This article is about the recapture of the well-known El Chapo. They are considering sending him over to the US, but this could take months. The article also discusses social media and how everyone is saying that he will escape for a third time. Even though we may find this funny, they definitely do not. That is why they are considering transporting him here. They feel that if he can do it twice already in the most maximum security prison they have, he can do it again eventually. This is a big worry for them because he is the kingpin of the drug cartel.
If El Chapo has already escaped from the Mexican prison before, then I don't understand why sending him back would be the best option. Not only has El Chapo escaped once, he's done it twice, and nothing is stopping him from doing it a third time. The US prison system is probably much stronger than that of Mexico. Like you said, El Chapo is a big deal and he needs to be locked up for good. I think that sending to a US prison is not a terrible idea.
One of my biggest problems with the United States is it's need to always get involved with other countries' problems. It's like that one friend that is always getting involved in everyone's drama at school. I understand that El Chapo is a huge drug lord and everything, but he is Mexico's problem, not ours. It sucks that he has so much power in his country, but that isn't his fault. It's the fault of the weak governmental system of Mexico. If anything we should help them organize that. We don't need to be taking one of it's most powerful citizens and locking them up in one of our jails when that could just cause his followers to become hostile with us.
I agree that this is a serious issue. El Chapo is a very dangerous human being and has a lot of connections to make his escape very much possible. Bringing him to the US may help but that may cause an uproar and create problems between mexico and america.
I too think this is a serious issue, and I don't agree with them putting him on U.S. soil. I feel that since El Chapo has so many connections he will be able to break out again. And I personally don't want him running around the U.S. freely. Sure, the U.S. might have better more secure prison cells, but I feel that this will cause even more danger for the safety of our citizens. Chapo has to get his money somewhere and clearly it's through Drugs. With him in the U.S. this will cause him to bring his supplies to the U.S. and then we will have a surplus of drug selling across the nation.
This article is about how oil prices have plummeted all the way down to 30 bucks which is great if you're buying gas but not great for american oil companies. This is happening because a massive suppl being discovered and the more of an item you have the cheaper it gets. I hope that it stays this way to and maybe even go down so I won't have to spend a lot on gas. :)
It is sad for the American oil companies because they are not bringing as much money in, but it sure is great for us! A lot of us drive so I'm sure we all appreciate the low gas prices. Let's see how long they stay this low though!
This article is about the al-Qaida and the threats they are making to the US. The bomb-maker from this branch of terrorists has now threatened the US and Saudi Arabia, wanting revenge because they executed several of their militants. When talking about the Americans, he states that they will not let us go on alive as long as they are alive. This is scary and it is going to be interesting to see how our government handle this threat as well as dealing with ISIS at the same time.
This article is about Ted Cruz not being eligible to become president. This was first brought up by Donald Trump, who was actually right about something for once. To run for and become president you must be a natural born citizen of the US. Cruz was born in Canada. His mother was American and therefore Cruz was naturalized at birth. Aside from all of that, he is still not allowed to be President. I feel like this is sincerely interesting because we all thought Trump brought it up to be ignorant but instead he was actually right!
Trump is right about Cruz not being eligible. Trump has a lot of haters mostly because he is brutally honest which is a big shock. Even though he may be radical in some ideas he is right most of the time. But I probably wouldn't vote for him!
I do think that Trumps was kinda right about his claim. But in the end i think Cruz is still able to run for president because according to that law he is still a natural born citizen because his mother was one. I just think that all accusations are really unnecessary while they could be actually talking about important issue. I do not think if Cruz was unable to run for president he would not have been able to make it this far.
10 foreigners were killed in central Istanbul by ISIS members. This shows how much they are trying to terror others. Turkish Prime Minister blamed a group called the Islamic State because of their irrational moves. The violence can be pinned on many groups but the violence is most likely to be ISIS. ISIS is a very bad group which commits a lot of bad crimes so we need to get rid of them anyway we can.
This is something that the media should cover more. We should hear more stories about how ISIS terrorizes their supposedly own people. Instead we are always hearing about how ISIS could be a potential threat to the United States even though these threats rarely do happen. We should respect ISIS as a serious threat and deal with them accordingly.
This article is about the recent bombings that happened in Jakarta. The shooting that recently took place left two dead, 19 wounded and emotions high on terrorism. This attack was linked to know one other then ISIS. Once again, when a crisis breaks out, ISIS seems at the center of all conflict. This kind of terrorism isn't just striking at home, but now globally around the world. What is even more surprising is that the attack happened not that far from a UN office in Jakarta. Deadly explosions, innocent citizens killed, and high rising emotions of terrified people makes you wonder what can be done? This situation has to be fixed or we can be next.
This article is about the recent capture of El Chap. Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzman his the most powerful and wealthy drug lord in the world. He is the 10th richest man in Mexico and no stranger to arrest and escapes. But it's his most recent arrest that has sparked controversy.Apparently, the main force behind his finding and arrest was a conversation of text messages he had with famous Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo. In the text he writes that he will take care of her and that he wants to meet her in person plus he will watch her more then his own eyes. She replies by telling him im beyond moved that you say you will care for me. No one has ever taken care of me, thank you! What is even more surprising is that Sean Penn did an interview and arranged there meeting. I dont know what you call this, but it helped his arrest and Castillo and Penn better watch their back.
This article was written be a man is is strongly against the idea of Trump becoming president. The self-proclaimed Republican said that there is no way that he will vote Republican is Trump becomes their presidential nominee. I believe that many people agree that Trump is an unfit candidate for our president. Aside from all of Trump's racist comments and political incorrectness, Trump has stated that he doesn't prepare for any of his speeches and or debates. Do we really want a man who is too careless to think his speeches out in advance to be our next president?
I completely agree with you Taylor. Trump is very unfit for the Oval Office. We hear all this talk about him being racist, sexist, politically incorrect and now the fact that he does not prepare for his speeches. News Flash Trump, the president is also the commander in chief of the United States Armed Forces. What is he going to do if he sees that North Korea decides to attack our main soil and he doesn't have a battle plan. I feel that the job of The President of The United States comes with certain responsibilities and or tasks. And preparing for speeches is one of them. I feel that we all can chalk this up as another example of why Trump should not be President.
It completely astounds me on how this man is making it this far. With all the media attention and common knowledge that he is a horrible person for president, you would think that he would have nobody backing him. But he somehow does it and it confuses me so much, he deliberately goes against the very essence of america; equality for everyone, no matter race, religion, or opinion. I do not think he will be president, it is sad however, how far he is to try to be one.
I agree with you Taylor. Sometimes I wonder if Trump even has a competent campaign team. I've seen many republicans saying they're contemplating voting democratic or not at all if Trump gets nominated. Some of the better republican candidates are being ignored because of Trump's obnoxious behavior that demands attention. There were articles complaining about how "bold" Obama's State of the Union address was but Donald Trump is so much more than bold. He's careless about what he says and if he's nominated or even elected it'll be one of the biggest embarrassments of Presidential history.
This article is about the Volkswagen lawsuit. The author of this article is proposing that Volkswagen should have to replace old school buses throughout America as a punishment from their diesel car issues. I do not believe that replacing school buses is the job of the Volkswagen company. Now, is the government wants to spend the money they get from Volkswagen on the school bus problem that would be a different story. I have nothing against the government spending their money on replacing air-polluting school buses. Personally, I think a better use of their money would be to start trying to fix some of the damage that has already been done environmentally.
This is an article about the released footage of the fatal shooting of Cedrick Chatman. Chatman was shot while fleeing police arrest by officer Kevin Fry on January 7, 2013 in the South Side of Chicago. Fry tells his attorney that he feared for his life and as seen in the footage Chatman pulls a black object from his pocket while turning the corner. As it turns out Chatman only had a black iPhone box that Fry thought was a weapon. This means that Fry shot an unarmed citizen fleeing from arrest. This I'm sure will cause an uproar of protests in the city and across the country. I feel that more precautions need to be taken before the officer pulls the trigger. Or even... I watch this show called Marvel's Agents of Shield. And when they get in a gun battle they never shoot anyone. They have these guns called icers that out the person into freeze mode. This would be great for our police force since we are slowly advancing in the technology of weapons.
The recent police issues are difficult to judge, even though everyone judges anyway. How is a judge in court supposed to tell a policeman or policewoman that they were not in fear of their life. There is no way to provide evidence for feelings and there is no way to prove that otherwise. I can't decide if I agree with the rule that they can shoot if they are in fear because of this. I don't want officers to die to crazed criminals but I don't want innocent people to perish either. There is so much gray area it's crazy.
I agree that these cases are very difficult to judge but I think that these stories are becoming so much more prominent because of the use of social media to make these claims and expose the brutality that was already there. I agree that you can't really judge when an officer is afraid for their lives but when it involves a person who was fleeing and not fighting it makes it a bit easier to judge. As a police officer, my brother in law doesn't think that officers go through thorough enough training for these types of scenarios. In this situation officers are prohibited to shoot at a person who is running away. It was probably not a smart move to pull something out of his pocket as he was being pursued by law enforcement though and that's why the officer was so quick to shoot at him.
This article is about the fact check about President Obama's last State if the Union Address a couple nights ago. President Obama made a lot of claims that he also left key details out of and here are just a few of them. For example, he said that he has cut the country's deficit by 3 quarters. When that only shows the results from when he took office in 2009. When the country's debt was 1.4 Trillion dollars. He also claims that in the last 9 years he has created over 900,000 jobs. When first off he has only been in office for 7 years, and secondly he has actually lost almost 230,000 jobs to be exact. In the article and the video he mentions a few more examples but these two really stuck out to me. That even in politics when you're The President of The United States, you are entitled to your own opinion. But not your own facts!
In reply to Taylor's article on Trump: Trump is super racist and sexist, I would hope most people are against his goals as president. He is not like any other president, he does not resemble any of our past presidents. Trump can not be president with his hurtful ideologies.
In reply to Curtiss's article on Chatman: It is crazy how trigger happy most policemen are nowadays. I had always thought that policemen use their guns as a last measure, or feel threatened. "Threatened" just seems to have too much variability honestly. Whether or not someone seems threatened is completely on how that person is who they are. Our justice system is innocent until proven guilty so these innocent people should not be getting shot at.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/opinion/living-under-the-sword-of-isis-in-syria.html?ref=opinion&_r=0 This article is about the writer's friends, Saeed, trying to get him and his family out of Raqqa. Honestly, Syria is a constant war zone and it must be extremely hard for people to get jobs as Saeed mentions. The American people are so worried about their own safety they have become paranoid. Many innocent people die in Syria because the US assume they are a threat to our safety. Saeed home had always been Raqqa and he was unwilling to leave until the continuous warfare had been going on. America isn't suppose to be the super hero and try to fix all the nations, but we are currently involved with the middle east and need to fix it somehow.
You know I watch the state of the Union and I found myself agreeing and disagreeing a lot with what Obama had to say. In my eyes I agree with what he was saying a future for all with peace and justice is with in our grasp. Yet we fail to grab the future because we are not united. I get it we all are in titled to or beliefs but for a brighter and better future I think we need to push into the future together.
