tragedy, and much more important than fueling racial riots, and widening the racial divide. It really doesn't make sense to me that people want to create more problems. The girl should only have to focus on mourning over this tragedy, not having the tragic events that happened to her twisted to fit someones agenda. The media truly can be disgusting.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/2015/12/31/opinions/vox-nba-nfl-gun-violence/index.html
ReplyDeleteWith the public service announcement against gun violence by the NBA airing on national television, the percentage of households that own a gun is decreasing. Many people follow these athletes and respect them as people. They are encouraged to remove guns from their lives. Football is viewed by much more people than basketball and is widely acknowledged as the most popular sport in the United States. If the NFL were to present similar public service announcements against gun violence, it would cause a dramatic decrease in the possession of guns and a decrease in gun violence therefore. This could be one of the largest factors in keeping our country, and the people living in it, safe.
http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-faces-divine-revenge-over-clerics-execution-khamenei-070032928.html
ReplyDeleteThings seem to be coming ahead as tensions rise between to middle eastern powers consisting of Iran and Saudi Arabia.The longtime allies have butted heads after Saudi had executions of those they felt were involved in Al Queda killings. Recent outburst included damaging at the Saudi embassy in Tehran and Saudi issuing all Iranian citizens, or leaders out in 48 hours.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/03/politics/hillary-clinton-heckled-over-bill-clinton-sex-scandals/index.html
ReplyDeleteForemost, I contend the argument made by Clinton that is in accord with O’Brien; rape victims should be believed and heard. Aside from this, Clinton should have addressed O’Brien’s question despite her interjections. It is hard to balance being responsible for maintaining order with having patience for those with none. Clinton’s rejection of O’Brien’s questions because of her disorderly behavior –standing above the crowd and speaking without being addressed- seemed to help her campaign, but only at first. O’Brien’s questioning by CNN which led to the article at hand, made Clinton’s rejection appear callous, causing Clinton to further seem unfitting to be president of our country.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/28/tech/five-things-about-cnn-films-steve-jobs-man-in-the-machine/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple and his life. Jobs was adopted when he was born which mad him mad and a little bit different. Jobs wasn't nice and he only had one gear, which was he is the best and noone is going to get in his way. This is also about Jobs was adopted but didn't even accept his own kid which is very troubling. I believe Jobs is a man who is just chasing the power that comes with money and doesn't appreciate things but he seems to mellow out as he got older.
http://money.cnn.com/2016/01/03/technology/mark-zuckerberg-2016-personal-goal/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about Mark Zuckerberg and his new years resolution. His resolution is to create an artificial intelligence to help him with his life. His goal is to make it recognize faces and help his newborn daughter out if she needs something. Mark doesn't plan on getting any help on this project either he plan to do all of the coding and algorithms himself.