Chinese Imports affecting the Health of US Consumers

I recently read a news article that placed emphasis on the many issues that we have been having with Chinese imports. I'm sure you all have heard about the wheat gluten from China which caused many pets to become ill and even die. Due to our increased dependence on Chinese imports, there have been several issues with inspection of these goods. Due to budget cuts, only 1% of Chinese goods coming into our ports are actually inspected. There have also been recalls on toothpaste which contained antifreeze chemicals and the use of formaldehyde within their meat products, as well as the use of lead within paint that was applied to children's toys. With China's imports constituting 40% of all foreign imports, why isn't something being implemeted to insure the safety of consumers? I understand that China's "standards" may not be the same as the US, but If we are their highest export source, then they need to follow the US standards of consumer goods. It makes me second guess the "Made in China" labels.

Last Week's Journal Questions

Since I'm just posting these now, they'll be due tomorrow.

15. What are your favorite movies that deal with politics?
16. Have you ever read any political books for any reason other than class? If so, which ones? What was your favorite?
17. There is a lot talk in the news about impeachment for President Bush or Vice President Cheney. Would you support impeachment of either of these men?
18. For the “Name the Logical Fallacy” Activity:
a. What did you learn from this activity?
b. Did you enjoy the activity?
c. What would you change about this activity, if anything?

Equal air time for presidential candidates.

I was listening to NPR or some other talk show this week and they were discussing Fred Thompson's candidacy. The hosts were discussing the reasons for Thompson to delay his announcement and what effects it would have on Law and Order. I knew about the Equal Airtime act but didn't realize it would apply to an actor's work as well. I'm mean the actor isn't even being himself but pretending to be another person entirely. It's not like he is running an advertisement or someother presidential type propaganda.

Schwarzenegger for President?

I think it's great that Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to run for president, it's very ambitious of him and that's a pretty high goal to set. Too bad he'll never be able to achieve it. Schwarzenegger can't run for president even if he wanted to because he wasn't born in the U.S.! And, I highly doubt that Congress is going to propose we amend the Constitution just so he can run. I'm sorry but I don't think that he did a very good job as governor of California and I don't think he'd do a very good job of running our country. I also would never support any type of amendment that would change the requirements for becoming president. I don't think it would be right to amend the Constitutional requirements for president. I think that the president of America should be a natural born American.

Increasing Terrorists Lead to Increasing Troops

I recently read an article that the military leaders of our nation are concerned about the growing number of al Qaeda cells in our country. This doesn't suprise me because it never should have been doubted that such a large terrorist group such as al qaeda would try to set up networks in the Unites States. The head of the northern command, Air Force Gen. Renuart, says that we need to triple our military response teams. We already have one brigade, about 3500 troops, but he says we need to increase that to three. Gen. Renuart says that he doesn't think we'll be attacked this summer, but instead that we could be attacked any day; the area needing the most attention according to him is our ports. This makes sense to me because after 9/11 all eyes are on the planes and airports, so nobody is really focusing on our ports. I agree with Gen. Renuart, we need to focus our eyes on the places not so obvious for incoming terrorist attacks if we don't want a repeat of 9/11; because the terrorists both inside and outside our nation are counting on us turning our backs.

You Tube and CNN Debats

Last night was the first presidential debates that took questions from You Tube. their where 39 question asked out of 3,000 submissions. Also each candidate was asked to put on a you tube video and some where pretty funny. I think this is a good idea to do because it lest the people ask what is on their mind Here is the link to the story. http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/debate.main/index.html

Never a racial card. It's about right and wrong.

Reverend Al Sharpton recently made a statement about Beyonces outfit on an award show. He stated that her outfit made her look like a "Robo Hoe." He is supposed to be a man of high power. A man of politics. Don Imus a radio commentator spoke about Rutgers Womens basketball team and called them "Nappy Headed Hoes." He of course lost his job because man took it as a racial slur. Even Sharpton had impact on Imus and his dismissal. But, Sharpton did the same thing, had no consequences. Tell me whats the difference. Like I said whats right is right.....Whats wrong is wrong......What do you think?

Hiliary for President!!!

I never thought I would live to see the day that a woman would be running for president. I think she has a chance to win . Who better for the job as president than Hilary Clinton she already helped Bill run the country as the first lady. So yay!!

Exam Tomorrow

Your first midterm exam is tomorrow, make sure you are not absent. Also, if you have a Final today and would like an extension on this exam, you need to let me know today. If you miss the exam tomorrow without letting me know in advance, normal make-up rules apply, which means you'll only get to take a make-up with documentation.

This Week's Journal Questions

12. Do you listen to any musicians that are political? If so, who?

13. Do you watch any TV shows that are political? If so, which ones?

14. For the “Cutting Through the Jargon” Activity:
a. What did you learn from this activity?
b. Did you enjoy the activity?
c. What would you change about this activity, if anything?

These are due on Monday.

9/11 has scarred America

Today during evening rush hour in downtown NYC a steam pipe exploded sending steam and mud everywhere. The panic and memories that this event brought to local New Yorkers is only a glimpse of the damage that will remain for years to come thanks to 9/11. This is not the first time that a steam pipe has exploded in NYC, caused by water condensation on the inside of pipe, one occurred in 1989 and killed 3 people. But since 9/11 everything is taken more seriously; after the incident the spokesperson for the NYPD assured the public that the expolsion was NOT terrorism related. I think that it'll be a very long time, maybe never before people stop jumping to "it's a terrorist attck!" anytime something happens. Some people say that it's been 6 years it's time to move on, but that's a lot easier said than done.