Alexis ZanishJanuary 15, 2016 at 6:23 AM http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/opinion/living-under-the-sword-of-isis-in-syria.html?ref=opinion&_r=0 This article is about the writer's friends, Saeed, trying to get him and his family out of Raqqa. Honestly, Syria is a constant war zone and it must be extremely hard for people to get jobs as Saeed mentions. The American people are so worried about their own safety they have become paranoid. Many innocent people die in Syria because the US assume they are a threat to our safety. Saeed home had always been Raqqa and he was unwilling to leave until the continuous warfare had been going on. America isn't suppose to be the super hero and try to fix all the nations, but we are currently involved with the middle east and need to fix it somehow.
Reply-I disagree to a point with you, Yes, We Americans are paranoid people but with the right reasoning. We Americans do not forget so easily. We let our guard down and Pearl Harbor was bombed, The Twin towers were destroyed and some of the pentagon was destroyed. Isis has threatened us, attacked France and threatened many others. They beheaded Americas.We are not trying to be superheroes we have Soldiers for that. We are avenging those who lost their lives just because they were American. We Americans are not superheroes but we have had enough of this new Nation run by ISIS and are going to keep fighting back.
Gun control is a major issue everyone will have to come together to tackle in 2016. We can not pass it by anymore. Lets face it we have put so many controls on how to get a gun, what guns you can own and more it that has not stop the shootings we have. We most find a middle to this to make it easy to own a gun and defend yourself but harder for killers to get
I definitely agree that gun control has become a major issue in today's society. Personally, I think it is pointless for anyone to own a gun, but the right to bear arms is in our constitution so the people have the right to own guns. Unfortunately, certain people have used this amendment in the wrong meaning. It is very unfortunate to all of the innocent gun owners who do what is allowed with their guns that all of the gun control regulations are being put into place. It is also necessary though to try and reduce the number of killings cause by guns.
I also agree, it is a major issue that has yet to be fully addressed. Solutions to this problem are not fully universal in terms of making everyone safe AND happy. What's the major problem that branches off from gun control is people. People are very unpredictable, it becomes nearly impossible for predicting a group of people, much less a whole nation of people. Maybe one day someone could come up with a solution that appeals to both sides. Or perhaps, more likely, is that we have to give up something for safety.
Brittney RodgersJanuary 12, 2016 at 2:12 PM http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/12/opinion/mexicos-recapture-of-el-chapo.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
This article is about the recapture of the well-known El Chapo. They are considering sending him over to the US, but this could take months. The article also discusses social media and how everyone is saying that he will escape for a third time. Even though we may find this funny, they definitely do not. That is why they are considering transporting him here. They feel that if he can do it twice already in the most maximum security prison they have, he can do it again eventually. This is a big worry for them because he is the kingpin of the drug cartel.
Reply-El Chapo is a dangerous man, and I think to lock him up a third time in the same place he has escaped twice is pure stupidity. It is time we or foot down and we lock him up in a strong U.S jail cell or we put him to death enough is enough.
This article is about the current state of hostility existing between North Korea and South Korea. Apparently, an unidentified aircraft was approaching along the DMZ, which caused warning shots to be fired at North Korea. It is unaware what it's mission was, but the result was high tensions directed at North Korea. Looking at the situation right now, South Korea means business and are ready to go if North Korea about it. U.S believes it was just a routine procedure, but all I know is, it maybe just the start of armed conflict.
The article states that because of a law passed in 1790 stating a foreign born person a natural born citizen as long as they had a parent who was a citizen and lived in the US for at least 5 years past the age of 14. I believe Cruz is eligible to be president. This is just another dumb distraction. It is almost as ridiculous as the claims that Obama was born in Kenya, However, I doubt that Cruz defended Obama against the birthers.
This article is... pretty sad. I've really never gave a thought about drone/air strikes affecting citizens, which is stupid I know, explosives are never really controlled at all. Now that I know and seen the perspective of a person whose fears are daily encountered every second of their lives, it fills me with dread that this is not outwardly apparent in today's media. We hear about the major ISIS heads getting killed by air/drone strikes, but rarely the cost that came with that attack to the local population.
It’s absolutely horrible how many innocent people get caught in the middle of something like this, but unfortunately, I don’t know if there’s really any way around it. This is also a good example of how our country, or any country or person really, only likes to talk about the good things that it does and leaves out all the bad things that it does.
I agree with you. Many times when there are conversations about attacks against ISIS the local populations are the last thing people think about. It's unfair that these western countries are sacrificing the lives of others. Measures definitely need to be taken to fight ISIS and whether that be air strikes or another strategy are the decisions the higher political powers are qualified to make but the people who support these attacks and urge the government to take more action need to remember that these attacks aren't isolated to ISIS. So many people are ignorant of what they support and the repercussions. Everyone should be educated about how the actions of the Untied States although the they may benefit us they can really hurt other nations such as the local population of the area ISIS is occupying.
This article is a bit confusing to be honest, but from what I gather is that the author is saying that "higher" ups or the rich are unequal to the rest of the population of america. More primarily the gap between the average and rich and that putting taxes on the rich removes the incentive to be more productive. Which to me does not seem completely true, people are still going to try to do better to "climb the ladder" and the incentive is still there regardless of taxes. However, I do understand what the author is trying to say about the rich or just heads of a company being more productive(mostly more opportunities/resources) than a group of average joes and is kind of inequality between the two. It does seems a bit unfair, though, I'm not sure how you could fix that without some people getting upset.
Rich people and average people are definitely unequal in some ways, even if we would like to think that they’re not. Rich people just have more opportunities to go to better schools, get better educations, and they have more connections with successful people that can help them land a good job. However, I don’t think that having higher taxes on the rich ruins the incentive to work hard, they still make much more money than most people. I learned in sociology that 1% richest Americans own more than half of all the nation’s wealth, they are in no way underprivileged or even need to worry about taxes.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/08/opinions/robbins-obama-gun-town-hall/index.html This article is about when Obama talked to a group with many different opinions on gun control. Personally, I don’t think there is any way to stop gun violence because there were always be evil people, mentally ill people, and even accidents. But Obama said something that stood out to me “He said that there were 30,000 Americans who were killed by gun violence. What if we could just lower it to 28,000? What if we could spare 2,000 families from the heartbreak of that kind of loss? Shouldn't we try?” and I agree. We might not be able to stop gun violence, but we might be able to at least decrease the number of deaths. We should tighten laws on obtaining a gun, and improve our mental health system and surely we can save at least one life.
I agree with Alyssa. It is literally impossible to stop gun violence; there will always be guns and those crazy enough to abuse them. However, it is in our best interest to help those 2000 families not suffer a loss. I think one of the things pro-gun activists fail to think about is the fact that one of those 30,000 Americans who are killed by guns each year could be one of them or one of the people they love the most. If we could just help even a few people, we would be doing some good.
http://money.cnn.com/2016/01/12/investing/oil-prices-below-30/index.html I have to agree with Austin in saying that it's super nice having the low gas prices but what happens when the American oil companies can't afford to stay open? If they close then we will have to depend on the foreign oil companies again. If we have to depend on them then prices may skyrocket again. So while I really like the low prices im not sure how this will play out in the end.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/13/opinions/obeidallah-college-professor-hijab/index.html This article is about a teacher, who teaches at a Christian school, that might get fired for wearing a hijab to show support for Muslims that are being treated unfairly. She had to agree to be a certain kind of Christian to work at the school, but the school claimed that she blurred the lines between Christianity and Islam, but maybe this is a good thing. In the end, both of the religions want to live similar lives and there are even similarities in what’s written in their holy books. I think this is absolutely horrible and hypocritical because “ Hawkins' sentiments were theologically correct and her actions, in standing up for the persecuted, exemplified the teachings of Jesus” people of all religions and races need to be better at practicing what they preach.
This is going to sound completely biblical, but yeah whatever. You said that they have similar writings in the holy books that they use. This is because they are based off of the same thing. The Old Testament is found in different forms in a lot of religious texts. The New Testament was added to tell about Jesus, which is why other books don't use it. The reason they are the same is because of Abraham. His sons are the people who set up the major religions of today including Christianity and Islam, so naturally they would contain similar content. Fun fact, Sodom and Gomorrah are in both the Bible and the Quran and it is my favorite story. Who doesn't love fire, brimstone, and pillars of salt.
Well Judaism and Islam. Christianity sprouted from Judaism. Major difference in those two is that Jews use the Tanakh which is like a version of the Old Testament before the Christians added stuff to it, at least that's how I understand it.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/15/politics/ted-cruz-new-yorkers-apology/index.html This article is about Ted Cruz who said something that not only offended all New Yorkers but people are the u.s. Ted was asked for an apology by Trumps,Clinton,and Cuomo. Cruz said that he is sorry for the police and firefighters in New York. Cruz said that when he said that all he meant was that the politicians that come out of that state have not done what they need to do.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/13/opinions/amar-cruz-trump-natural-born-citizen/index.html This article is about how Cruz is not a natural born citizen. some people are asking if this is allowed. They wanna know if they can vote for Cruz or if their vote wont count. Cruz who was not born in the u.s. but is in fact half American. Now people are waiting to see what the Supreme court will do.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/13/opinions/louis-bloomberg-for-president-chances/index.html This article is about how Bloomberg might run for presidency. Bloomberg who many might favor if he does run for presidency might win it all. But the big problem is that Bloomberg was said to do this before. Bloomberg has ran secret polls that ended up being leaked. Many people already are on board with this idea since Bloomberg is well know. Bloomberg said that if he did ran he will do it as independent.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/12/opinions/potarazu-obama-legacy-obamacare/index.html This article was about the legacy that Obama is leaving behind. Many presidents are know for some thing and Obama wants to be know for his affordable Health Insurance. This insurance better know as Obamacare is what Obama wants to leave behind. Many people love this idea but many others hate it since its not the right time for it. Obama wants this to be what Social Security was for Franklin D. Roosevelt and what Medicare was for Lyndon B. Johnson: a part of the American fabric.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/15/politics/new-york-daily-news-cruz-cover/index.html It seems that Senator Ted Cruz has gotten himself in a bit of a bind. He was reported to have criticized Trump for wanting to use New York values. This is one time that I can say I whole heartedly agree with trump. New York is a strong city and they have always beautifully come together in times of need like the 9/11 attack. Trump is the one who brought that event up and honestly, that's the smartest thing he's said. Cruz is in the wrong here and has officially lost a bulk of his support in the race for this no doubt.
This article talks about how Obamas legacy for his presidency may be at stake. Obama is saying that he doesn't want his only legacy to be the fact that he was the first black president. He wants his legacy to be his Obama care plan. Also known as the Affordable Care Act. In my opinion it probably will be his legacy but maybe not in the way he wants. Most people, and I'm sure he's no different, want a positive legacy. Not everyone gets one however and I think he's about to have a negative one as well. I haven't found anyone that actually likes Obamacare and I've heard a lot about how terrible it is. I can't judge it myself but it seems like it might be his negative legacy after all.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/08/opinions/robbins-obama-gun-town-hall/index.html I've never really personally agreed with President Obama but I do have to agree with him here. He wants to implement stricter gun regulations and his plan is a good one. The ideas he is having are very good and will work very well but not amongst the large problems like mass shootings. They may help personal ownership but if someone still wishes to shoot up a school then by all means that person is gonna go shoot up that school. They're not gonna look at the gun in their hand and say "oops can't do that it's against the law to have a gun here". Now whiles he's making the right steps towards the bigger idea he's not really making it all the way there.
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/01/15/and-the-oscar-goes-to-a-white-person This was a discussion page so their were multiple opinion editorials written on this. All three of the people seemed to agree that there was a problem with how "white" the Oscars were. While I understand and at least partially agree that the Oscars are suspiciously, overwhelmingly, white, that doesn't mean that they are being racist. This just means that the African-American actors didn't get nominated and chosen. Overwhelmingly, I didn't hear that movies like Concussion with Will Smith or Straight Outta Compton were very good movies so it makes sense that they wouldn't get an Oscar. Like I said, I understand where they are coming from, but not everything needs to be a race issue. That's just dividing us further because white people accuse blacks of making things up and blacks accuse white people of being racist and insensitive. It's a vicious cycle that we need to stop.
I feel that there are definitely some things that white people fail to understand completely because they have never truly witnessed, firsthand, the oppression/racism that African Americans have had to endure. I completely understand where this article is coming from, and perhaps it IS a race issue; we don't know for sure. It certainly IS "suspiciously, overwhelmingly, white" as Kara put it. I know that there are definitely race issues going on, even in high schools. For example, telling someone that they can't do something because of the color of their skin, or making posts about "white privilege” is racist. I think that, while yes, the issue of racism has improved a lot, there are still some things we need to work on.
This article is about the feud between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. It discusses the petty attacks they made against each other at the debate. The article makes the statement that it's embarrassing that this is what an election looks like right now in a country that takes a lot of pride in their democracy. I agree with him because this election has turned into a serious of personal attacks between candidates especially in the Republican Party. When you read about the debates and statements that these candidates are making it's easy to forget that these are real people who have a chance of running our country one day. This election is a joke because these candidates can't be taken seriously with their constant childish invective.
I also find this matter a laughingstock. These days instead of politicians actually talking about important issues that America wants answer about politicians are always attacking each other. Instead of talking about their goals for the country they would rather find the dirt on their opponents. I get that they have to discredit their opponents to win the election but for them to go on a debate and just talking about how their opponents are wrong is a reason why american probably do not take politics seriously.
I agree with you Raquel. All you hear about candidates these days is how they make attacks against each other. It's absolutely ridiculous how they can't be in a room with each other without making irrelevant remarks. I can't take most of them seriously and it's really hard to imagine any one of them running our country. They need to focus more on the issues in America and less on each other because the U.S. needs a president who is mature enough to handle all the responsibility.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/opinion/michigans-failure-to-protect-flint.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=0 This seems to be a major problem for the state of Michigan. I do not understand how state officials knew of the problem and decided to do nothing knowing that the situation was dangerous. With 1.5 billion dollars in damages and hundreds of children likely to be affected by lead poisoning this was a huge screw up by the government. I also always love when a disaster happens they are always pointing fingers instead of actually thinking of ways to come up with a solution.
You're right that they always end up playing the blame game. It's really sad that people who are supposed to make good decisions for the city or state as a whole ended up ruining it for some of them. Somehow, those officials need to pay for the medical bills of the people who drank that awful water. I think I remember seeing a picture from National Geographic on Instagram the week that this news broke. The picture was a throwback to when the water was red coming out of the faucet in some other city. It's ridiculous that officials can have no morals and purposely endanger citizens with chemicals and toxins in their drinking water.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/16/opinion/states-should-raise-the-gas-tax.html?ref=opinion The decision to raise gas taxes should be exclusively held by state governments aside from the preset national government tax. Not every city needs improvement on the paving of roads, but there certainly are some that do. Typically, an increase in gas wouldn’t be ideal for people, because people generally like to save money. However, with a small increase per gallon, the price would not seem as big of a difference based on the idea that purchases would include several gallons. A few cents per gallon could make a difference of thousands of dollars, which could be used to help fill some potholes or fund other road construction projects, locally.
This article is about locals living in Raqqa, Syria and how they are trapped by ISIS. It has become unsafe and hard to support yourself with limited jobs and relying on farming to make a living. However, if you choose to fight with ISIS, you start out making $200 a month which is more than the average citizen. If you are a male, it is likely that you will be forced to fight with ISIS. Bombs are dropped almost daily and sometimes without separation between locals and ISIS members. Civilians are whipped or executed daily for not following laws or being accused of being a spy for the Free Syrian Army. The author states that the locals are necessary in order to defeat ISIS and I agree.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/15/politics/ted-cruz-new-yorkers-apology/index.html I feel as though the apology that Cruz gave was sarcastic. Instead of apologizing for the statements that he made, he apologized “to the millions of New Yorkers who have been let down by the liberal politicians in that state” and he also said “I apologize to all the cops and the firefighters and 9/11 heroes who had no choice but to stand and turn their backs on Mayor de Blasio because Mayor de Blasio over and over again stands with the looters and the criminals rather than the brave men and women of blue.” Cruz’s attacks on New York, Cuomo, de Blasio and more, are simply pleas for attention. Even Donald Trump, who appeared to have a “bromance” with Cruz, is actually getting some support from former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, who tweeted “Just this once, Trump’s right…”
This article is about a drug trial that resulted in 6 men being hospitalized and one of them pronounced brain dead. Three men may have suffered brain damage. The drug trial took place in Brittany, France with 128 participants. Of those 128 participants, 90 received the trial drug. The purpose of the drug was to help with anxiety, mood, and motor problems. I can’t imagine it would be much help if you’re brain dead. It’s important that the company figures out what went wrong so this doesn’t happen again in the future.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/15/politics/new-york-daily-news-cruz-cover/index.html Immediately, I disagree with Ted Cruz’ statement; “I think most people know exactly what New York values are: socially liberal, pro-gay marriage, pro-abortion, focused on money and the media.” Cruz is digging his own grave by insulting the mayor and state of New York, which is now the fourth most populated state in the United States. While Donald Trump may go against many, if not all of the things that Cruz mentioned about New Yorkers, he disagreed with Cruz on the subject of New York values. I disagree with many of Trump’s moralities but, in this argument, I would rather support his side than Cruz’.
This article makes an interesting observation: all of the nominees for the most recent Oscar awards were white. The authors discuss whether or not this could be an act of racism. To be honest, when I first saw this, I thought it was another example of people trying to make something out of nothing. However, as I continued to read, I began to ask myself the same questions those people were asking. It is very strange how bland and non-diverse Hollywood is. Sure, there are a handful of extremely famous minorities, but a HUGE majority of celebrities are white. Could this just be because of luck, or could these be because Hollywood is racist? Well, I think it's a bit of both. I feel like more white people are interested in being involved in Hollywood than other races, and, therefore, there are more whites in the industry. However, I also think that some producers and directors give priority to white actors and actresses to reduce controversy and promote a sellable face to a wider audience. Just look at what happened when The Hunger Games first came out in theaters. The franchise received a LOT of hate for the character "Rue" being black. It's a sad truth that racism still exists. And if it gets producers more money, they'll cast as many whites as they can to drain the pockets of everyone, including racists.
I agree with you Brandon. I wasn't sure either if the observation that all Oscar nominees were white was just someone trying to create tension. It is possible though that this could be an act of racism. I know that a lot of filmmakers tend to pick white actors and actresses over any other race but there are also many filmmakers who want to have a very diverse cast. I believe that a part of Hollywood is racist but not all. I think we have come a long way from racism but we still have a long way to go and the example of the Oscar nominees might just prove that.
This article talks about how encounters between police and those who are mentally ill can go wrong. The recent uproar over police brutality against blacks has been enormous. However, there is also a sizable amount of police brutality against those who are mentally ill. On one side, those who are mentally handicapped may not be able to interact with police as a normal person should. They are going through an extremely difficult condition(s) that often times completely dictate how they live their lives. They often times are not in control of what they do or say, especially in anxiety-producing situations such as a police encounter. On the other hand, police have no definite way of knowing if people they encounter are mentally ill. They assume everyone is of a state of mind in which they can obey orders and act rationally. Sadly, that is not the case. The only plausible solutions would be to invent new ways of non-lethal police forces or to drastically work on improving the state of mental health in America.
How do people with mental issues w\even become cops and when they are found out how are they able to still be cops yes the shooting have gotten out of hand but i dont think very cop that shoots someone or the majortiy of them have mental issues i think they are in sticky situations and make a mistake most of the times others are just over powering non caring cops that take peoples lives for no reason but most of them that kill or shoot people the people do something that push them there.
This article points out how, while it receives a lot of hate and criticism, Obamacare has done surprisingly well since it's creation. It has expanded health insurance coverage, and has had significantly positive effects on the labor market, public opinion, and cost control. Most Americans like what Obamacare actually does, although for some reason they don't like the concept of Obamacare. This relates to how people criticize public figures without any significant reason or evidence to back them up. A large amount of people hate Obama and complain about how he doesn't much when, in reality, he has done a GREAT deal as president. He introduced Obamacare, oversaw the legalization of gay marriage, and even eliminated the leader of Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden. It's sad to see Obama go, but he has shown to be a great president over his eight years. Obamacare is likely not going to go anywhere anytime soon, which is probably a good thing.
That it is Brandon, that it is. Although it seems that the majority of Republicans hate the program, proposing a bill to get rid of it that the president vetoed. Most people seem to overall support the program with all the good that it has done since it was signed into law, providing healthcare to many who had never had it before, and with that support, the bill will to seem to last and last.
With the ever closer beginning of the primaries, it's definitely playing out to be a two person race, at least on the Democratic side, between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders, and some drama that goes on with them. With strangely scheduled democratic debates commonly being held on weekends, there isn't much excitement going on with the debates. also with the rise of Sanders, Hillary seems to further be going on the attack than she usually has, typically just mentioning his questionable stance on gun control, but now going so far as to have her daughter mention how he will dismantle medicare. This adversity bug even got to Sanders' campaign, with Sanders running hos first "negative" ad, with passing references, and less hostility of attack ads past. Safe to say, the race that seemed like a sure thing, isn't so sure anymore.
This article is about reasons many of the Republican candidates have cooled down on directly attacking Donald Trump. Among the many reasons are that it could work against the best wishes of the candidates run, and the Republican Party as a whole. For the next leading candidate behind Trump, Ted Cruz, it's probably not in his best interest to alienate Trump voters just in case something happens that could cause a drop in Trump's numbers and voters jumping ship to their next choice, which is most likely Cruz. At this point I do think it is smart for the candidates not to attack Trump and give him more exposure, but instead let something he does be his own downfall. Until it gets very serious and he is close to winning the nomination, it may be a waste to try to go after him.
A very interesting observation Liam. The hostility towards Trump, while it seems that it would take him down a peg, has done nothing to slow him down, in fact, it may just be making him stronger. So avoiding such attacks, and hopefully letting him destroy himself, is an optimistic one, but isn't likely to happen, seeing how with what Trump has said and how it hasn't ruined him. They can only hope.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/15/politics/us-bombs-isis-cash-money-iraq/index.html This has to deal with the isis bombing that we launched that bombed there cash safe house. This is scary to me to see that much cash in a beat down country becuse that means they are very strong I dont see how we let these tyoes of racidicals build up to even get big enough to do damage. I think if were going to be going to other countries we should up are intelligence on them a little more.
This Op-Ed is quite an introspective one, showing a reasonable perspective on the most controversial presidential candidate, Donald Trump. No matter what he has said, no matter what his words have done to hurt people, his supporters don't care and follow everything that he says. Pretty much anyone who leans to the left politically doesn't like anything about Trump, but even those on the right hate Trump. A man, who has been a devout conservative, and doesn't like any democrat candidates, cannot stand Trump, rather opting to vote independently if he wins. Showing how much Trump has hijacked the republican party ,twisting it to hiss will, rather than to the will of others. It's an interesting read, check it out if you're interested, no matter your political preference.
I dont think it would be a big deffernce if we let them in or not if they wanted to they can come over here anyways from the bombing we just did shown us they have millions of dollars so they could just buy there way in if we wanted why not save a bunch of peopels lives and with that might come peoples lives here to be lost but were saving way more epopels lives we were all running from bad situations at one point lives were lost and we got over it and thrived
This article is about a recent bill that has gone to congress about discrimination in auto lending. The practice that the bill would support allows for minority applicants to have higher interest rates on auto loans compared to whites that have everything else equal. This practice is ridiculous institutional racism that I thought we had moved on from since the civil rights movement. We have laws preventing discrimination in jobs and home sales, why not something that happens even more often than the sale of homes? Americans are overwhelmingly against discrimination like this, so why doesn't congress represent it as strongly? It doesn't seem like that radical of a concept to be fair to everyone that buys a car.
This article really makes me angry? But I'm afraid that I'll be called racist for agreeing with you. It doesn't make sense to have segregation in car buying, we all drive on the same road. Equality for all should mean equality.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/16/opinion/the-real-problem-with-lunch.html?ref=opinion&_r=0 This article brings up multiple fantastic points. Our school lunches are definitely sub-par and unhealthy. However, it is extremely difficult to change out "the good stuff" for more healthy options. If they do so, the school will begin to lose money to vending machines or parents will begin packing lunches. Also, school's don't get very much money to buy lunches and healthy options cost more. As the author pointed out, we are not France. We cannot serve scallops and lamb at our school lunch, but there are things that we can do to follow after them. For example, the author noted that all of France junk ads come with a disclaimer at the end that recommends eating healthy. Also, vending machines are banned on campuses and packing is discouraged.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/15/politics/us-bombs-isis-cash-money-iraq/ind This is pretaining to the rewnewable engery that obama promised us that would come into the picture to help out are planet and cost spending. We knew that we could get clean engery from this aong time ago but we would rather spend are money to create wars over oil its crazy witht he amount of thigns we do that could be easily resolved and we choose not to do them over money i think we need to get a huge grip on what we do here right in the usa before we worry about anything else soon but honeslty it might be to late
This article is about the recent announcement of the shut down of Al-Jazeera America. This is a sad thing for current American cable journalism, as AJA was one of the most reputable journalist outlets around today. The staff of over 700 that will be let go made some of the most hard hitting and compelling journalism on TV today, compared to other news outlets that are more about entertainment than information. It's also an interesting affect of the falling oil prices, as the mother company Al-Jazeera is financed by the country of Qatar, who is majorly dependent on the export of oil. As prices fall the country had to make cuts, and one of the first was a failing cable news network on the other side of the world that was most likely hemorrhaging cash since the beginning. It's a loss for journalism in the country, but not for the average American, that probably had no idea what Al-Jazeera was until they took on Peyton Manning.
This article is about how on New Year's Eve in Cologne, Germany had an increased crime rate from African refugees. These crimes were committed by male moroccan refugees and consisted of things such as rape and sexual assault. They said they plan on fixing this by locating people who are not legally there and sending them back as soon as possible. They also said they were not afraid to incarcerate any illegal immigrants if they cannot send them back.
Revelations of corruption in international sports have become dismally common — in the Olympic Games, in cycling, in soccer and now in track and field.” in a perfect world this would happen but we live in an era where corruption is very common. It's no surprise that the corruption has spread to sports. It's kind of disturbing how everyone has their little secrets that are exposed by officials for monetary compensation. Drugs are normal right now and there are always headlines about a sports player overdosing. This comes to show that fair competition is dead in many sports. Unfair competition is very unethical in our part because it degrades our morality.
I think we all know that the criminal system is broken . Recently the most controversial series is making a murderer. Which deals with the case of Steven Avery. Reforms are definitely needed in the system of inside jail and the processing of crimes. I think that recently a lot of things have been exposed about how wrong things are being dealt with. Reforms should be encouraged but they will be bed because a smooth transition will be hard because not everyone wants these reforms. The 13 prison that have been shut down in new York is definitely a start .
There is a new economic reform beginning. It Deals with what Obama address on his last state kg the union. Coal is precious but also limited. Federal grants have been started to find what the president Wang's to achieve. It ain't easy because for many years coal has been used. There is definitely a need to move away from coal because economically it isn't good for the planet. The use of coal increases pollution, danged the atmosphere and leads to problems. I think that a better alternative would be using sunlight and move away from the dirty , as president Obama calls it, and start looking at a future with good energy that will help decrease the amount of damage being inflicted on the planet.
Since 1993 the tax on gasoline has been a little more than 13 cents per gallon. Raising the gas price will be a controversial issue… They all are. I can see that the states will benefit by failing money that is supposed to go back to the citizens through the improved roads and bridges and positive changes but sometimes those chances don't occur. I think that if this issue was brought to the public it wouldn't be approved by the public because that is more money coming out of their pockets. And when the gas prices go back up again because they change like a roller coaster then why have that tax rajsed
This article is about school lunches in America, and the comparisons they are getting to lunches from other countries, and why they may not be a fair comparison. The school lunch program in America is underfunded compared to other countries, but in America it's at a point where it has to be to be successful. Balancing state and national funding while trying to keep the lights on is an incredible task for the lunch directors of districts, while also having everything run by undertrained lunch staff.My father is a deputy and works in a jail, and I've seen and eaten the lunch there, and I can safely say it's better than what SWCS serves to their students. Should our students be eating food that we wouldn't serve to inmates? Probably, but it's better than the alternative we have in America, which due to costs isn't the French platter, but instead an empty plate. For what they have to work with, it's actually a pretty successful program when not being compared on the un-level playing field of international school cuisine.
This article tells about how there's going to be a Democratic debate on sunday night. They go into detail about Clinton mainly only goes after the Republicans as a whole with only a few shots at Sanders, but she has recently connected him to the Charleston Church shooting. Sanders retaliated to this with an attack ad on Clinton, which he said he would never do. So watch the debate to see the jabs Clinton will try to make!
This article is about a drug trial gone horribly wrong in France. And the worst part was everything about it was legal, and there is nothing that can really punish the company, because they followed all the rules. It's scary to think that a drug like this that is supposed to help you ended up killing people. It makes me wonder if there needs to be something changed about the way drugs are tested. As for the animal tests, they can be very humane either, and they're obviously not doing a good enough job to see if drugs are safe to take. I just think the whole drug trial process and laws need to be rethought out.
This article is all about a woman who is a widow of an American sniper. She knows both sides on gun control, and she knows exactly how each side feels. One really good point she brought up is by giving mass killers so much attention, we're giving them the voice they never had. She talks about how if you had up all the mass killers from the past decade there would only be about 40, so why should we make laws for millions based on less than 100 villains. Guns aren't what make killers, thoughts and actions of people make killers. Taking away guns would make America less save.
I don't feel that the nominations for the Oscars have anything to do with race. Not everything is about race. Black people have their own awards called the BET awards and you don't hear any white person complaining about it. I read an article earlier today saying that Spike Lee is trying to have all black people boycott the Oscars. This isn't going to do anything but add fuel to the fire. If he thinks that black people aren't nominated now then they definitely won't be in the future if he goes through with this boycott. People just need to understand that not everything is about race.
The people of Michigan are dealing with a water crisis. In April 2014, the state decided to temporarily switch Flint's water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River to save money until a new supply line to Lake Huron was ready. The residents of Flint were complaining about their water being a funny color, smelly, and weird tasting. The governor has resigned. He says that the water crisis is a disaster and something similar to hurricane Katrina. The people aren't able to bathe, drink, or cook with the water. Bottles of water are being given to the residents until the situations is all taken care of.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/12/opinion/mexicos-recapture-of-el-chapo.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
ReplyDeleteThis article is about the recapture of the well-known El Chapo. They are considering sending him over to the US, but this could take months. The article also discusses social media and how everyone is saying that he will escape for a third time. Even though we may find this funny, they definitely do not. That is why they are considering transporting him here. They feel that if he can do it twice already in the most maximum security prison they have, he can do it again eventually. This is a big worry for them because he is the kingpin of the drug cartel.
If El Chapo has already escaped from the Mexican prison before, then I don't understand why sending him back would be the best option. Not only has El Chapo escaped once, he's done it twice, and nothing is stopping him from doing it a third time. The US prison system is probably much stronger than that of Mexico. Like you said, El Chapo is a big deal and he needs to be locked up for good. I think that sending to a US prison is not a terrible idea.
DeleteOne of my biggest problems with the United States is it's need to always get involved with other countries' problems. It's like that one friend that is always getting involved in everyone's drama at school. I understand that El Chapo is a huge drug lord and everything, but he is Mexico's problem, not ours. It sucks that he has so much power in his country, but that isn't his fault. It's the fault of the weak governmental system of Mexico. If anything we should help them organize that. We don't need to be taking one of it's most powerful citizens and locking them up in one of our jails when that could just cause his followers to become hostile with us.
DeleteI agree that this is a serious issue. El Chapo is a very dangerous human being and has a lot of connections to make his escape very much possible. Bringing him to the US may help but that may cause an uproar and create problems between mexico and america.
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DeleteI too think this is a serious issue, and I don't agree with them putting him on U.S. soil. I feel that since El Chapo has so many connections he will be able to break out again. And I personally don't want him running around the U.S. freely. Sure, the U.S. might have better more secure prison cells, but I feel that this will cause even more danger for the safety of our citizens. Chapo has to get his money somewhere and clearly it's through Drugs. With him in the U.S. this will cause him to bring his supplies to the U.S. and then we will have a surplus of drug selling across the nation.
Deletehttp://money.cnn.com/2016/01/12/investing/oil-prices-below-30/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about how oil prices have plummeted all the way down to 30 bucks which is great if you're buying gas but not great for american oil companies. This is happening because a massive suppl being discovered and the more of an item you have the cheaper it gets. I hope that it stays this way to and maybe even go down so I won't have to spend a lot on gas. :)
It is sad for the American oil companies because they are not bringing as much money in, but it sure is great for us! A lot of us drive so I'm sure we all appreciate the low gas prices. Let's see how long they stay this low though!
Deletehttp://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/01/11/al-qaida-threatens-saudis-us-over-execution-militants.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about the al-Qaida and the threats they are making to the US. The bomb-maker from this branch of terrorists has now threatened the US and Saudi Arabia, wanting revenge because they executed several of their militants. When talking about the Americans, he states that they will not let us go on alive as long as they are alive. This is scary and it is going to be interesting to see how our government handle this threat as well as dealing with ISIS at the same time.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ted-cruz-is-not-eligible-to-be-president/2016/01/12/1484a7d0-b7af-11e5-99f3-184bc379b12d_story.html?tid=pm_opinions_pop_b
ReplyDeleteThis article is about Ted Cruz not being eligible to become president. This was first brought up by Donald Trump, who was actually right about something for once. To run for and become president you must be a natural born citizen of the US. Cruz was born in Canada. His mother was American and therefore Cruz was naturalized at birth. Aside from all of that, he is still not allowed to be President. I feel like this is sincerely interesting because we all thought Trump brought it up to be ignorant but instead he was actually right!
Trump is right about Cruz not being eligible. Trump has a lot of haters mostly because he is brutally honest which is a big shock. Even though he may be radical in some ideas he is right most of the time. But I probably wouldn't vote for him!
DeleteI do think that Trumps was kinda right about his claim. But in the end i think Cruz is still able to run for president because according to that law he is still a natural born citizen because his mother was one. I just think that all accusations are really unnecessary while they could be actually talking about important issue. I do not think if Cruz was unable to run for president he would not have been able to make it this far.
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Deletehttp://www.cnn.com/2016/01/12/europe/turkey-istanbul-explosion/index.html
ReplyDelete10 foreigners were killed in central Istanbul by ISIS members. This shows how much they are trying to terror others. Turkish Prime Minister blamed a group called the Islamic State because of their irrational moves. The violence can be pinned on many groups but the violence is most likely to be ISIS. ISIS is a very bad group which commits a lot of bad crimes so we need to get rid of them anyway we can.
This is something that the media should cover more. We should hear more stories about how ISIS terrorizes their supposedly own people. Instead we are always hearing about how ISIS could be a potential threat to the United States even though these threats rarely do happen. We should respect ISIS as a serious threat and deal with them accordingly.
Deletehttp://www.cnn.com/2016/01/14/asia/jakarta-gunfire-explosions/
ReplyDeleteThis article is about the recent bombings that happened in Jakarta. The shooting that recently took place left two dead, 19 wounded and emotions high on terrorism. This attack was linked to know one other then ISIS. Once again, when a crisis breaks out, ISIS seems at the center of all conflict. This kind of terrorism isn't just striking at home, but now globally around the world. What is even more surprising is that the attack happened not that far from a UN office in Jakarta. Deadly explosions, innocent citizens killed, and high rising emotions of terrified people makes you wonder what can be done? This situation has to be fixed or we can be next.
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Deletehttp://www.cnn.com/2016/01/13/americas/mexico-el-chapo-guzman/
ReplyDeleteThis article is about the recent capture of El Chap. Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzman his the most powerful and wealthy drug lord in the world. He is the 10th richest man in Mexico and no stranger to arrest and escapes. But it's his most recent arrest that has sparked controversy.Apparently, the main force behind his finding and arrest was a conversation of text messages he had with famous Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo. In the text he writes that he will take care of her and that he wants to meet her in person plus he will watch her more then his own eyes. She replies by telling him im beyond moved that you say you will care for me. No one has ever taken care of me, thank you! What is even more surprising is that Sean Penn did an interview and arranged there meeting. I dont know what you call this, but it helped his arrest and Castillo and Penn better watch their back.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/14/opinion/campaign-stops/why-i-will-never-vote-for-donald-trump.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
ReplyDeleteThis article was written be a man is is strongly against the idea of Trump becoming president. The self-proclaimed Republican said that there is no way that he will vote Republican is Trump becomes their presidential nominee. I believe that many people agree that Trump is an unfit candidate for our president. Aside from all of Trump's racist comments and political incorrectness, Trump has stated that he doesn't prepare for any of his speeches and or debates. Do we really want a man who is too careless to think his speeches out in advance to be our next president?
I completely agree with you Taylor. Trump is very unfit for the Oval Office. We hear all this talk about him being racist, sexist, politically incorrect and now the fact that he does not prepare for his speeches. News Flash Trump, the president is also the commander in chief of the United States Armed Forces. What is he going to do if he sees that North Korea decides to attack our main soil and he doesn't have a battle plan. I feel that the job of The President of The United States comes with certain responsibilities and or tasks. And preparing for speeches is one of them. I feel that we all can chalk this up as another example of why Trump should not be President.
DeleteIt completely astounds me on how this man is making it this far. With all the media attention and common knowledge that he is a horrible person for president, you would think that he would have nobody backing him. But he somehow does it and it confuses me so much, he deliberately goes against the very essence of america; equality for everyone, no matter race, religion, or opinion. I do not think he will be president, it is sad however, how far he is to try to be one.
DeleteI agree with you Taylor. Sometimes I wonder if Trump even has a competent campaign team. I've seen many republicans saying they're contemplating voting democratic or not at all if Trump gets nominated. Some of the better republican candidates are being ignored because of Trump's obnoxious behavior that demands attention. There were articles complaining about how "bold" Obama's State of the Union address was but Donald Trump is so much more than bold. He's careless about what he says and if he's nominated or even elected it'll be one of the biggest embarrassments of Presidential history.
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/09/opinion/dirty-school-buses-sick-kids.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about the Volkswagen lawsuit. The author of this article is proposing that Volkswagen should have to replace old school buses throughout America as a punishment from their diesel car issues. I do not believe that replacing school buses is the job of the Volkswagen company. Now, is the government wants to spend the money they get from Volkswagen on the school bus problem that would be a different story. I have nothing against the government spending their money on replacing air-polluting school buses. Personally, I think a better use of their money would be to start trying to fix some of the damage that has already been done environmentally.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/14/us/chicago-police-shooting-cedrick-chatman-video/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis is an article about the released footage of the fatal shooting of Cedrick Chatman. Chatman was shot while fleeing police arrest by officer Kevin Fry on January 7, 2013 in the South Side of Chicago. Fry tells his attorney that he feared for his life and as seen in the footage Chatman pulls a black object from his pocket while turning the corner. As it turns out Chatman only had a black iPhone box that Fry thought was a weapon. This means that Fry shot an unarmed citizen fleeing from arrest. This I'm sure will cause an uproar of protests in the city and across the country. I feel that more precautions need to be taken before the officer pulls the trigger. Or even... I watch this show called Marvel's Agents of Shield. And when they get in a gun battle they never shoot anyone. They have these guns called icers that out the person into freeze mode. This would be great for our police force since we are slowly advancing in the technology of weapons.
The recent police issues are difficult to judge, even though everyone judges anyway. How is a judge in court supposed to tell a policeman or policewoman that they were not in fear of their life. There is no way to provide evidence for feelings and there is no way to prove that otherwise. I can't decide if I agree with the rule that they can shoot if they are in fear because of this. I don't want officers to die to crazed criminals but I don't want innocent people to perish either. There is so much gray area it's crazy.
DeleteI agree that these cases are very difficult to judge but I think that these stories are becoming so much more prominent because of the use of social media to make these claims and expose the brutality that was already there. I agree that you can't really judge when an officer is afraid for their lives but when it involves a person who was fleeing and not fighting it makes it a bit easier to judge. As a police officer, my brother in law doesn't think that officers go through thorough enough training for these types of scenarios. In this situation officers are prohibited to shoot at a person who is running away. It was probably not a smart move to pull something out of his pocket as he was being pursued by law enforcement though and that's why the officer was so quick to shoot at him.
Deletehttp://www.cnn.com/2016/01/13/politics/state-of-the-union-fact-check/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about the fact check about President Obama's last State if the Union Address a couple nights ago. President Obama made a lot of claims that he also left key details out of and here are just a few of them. For example, he said that he has cut the country's deficit by 3 quarters. When that only shows the results from when he took office in 2009. When the country's debt was 1.4 Trillion dollars. He also claims that in the last 9 years he has created over 900,000 jobs. When first off he has only been in office for 7 years, and secondly he has actually lost almost 230,000 jobs to be exact. In the article and the video he mentions a few more examples but these two really stuck out to me. That even in politics when you're The President of The United States, you are entitled to your own opinion. But not your own facts!
In reply to Taylor's article on Trump:
ReplyDeleteTrump is super racist and sexist, I would hope most people are against his goals as president. He is not like any other president, he does not resemble any of our past presidents. Trump can not be president with his hurtful ideologies.
In reply to Curtiss's article on Chatman:
ReplyDeleteIt is crazy how trigger happy most policemen are nowadays. I had always thought that policemen use their guns as a last measure, or feel threatened. "Threatened" just seems to have too much variability honestly. Whether or not someone seems threatened is completely on how that person is who they are. Our justice system is innocent until proven guilty so these innocent people should not be getting shot at.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/opinion/living-under-the-sword-of-isis-in-syria.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
ReplyDeleteThis article is about the writer's friends, Saeed, trying to get him and his family out of Raqqa. Honestly, Syria is a constant war zone and it must be extremely hard for people to get jobs as Saeed mentions. The American people are so worried about their own safety they have become paranoid. Many innocent people die in Syria because the US assume they are a threat to our safety. Saeed home had always been Raqqa and he was unwilling to leave until the continuous warfare had been going on. America isn't suppose to be the super hero and try to fix all the nations, but we are currently involved with the middle east and need to fix it somehow.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/01/12/legacy-on-line-as-obama-delivers-final-state-union-address.html
ReplyDeleteYou know I watch the state of the Union and I found myself agreeing and disagreeing a lot with what Obama had to say. In my eyes I agree with what he was saying a future for all with peace and justice is with in our grasp. Yet we fail to grab the future because we are not united. I get it we all are in titled to or beliefs but for a brighter and better future I think we need to push into the future together.
Alexis ZanishJanuary 15, 2016 at 6:23 AM
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/opinion/living-under-the-sword-of-isis-in-syria.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
This article is about the writer's friends, Saeed, trying to get him and his family out of Raqqa. Honestly, Syria is a constant war zone and it must be extremely hard for people to get jobs as Saeed mentions. The American people are so worried about their own safety they have become paranoid. Many innocent people die in Syria because the US assume they are a threat to our safety. Saeed home had always been Raqqa and he was unwilling to leave until the continuous warfare had been going on. America isn't suppose to be the super hero and try to fix all the nations, but we are currently involved with the middle east and need to fix it somehow.
Reply-I disagree to a point with you, Yes, We Americans are paranoid people but with the right reasoning. We Americans do not forget so easily. We let our guard down and Pearl Harbor was bombed, The Twin towers were destroyed and some of the pentagon was destroyed. Isis has threatened us, attacked France and threatened many others. They beheaded Americas.We are not trying to be superheroes we have Soldiers for that. We are avenging those who lost their lives just because they were American. We Americans are not superheroes but we have had enough of this new Nation run by ISIS and are going to keep fighting back.
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/no-comment-necessary-what-marco-rubio-thinks-about-guns/?ref=opinion
ReplyDeleteGun control is a major issue everyone will have to come together to tackle in 2016. We can not pass it by anymore. Lets face it we have put so many controls on how to get a gun, what guns you can own and more it that has not stop the shootings we have. We most find a middle to this to make it easy to own a gun and defend yourself but harder for killers to get
I definitely agree that gun control has become a major issue in today's society. Personally, I think it is pointless for anyone to own a gun, but the right to bear arms is in our constitution so the people have the right to own guns. Unfortunately, certain people have used this amendment in the wrong meaning. It is very unfortunate to all of the innocent gun owners who do what is allowed with their guns that all of the gun control regulations are being put into place. It is also necessary though to try and reduce the number of killings cause by guns.
DeleteI also agree, it is a major issue that has yet to be fully addressed. Solutions to this problem are not fully universal in terms of making everyone safe AND happy. What's the major problem that branches off from gun control is people. People are very unpredictable, it becomes nearly impossible for predicting a group of people, much less a whole nation of people. Maybe one day someone could come up with a solution that appeals to both sides. Or perhaps, more likely, is that we have to give up something for safety.
DeleteBrittney RodgersJanuary 12, 2016 at 2:12 PM
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/12/opinion/mexicos-recapture-of-el-chapo.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
This article is about the recapture of the well-known El Chapo. They are considering sending him over to the US, but this could take months. The article also discusses social media and how everyone is saying that he will escape for a third time. Even though we may find this funny, they definitely do not. That is why they are considering transporting him here. They feel that if he can do it twice already in the most maximum security prison they have, he can do it again eventually. This is a big worry for them because he is the kingpin of the drug cartel.
Reply-El Chapo is a dangerous man, and I think to lock him up a third time in the same place he has escaped twice is pure stupidity. It is time we or foot down and we lock him up in a strong U.S jail cell or we put him to death enough is enough.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/13/asia/north-korea-south-korea-dmz-warning-shots/?iid=ob_article_organicsidebar_expansion&iref=obnetwork
ReplyDeleteThis article is about the current state of hostility existing between North Korea and South Korea. Apparently, an unidentified aircraft was approaching along the DMZ, which caused warning shots to be fired at North Korea. It is unaware what it's mission was, but the result was high tensions directed at North Korea. Looking at the situation right now, South Korea means business and are ready to go if North Korea about it. U.S believes it was just a routine procedure, but all I know is, it maybe just the start of armed conflict.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/13/opinions/amar-cruz-trump-natural-born-citizen/index.html
ReplyDeleteThe article states that because of a law passed in 1790 stating a foreign born person a natural born citizen as long as they had a parent who was a citizen and lived in the US for at least 5 years past the age of 14. I believe Cruz is eligible to be president. This is just another dumb distraction. It is almost as ridiculous as the claims that Obama was born in Kenya, However, I doubt that Cruz defended Obama against the birthers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/opinion/living-under-the-sword-of-isis-in-syria.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
ReplyDeleteThis article is... pretty sad. I've really never gave a thought about drone/air strikes affecting citizens, which is stupid I know, explosives are never really controlled at all. Now that I know and seen the perspective of a person whose fears are daily encountered every second of their lives, it fills me with dread that this is not outwardly apparent in today's media. We hear about the major ISIS heads getting killed by air/drone strikes, but rarely the cost that came with that attack to the local population.
It’s absolutely horrible how many innocent people get caught in the middle of something like this, but unfortunately, I don’t know if there’s really any way around it. This is also a good example of how our country, or any country or person really, only likes to talk about the good things that it does and leaves out all the bad things that it does.
DeleteI agree with you. Many times when there are conversations about attacks against ISIS the local populations are the last thing people think about. It's unfair that these western countries are sacrificing the lives of others. Measures definitely need to be taken to fight ISIS and whether that be air strikes or another strategy are the decisions the higher political powers are qualified to make but the people who support these attacks and urge the government to take more action need to remember that these attacks aren't isolated to ISIS. So many people are ignorant of what they support and the repercussions. Everyone should be educated about how the actions of the Untied States although the they may benefit us they can really hurt other nations such as the local population of the area ISIS is occupying.
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/opinion/is-vast-inequality-necessary.html?ref=opinion
ReplyDeleteThis article is a bit confusing to be honest, but from what I gather is that the author is saying that "higher" ups or the rich are unequal to the rest of the population of america. More primarily the gap between the average and rich and that putting taxes on the rich removes the incentive to be more productive. Which to me does not seem completely true, people are still going to try to do better to "climb the ladder" and the incentive is still there regardless of taxes. However, I do understand what the author is trying to say about the rich or just heads of a company being more productive(mostly more opportunities/resources) than a group of average joes and is kind of inequality between the two. It does seems a bit unfair, though, I'm not sure how you could fix that without some people getting upset.
Rich people and average people are definitely unequal in some ways, even if we would like to think that they’re not. Rich people just have more opportunities to go to better schools, get better educations, and they have more connections with successful people that can help them land a good job. However, I don’t think that having higher taxes on the rich ruins the incentive to work hard, they still make much more money than most people. I learned in sociology that 1% richest Americans own more than half of all the nation’s wealth, they are in no way underprivileged or even need to worry about taxes.
Deletehttp://www.cnn.com/2016/01/08/opinions/robbins-obama-gun-town-hall/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about when Obama talked to a group with many different opinions on gun control. Personally, I don’t think there is any way to stop gun violence because there were always be evil people, mentally ill people, and even accidents. But Obama said something that stood out to me “He said that there were 30,000 Americans who were killed by gun violence. What if we could just lower it to 28,000? What if we could spare 2,000 families from the heartbreak of that kind of loss? Shouldn't we try?” and I agree. We might not be able to stop gun violence, but we might be able to at least decrease the number of deaths. We should tighten laws on obtaining a gun, and improve our mental health system and surely we can save at least one life.
I agree with Alyssa. It is literally impossible to stop gun violence; there will always be guns and those crazy enough to abuse them. However, it is in our best interest to help those 2000 families not suffer a loss. I think one of the things pro-gun activists fail to think about is the fact that one of those 30,000 Americans who are killed by guns each year could be one of them or one of the people they love the most. If we could just help even a few people, we would be doing some good.
Deletehttp://money.cnn.com/2016/01/12/investing/oil-prices-below-30/index.html
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Austin in saying that it's super nice having the low gas prices but what happens when the American oil companies can't afford to stay open? If they close then we will have to depend on the foreign oil companies again. If we have to depend on them then prices may skyrocket again. So while I really like the low prices im not sure how this will play out in the end.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/13/opinions/obeidallah-college-professor-hijab/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about a teacher, who teaches at a Christian school, that might get fired for wearing a hijab to show support for Muslims that are being treated unfairly. She had to agree to be a certain kind of Christian to work at the school, but the school claimed that she blurred the lines between Christianity and Islam, but maybe this is a good thing. In the end, both of the religions want to live similar lives and there are even similarities in what’s written in their holy books. I think this is absolutely horrible and hypocritical because “ Hawkins' sentiments were theologically correct and her actions, in standing up for the persecuted, exemplified the teachings of Jesus” people of all religions and races need to be better at practicing what they preach.
This is going to sound completely biblical, but yeah whatever. You said that they have similar writings in the holy books that they use. This is because they are based off of the same thing. The Old Testament is found in different forms in a lot of religious texts. The New Testament was added to tell about Jesus, which is why other books don't use it. The reason they are the same is because of Abraham. His sons are the people who set up the major religions of today including Christianity and Islam, so naturally they would contain similar content. Fun fact, Sodom and Gomorrah are in both the Bible and the Quran and it is my favorite story. Who doesn't love fire, brimstone, and pillars of salt.
DeleteWell Judaism and Islam. Christianity sprouted from Judaism. Major difference in those two is that Jews use the Tanakh which is like a version of the Old Testament before the Christians added stuff to it, at least that's how I understand it.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/2016/01/15/politics/ted-cruz-new-yorkers-apology/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about Ted Cruz who said something that not only offended all New Yorkers but people are the u.s. Ted was asked for an apology by Trumps,Clinton,and Cuomo. Cruz said that he is sorry for the police and firefighters in New York. Cruz said that when he said that all he meant was that the politicians that come out of that state have not done what they need to do.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/13/opinions/amar-cruz-trump-natural-born-citizen/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about how Cruz is not a natural born citizen. some people are asking if this is allowed. They wanna know if they can vote for Cruz or if their vote wont count. Cruz who was not born in the u.s. but is in fact half American. Now people are waiting to see what the Supreme court will do.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/13/opinions/louis-bloomberg-for-president-chances/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about how Bloomberg might run for presidency. Bloomberg who many might favor if he does run for presidency might win it all. But the big problem is that Bloomberg was said to do this before. Bloomberg has ran secret polls that ended up being leaked. Many people already are on board with this idea since Bloomberg is well know. Bloomberg said that if he did ran he will do it as independent.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/12/opinions/potarazu-obama-legacy-obamacare/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article was about the legacy that Obama is leaving behind. Many presidents are know for some thing and Obama wants to be know for his affordable Health Insurance. This insurance better know as Obamacare is what Obama wants to leave behind. Many people love this idea but many others hate it since its not the right time for it. Obama wants this to be what Social Security was for Franklin D. Roosevelt and what Medicare was for Lyndon B. Johnson: a part of the American fabric.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/15/politics/new-york-daily-news-cruz-cover/index.html
ReplyDeleteIt seems that Senator Ted Cruz has gotten himself in a bit of a bind. He was reported to have criticized Trump for wanting to use New York values. This is one time that I can say I whole heartedly agree with trump. New York is a strong city and they have always beautifully come together in times of need like the 9/11 attack. Trump is the one who brought that event up and honestly, that's the smartest thing he's said. Cruz is in the wrong here and has officially lost a bulk of his support in the race for this no doubt.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/12/opinions/potarazu-obama-legacy-obamacare/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article talks about how Obamas legacy for his presidency may be at stake. Obama is saying that he doesn't want his only legacy to be the fact that he was the first black president. He wants his legacy to be his Obama care plan. Also known as the Affordable Care Act. In my opinion it probably will be his legacy but maybe not in the way he wants. Most people, and I'm sure he's no different, want a positive legacy. Not everyone gets one however and I think he's about to have a negative one as well. I haven't found anyone that actually likes Obamacare and I've heard a lot about how terrible it is. I can't judge it myself but it seems like it might be his negative legacy after all.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/08/opinions/robbins-obama-gun-town-hall/index.html
ReplyDeleteI've never really personally agreed with President Obama but I do have to agree with him here. He wants to implement stricter gun regulations and his plan is a good one. The ideas he is having are very good and will work very well but not amongst the large problems like mass shootings. They may help personal ownership but if someone still wishes to shoot up a school then by all means that person is gonna go shoot up that school. They're not gonna look at the gun in their hand and say "oops can't do that it's against the law to have a gun here". Now whiles he's making the right steps towards the bigger idea he's not really making it all the way there.
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/01/15/and-the-oscar-goes-to-a-white-person
ReplyDeleteThis was a discussion page so their were multiple opinion editorials written on this. All three of the people seemed to agree that there was a problem with how "white" the Oscars were. While I understand and at least partially agree that the Oscars are suspiciously, overwhelmingly, white, that doesn't mean that they are being racist. This just means that the African-American actors didn't get nominated and chosen. Overwhelmingly, I didn't hear that movies like Concussion with Will Smith or Straight Outta Compton were very good movies so it makes sense that they wouldn't get an Oscar. Like I said, I understand where they are coming from, but not everything needs to be a race issue. That's just dividing us further because white people accuse blacks of making things up and blacks accuse white people of being racist and insensitive. It's a vicious cycle that we need to stop.
I feel that there are definitely some things that white people fail to understand completely because they have never truly witnessed, firsthand, the oppression/racism that African Americans have had to endure. I completely understand where this article is coming from, and perhaps it IS a race issue; we don't know for sure. It certainly IS "suspiciously, overwhelmingly, white" as Kara put it. I know that there are definitely race issues going on, even in high schools. For example, telling someone that they can't do something because of the color of their skin, or making posts about "white privilege” is racist. I think that, while yes, the issue of racism has improved a lot, there are still some things we need to work on.
Deletehttp://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/opinion/campaign-stops/trump-and-cruz-set-an-ugly-nasty-tone.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about the feud between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. It discusses the petty attacks they made against each other at the debate. The article makes the statement that it's embarrassing that this is what an election looks like right now in a country that takes a lot of pride in their democracy. I agree with him because this election has turned into a serious of personal attacks between candidates especially in the Republican Party. When you read about the debates and statements that these candidates are making it's easy to forget that these are real people who have a chance of running our country one day. This election is a joke because these candidates can't be taken seriously with their constant childish invective.
I also find this matter a laughingstock. These days instead of politicians actually talking about important issues that America wants answer about politicians are always attacking each other. Instead of talking about their goals for the country they would rather find the dirt on their opponents. I get that they have to discredit their opponents to win the election but for them to go on a debate and just talking about how their opponents are wrong is a reason why american probably do not take politics seriously.
DeleteI agree with you Raquel. All you hear about candidates these days is how they make attacks against each other. It's absolutely ridiculous how they can't be in a room with each other without making irrelevant remarks. I can't take most of them seriously and it's really hard to imagine any one of them running our country. They need to focus more on the issues in America and less on each other because the U.S. needs a president who is mature enough to handle all the responsibility.
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/opinion/michigans-failure-to-protect-flint.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=0
ReplyDeleteThis seems to be a major problem for the state of Michigan. I do not understand how state officials knew of the problem and decided to do nothing knowing that the situation was dangerous. With 1.5 billion dollars in damages and hundreds of children likely to be affected by lead poisoning this was a huge screw up by the government. I also always love when a disaster happens they are always pointing fingers instead of actually thinking of ways to come up with a solution.
You're right that they always end up playing the blame game. It's really sad that people who are supposed to make good decisions for the city or state as a whole ended up ruining it for some of them. Somehow, those officials need to pay for the medical bills of the people who drank that awful water. I think I remember seeing a picture from National Geographic on Instagram the week that this news broke. The picture was a throwback to when the water was red coming out of the faucet in some other city. It's ridiculous that officials can have no morals and purposely endanger citizens with chemicals and toxins in their drinking water.
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/16/opinion/states-should-raise-the-gas-tax.html?ref=opinion
ReplyDeleteThe decision to raise gas taxes should be exclusively held by state governments aside from the preset national government tax. Not every city needs improvement on the paving of roads, but there certainly are some that do. Typically, an increase in gas wouldn’t be ideal for people, because people generally like to save money. However, with a small increase per gallon, the price would not seem as big of a difference based on the idea that purchases would include several gallons. A few cents per gallon could make a difference of thousands of dollars, which could be used to help fill some potholes or fund other road construction projects, locally.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/opinion/living-under-the-sword-of-isis-in-syria.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
ReplyDeleteThis article is about locals living in Raqqa, Syria and how they are trapped by ISIS. It has become unsafe and hard to support yourself with limited jobs and relying on farming to make a living. However, if you choose to fight with ISIS, you start out making $200 a month which is more than the average citizen. If you are a male, it is likely that you will be forced to fight with ISIS. Bombs are dropped almost daily and sometimes without separation between locals and ISIS members. Civilians are whipped or executed daily for not following laws or being accused of being a spy for the Free Syrian Army. The author states that the locals are necessary in order to defeat ISIS and I agree.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/15/politics/ted-cruz-new-yorkers-apology/index.html
ReplyDeleteI feel as though the apology that Cruz gave was sarcastic. Instead of apologizing for the statements that he made, he apologized “to the millions of New Yorkers who have been let down by the liberal politicians in that state” and he also said “I apologize to all the cops and the firefighters and 9/11 heroes who had no choice but to stand and turn their backs on Mayor de Blasio because Mayor de Blasio over and over again stands with the looters and the criminals rather than the brave men and women of blue.” Cruz’s attacks on New York, Cuomo, de Blasio and more, are simply pleas for attention. Even Donald Trump, who appeared to have a “bromance” with Cruz, is actually getting some support from former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, who tweeted “Just this once, Trump’s right…”
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/16/world/europe/french-drug-trial-hospitalization.html?ref=world
ReplyDeleteThis article is about a drug trial that resulted in 6 men being hospitalized and one of them pronounced brain dead. Three men may have suffered brain damage. The drug trial took place in Brittany, France with 128 participants. Of those 128 participants, 90 received the trial drug. The purpose of the drug was to help with anxiety, mood, and motor problems. I can’t imagine it would be much help if you’re brain dead. It’s important that the company figures out what went wrong so this doesn’t happen again in the future.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/15/politics/new-york-daily-news-cruz-cover/index.html
ReplyDeleteImmediately, I disagree with Ted Cruz’ statement; “I think most people know exactly what New York values are: socially liberal, pro-gay marriage, pro-abortion, focused on money and the media.” Cruz is digging his own grave by insulting the mayor and state of New York, which is now the fourth most populated state in the United States. While Donald Trump may go against many, if not all of the things that Cruz mentioned about New Yorkers, he disagreed with Cruz on the subject of New York values. I disagree with many of Trump’s moralities but, in this argument, I would rather support his side than Cruz’.
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/01/15/and-the-oscar-goes-to-a-white-person?ref=opinion
ReplyDeleteThis article makes an interesting observation: all of the nominees for the most recent Oscar awards were white. The authors discuss whether or not this could be an act of racism. To be honest, when I first saw this, I thought it was another example of people trying to make something out of nothing. However, as I continued to read, I began to ask myself the same questions those people were asking. It is very strange how bland and non-diverse Hollywood is. Sure, there are a handful of extremely famous minorities, but a HUGE majority of celebrities are white. Could this just be because of luck, or could these be because Hollywood is racist? Well, I think it's a bit of both. I feel like more white people are interested in being involved in Hollywood than other races, and, therefore, there are more whites in the industry. However, I also think that some producers and directors give priority to white actors and actresses to reduce controversy and promote a sellable face to a wider audience. Just look at what happened when The Hunger Games first came out in theaters. The franchise received a LOT of hate for the character "Rue" being black. It's a sad truth that racism still exists. And if it gets producers more money, they'll cast as many whites as they can to drain the pockets of everyone, including racists.
I agree with you Brandon. I wasn't sure either if the observation that all Oscar nominees were white was just someone trying to create tension. It is possible though that this could be an act of racism. I know that a lot of filmmakers tend to pick white actors and actresses over any other race but there are also many filmmakers who want to have a very diverse cast. I believe that a part of Hollywood is racist but not all. I think we have come a long way from racism but we still have a long way to go and the example of the Oscar nominees might just prove that.
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/13/opinion/where-police-violence-encounters-mental-illness.html
ReplyDeleteThis article talks about how encounters between police and those who are mentally ill can go wrong. The recent uproar over police brutality against blacks has been enormous. However, there is also a sizable amount of police brutality against those who are mentally ill. On one side, those who are mentally handicapped may not be able to interact with police as a normal person should. They are going through an extremely difficult condition(s) that often times completely dictate how they live their lives. They often times are not in control of what they do or say, especially in anxiety-producing situations such as a police encounter. On the other hand, police have no definite way of knowing if people they encounter are mentally ill. They assume everyone is of a state of mind in which they can obey orders and act rationally. Sadly, that is not the case. The only plausible solutions would be to invent new ways of non-lethal police forces or to drastically work on improving the state of mental health in America.
How do people with mental issues w\even become cops and when they are found out how are they able to still be cops yes the shooting have gotten out of hand but i dont think very cop that shoots someone or the majortiy of them have mental issues i think they are in sticky situations and make a mistake most of the times others are just over powering non caring cops that take peoples lives for no reason but most of them that kill or shoot people the people do something that push them there.
Deletehttp://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2016/01/12/1-much-hated-obamacare-is-doing-surprisingly-well.html
ReplyDeleteThis article points out how, while it receives a lot of hate and criticism, Obamacare has done surprisingly well since it's creation. It has expanded health insurance coverage, and has had significantly positive effects on the labor market, public opinion, and cost control. Most Americans like what Obamacare actually does, although for some reason they don't like the concept of Obamacare. This relates to how people criticize public figures without any significant reason or evidence to back them up. A large amount of people hate Obama and complain about how he doesn't much when, in reality, he has done a GREAT deal as president. He introduced Obamacare, oversaw the legalization of gay marriage, and even eliminated the leader of Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden. It's sad to see Obama go, but he has shown to be a great president over his eight years. Obamacare is likely not going to go anywhere anytime soon, which is probably a good thing.
That it is Brandon, that it is. Although it seems that the majority of Republicans hate the program, proposing a bill to get rid of it that the president vetoed. Most people seem to overall support the program with all the good that it has done since it was signed into law, providing healthcare to many who had never had it before, and with that support, the bill will to seem to last and last.
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/16/opinion/hillary-and-bernie-punching.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
ReplyDeleteWith the ever closer beginning of the primaries, it's definitely playing out to be a two person race, at least on the Democratic side, between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders, and some drama that goes on with them. With strangely scheduled democratic debates commonly being held on weekends, there isn't much excitement going on with the debates. also with the rise of Sanders, Hillary seems to further be going on the attack than she usually has, typically just mentioning his questionable stance on gun control, but now going so far as to have her daughter mention how he will dismantle medicare. This adversity bug even got to Sanders' campaign, with Sanders running hos first "negative" ad, with passing references, and less hostility of attack ads past. Safe to say, the race that seemed like a sure thing, isn't so sure anymore.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-some-gop-candidates-arent-taking-the-fight-to-trump/
ReplyDeleteThis article is about reasons many of the Republican candidates have cooled down on directly attacking Donald Trump. Among the many reasons are that it could work against the best wishes of the candidates run, and the Republican Party as a whole. For the next leading candidate behind Trump, Ted Cruz, it's probably not in his best interest to alienate Trump voters just in case something happens that could cause a drop in Trump's numbers and voters jumping ship to their next choice, which is most likely Cruz. At this point I do think it is smart for the candidates not to attack Trump and give him more exposure, but instead let something he does be his own downfall. Until it gets very serious and he is close to winning the nomination, it may be a waste to try to go after him.
A very interesting observation Liam. The hostility towards Trump, while it seems that it would take him down a peg, has done nothing to slow him down, in fact, it may just be making him stronger. So avoiding such attacks, and hopefully letting him destroy himself, is an optimistic one, but isn't likely to happen, seeing how with what Trump has said and how it hasn't ruined him. They can only hope.
Deletehttp://www.cnn.com/2016/01/15/politics/us-bombs-isis-cash-money-iraq/index.html This has to deal with the isis bombing that we launched that bombed there cash safe house. This is scary to me to see that much cash in a beat down country becuse that means they are very strong I dont see how we let these tyoes of racidicals build up to even get big enough to do damage. I think if were going to be going to other countries we should up are intelligence on them a little more.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/14/opinion/campaign-stops/why-i-will-never-vote-for-donald-trump.html?mabReward=A2&moduleDetail=recommendations-2&action=click&contentCollection=Opinion®ion=Footer&module=WhatsNext&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&src=recg&pgtype=article
ReplyDeleteThis Op-Ed is quite an introspective one, showing a reasonable perspective on the most controversial presidential candidate, Donald Trump. No matter what he has said, no matter what his words have done to hurt people, his supporters don't care and follow everything that he says. Pretty much anyone who leans to the left politically doesn't like anything about Trump, but even those on the right hate Trump. A man, who has been a devout conservative, and doesn't like any democrat candidates, cannot stand Trump, rather opting to vote independently if he wins. Showing how much Trump has hijacked the republican party ,twisting it to hiss will, rather than to the will of others. It's an interesting read, check it out if you're interested, no matter your political preference.
I dont think it would be a big deffernce if we let them in or not if they wanted to they can come over here anyways from the bombing we just did shown us they have millions of dollars so they could just buy there way in if we wanted why not save a bunch of peopels lives and with that might come peoples lives here to be lost but were saving way more epopels lives we were all running from bad situations at one point lives were lost and we got over it and thrived
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/2015/12/16/opinions/jones-discrimination-auto-lenders/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about a recent bill that has gone to congress about discrimination in auto lending. The practice that the bill would support allows for minority applicants to have higher interest rates on auto loans compared to whites that have everything else equal. This practice is ridiculous institutional racism that I thought we had moved on from since the civil rights movement. We have laws preventing discrimination in jobs and home sales, why not something that happens even more often than the sale of homes? Americans are overwhelmingly against discrimination like this, so why doesn't congress represent it as strongly? It doesn't seem like that radical of a concept to be fair to everyone that buys a car.
This article really makes me angry? But I'm afraid that I'll be called racist for agreeing with you. It doesn't make sense to have segregation in car buying, we all drive on the same road. Equality for all should mean equality.
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/16/opinion/the-real-problem-with-lunch.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
ReplyDeleteThis article brings up multiple fantastic points. Our school lunches are definitely sub-par and unhealthy. However, it is extremely difficult to change out "the good stuff" for more healthy options. If they do so, the school will begin to lose money to vending machines or parents will begin packing lunches. Also, school's don't get very much money to buy lunches and healthy options cost more. As the author pointed out, we are not France. We cannot serve scallops and lamb at our school lunch, but there are things that we can do to follow after them. For example, the author noted that all of France junk ads come with a disclaimer at the end that recommends eating healthy. Also, vending machines are banned on campuses and packing is discouraged.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/15/politics/us-bombs-isis-cash-money-iraq/ind This is pretaining to the rewnewable engery that obama promised us that would come into the picture to help out are planet and cost spending. We knew that we could get clean engery from this aong time ago but we would rather spend are money to create wars over oil its crazy witht he amount of thigns we do that could be easily resolved and we choose not to do them over money i think we need to get a huge grip on what we do here right in the usa before we worry about anything else soon but honeslty it might be to late
ReplyDeletehttp://money.cnn.com/2016/01/13/media/al-jazeera-america/
ReplyDeleteThis article is about the recent announcement of the shut down of Al-Jazeera America. This is a sad thing for current American cable journalism, as AJA was one of the most reputable journalist outlets around today. The staff of over 700 that will be let go made some of the most hard hitting and compelling journalism on TV today, compared to other news outlets that are more about entertainment than information. It's also an interesting affect of the falling oil prices, as the mother company Al-Jazeera is financed by the country of Qatar, who is majorly dependent on the export of oil. As prices fall the country had to make cuts, and one of the first was a failing cable news network on the other side of the world that was most likely hemorrhaging cash since the beginning. It's a loss for journalism in the country, but not for the average American, that probably had no idea what Al-Jazeera was until they took on Peyton Manning.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/16/opinion/can-germany-be-honest-about-its-refugee-problems.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
ReplyDeleteThis article is about how on New Year's Eve in Cologne, Germany had an increased crime rate from African refugees. These crimes were committed by male moroccan refugees and consisted of things such as rape and sexual assault. They said they plan on fixing this by locating people who are not legally there and sending them back as soon as possible. They also said they were not afraid to incarcerate any illegal immigrants if they cannot send them back.
ReplyDeletehttp://nyti.ms/1OTFn2U
Revelations of corruption in international sports have become dismally common — in the Olympic Games, in cycling, in soccer and now in track and field.” in a perfect world this would happen but we live in an era where corruption is very common. It's no surprise that the corruption has spread to sports. It's kind of disturbing how everyone has their little secrets that are exposed by officials for monetary compensation. Drugs are normal right now and there are always headlines about a sports player overdosing. This comes to show that fair competition is dead in many sports. Unfair competition is very unethical in our part because it degrades our morality.
http://nyti.ms/1SSW5B5
ReplyDeleteI think we all know that the criminal system is broken . Recently the most controversial series is making a murderer. Which deals with the case of Steven Avery. Reforms are definitely needed in the system of inside jail and the processing of crimes. I think that recently a lot of things have been exposed about how wrong things are being dealt with. Reforms should be encouraged but they will be bed because a smooth transition will be hard because not everyone wants these reforms. The 13 prison that have been shut down in new York is definitely a start .
http://nyti.ms/1P59DcZ
ReplyDeleteThere is a new economic reform beginning. It Deals with what Obama address on his last state kg the union. Coal is precious but also limited. Federal grants have been started to find what the president Wang's to achieve. It ain't easy because for many years coal has been used. There is definitely a need to move away from coal because economically it isn't good for the planet. The use of coal increases pollution, danged the atmosphere and leads to problems. I think that a better alternative would be using sunlight and move away from the dirty , as president Obama calls it, and start looking at a future with good energy that will help decrease the amount of damage being inflicted on the planet.
ReplyDeletehttp://nyti.ms/1OwbkL5
Since 1993 the tax on gasoline has been a little more than 13 cents per gallon. Raising the gas price will be a controversial issue… They all are. I can see that the states will benefit by failing money that is supposed to go back to the citizens through the improved roads and bridges and positive changes but sometimes those chances don't occur. I think that if this issue was brought to the public it wouldn't be approved by the public because that is more money coming out of their pockets. And when the gas prices go back up again because they change like a roller coaster then why have that tax rajsed
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/16/opinion/the-real-problem-with-lunch.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
ReplyDeleteThis article is about school lunches in America, and the comparisons they are getting to lunches from other countries, and why they may not be a fair comparison. The school lunch program in America is underfunded compared to other countries, but in America it's at a point where it has to be to be successful. Balancing state and national funding while trying to keep the lights on is an incredible task for the lunch directors of districts, while also having everything run by undertrained lunch staff.My father is a deputy and works in a jail, and I've seen and eaten the lunch there, and I can safely say it's better than what SWCS serves to their students. Should our students be eating food that we wouldn't serve to inmates? Probably, but it's better than the alternative we have in America, which due to costs isn't the French platter, but instead an empty plate. For what they have to work with, it's actually a pretty successful program when not being compared on the un-level playing field of international school cuisine.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/16/opinion/hillary-and-bernie-punching.html?ref=opinion
ReplyDeleteThis article tells about how there's going to be a Democratic debate on sunday night. They go into detail about Clinton mainly only goes after the Republicans as a whole with only a few shots at Sanders, but she has recently connected him to the Charleston Church shooting. Sanders retaliated to this with an attack ad on Clinton, which he said he would never do. So watch the debate to see the jabs Clinton will try to make!
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/15/health/france-drug-trial-goes-wrong/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about a drug trial gone horribly wrong in France. And the worst part was everything about it was legal, and there is nothing that can really punish the company, because they followed all the rules. It's scary to think that a drug like this that is supposed to help you ended up killing people. It makes me wonder if there needs to be something changed about the way drugs are tested. As for the animal tests, they can be very humane either, and they're obviously not doing a good enough job to see if drugs are safe to take. I just think the whole drug trial process and laws need to be rethought out.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/07/opinions/taya-kyle-gun-control/index.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is all about a woman who is a widow of an American sniper. She knows both sides on gun control, and she knows exactly how each side feels. One really good point she brought up is by giving mass killers so much attention, we're giving them the voice they never had. She talks about how if you had up all the mass killers from the past decade there would only be about 40, so why should we make laws for millions based on less than 100 villains. Guns aren't what make killers, thoughts and actions of people make killers. Taking away guns would make America less save.
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/01/15/and-the-oscar-goes-to-a-white-person?ref=opinion
ReplyDeleteI don't feel that the nominations for the Oscars have anything to do with race. Not everything is about race. Black people have their own awards called the BET awards and you don't hear any white person complaining about it. I read an article earlier today saying that Spike Lee is trying to have all black people boycott the Oscars. This isn't going to do anything but add fuel to the fire. If he thinks that black people aren't nominated now then they definitely won't be in the future if he goes through with this boycott. People just need to understand that not everything is about race.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/18/us/flint-michigan-water-crisis-governor-snyder/index.html
ReplyDeleteThe people of Michigan are dealing with a water crisis. In April 2014, the state decided to temporarily switch Flint's water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River to save money until a new supply line to Lake Huron was ready. The residents of Flint were complaining about their water being a funny color, smelly, and weird tasting. The governor has resigned. He says that the water crisis is a disaster and something similar to hurricane Katrina. The people aren't able to bathe, drink, or cook with the water. Bottles of water are being given to the residents until the situations is all taken care of.