IRS Sued Over Sex-Change Deduction

A 57-year-old Boston man underwent a $25,000 sex change surgery, then wrote off the medical expenses on her taxes. However, IRS did not allow the deduction, claiming the procedure was not medically necessary and purely cosmetic. Rhiannon O'Donnabhain is suing the IRS in hopes a change of policy concerning medical treatment of transgendered individuals. Around 2,000 transgendered individuals each year commit to sexual reassignment surgery.

An advocate asks, "If you were going to a psychiatrist and you had a bipolar condition, and you were taking medication and getting treatment and it made you function better in society, how is that different from having a sex-change operation that allows you to function better and be more comfortable in society?"

How do you personally feel about this issue? I feel that if a transgendered person feels as if this is their only option, and they've been through all the proper psychological examinations before the surgery, they should be allowed the deduction. I think its a matter of psychological health, and it is not an easy decision for them to make.

Source

More information on this topic:
http://www.dignityusa.org/transgender/t-primer.html
http://www.transgendercare.com/

When will the Madness Cease.....

I reacently read that there was a bomb threat at a Miami airport which lead to en evacuation. It was all due to a suspicious box that went through the X-Ray machine. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070716/ap_on_re_us/airport_evacuation
After 911 security is tighter than ever. Going through the airport is a long process. Over 6 flights were delayed and 2000 passengers were affected. After the recent tradgidies on American its a must to be extra care ful.
Also, in the news lately, I seen how these teenagers made a plan to be very similar to the Columbine tradgedy.http://news.ert.gr/en/c/7/26175.asp
The teens from New York planned on attacking the school on the ninth anniversey of the Columbine tradgedy April 2008. Government officials caught this one before it ended in massacre. All I can say is that Im glad the governement and the system has their eyes and ears open because not only do we have enemies outside the lines......Clearly they are also within the lines.

Monday Class

You will have a quiz on The President.

Here are the survey questions:

1. Which presidential power do you feel is the most important? Explain.
2. Do you feel that the president has too much power or not enough power? Explain.
3. Does the press go too far in investigating the president’s private life? Explain.
4. Should the president be rewarded/punished for the state of the economy? Explain. (Note: This question does not specifically refer to current president, but presidents in general).
5. What are your feelings about the current president?

The Researching Books assignment is due on Monday as well.

Religious Protesters Arrested after First Hindu Prayer in U.S. Senate

Three religious protesters were arrested after Hindu Chaplain Rajan Zed read the first ever Hindu prayer at the Senate's daily opening prayer. Zed began the prayer, "We meditate on the transcendental glory of the Deity Supreme, who is inside the heart of the Earth, inside the life of the sky and inside the soul of the heaven. May He stimulate and illuminate our minds." Not soon into his prayer, a group of people began shouting "this is an abomination". One protester was heard chanting "Lord Jesus, forgive us father for allowing a prayer which is an abomination in your sight...You are the one, true living God."

I have a few things that bother me about this event. First, I had no idea there was even a daily opening prayer in the U.S. Senate meetings. I do not support public prayer of any kind, and I do not believe it has a place in government. Which leads to my second point, expression of religious beliefs in these places only distracts from real issues. There is a time and place for religious expression, and I can not see how government complements religion. It only serves to divide people on issues that do not matter. Also, I find when Americans support religious freedoms in government, what many of them actually mean is they support Christian freedoms in government. Religious intolerance--period--is a disappointing thing to see. Unfortunately, there will always be elitists!

A Makeover for our Heath Care System

I read an article today that said political reform of America's health care system should start at the college level. In the article Dr. Julie Gerberding suggests that schools of health need to be created with the intention of educating all people going into the health care profession, including but not limited too vets, nurses, doctors, and dentists. I think that's a good idea, we are after all the only industrialized nation without a organized health care system. That's pretty bad when you consider how much pride we hold in the simple fact that we are America. The article also said that by 2020 the US will be short 1 million nurses and 24,000 doctors, those are not small numbers! Did you know that it's estimated that 43 million Americans don't have medical insurance of any kind and that every year we spend an estimated 532 billion dollars in health care! I agree with a reform of this system starting in the foundation, if it doesn't start there then I don't see how any changes that may be done will benefit our society as a whole. I believe that in order to truly change something you need to start at the very beginning in order to ensure that those mistakes do not happen again. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070714/us_nm/healthcare_usa_dc

Journal Question

Here is today's question.

11. For the Kanye West Activity:
a. What did you learn from this activity?
b. Did you enjoy the activity?
c. What would you change about this activity, if anything?

Questions 8-11 are due by Monday.

Journal Questions

Here are this week's journal questions so far:

8. Who do you think are the best and worst presidents in American history and why? You can’t put George W. Bush or Bill Clinton.
9. Who do you support in the upcoming presidential election and why?
10. Where, specifically, do you get your news from? Use specific names of shows, channels, newspapers, websites, etc.

These are due on Monday.

Date Changes for Class

You should change the following dates on your syllabus. The dates below will be the dates you have these assignments/actions.

M July 16, President Quiz
T July 17, Executive Branch & the Bureaucracy Quiz
R July 19, C Session Exams, No class

The Importance of Rearing Global Warming.

I just want to mention that stoping global warming shouldn't be about saving your house, it's about saving your family and our earth. I have seen some comments that people don't want to be responsible for others.....do you realize your children are the ones who are going to be effected? It might not hurt you, but if you are a caring person, think about your grandkids. Anyways.....here are some everyday things that can be a simple step in helping our environment and the world.

1. Switch your light bulbs to CFL's
2. Turn off lights and other electronics when they are not being used.
3. Use public transportation atleast once or twice a week.

I have pledged to Al Gore and his campaign Live Earth......check the website out and make a difference!!
http://www.liveearth.org/

Prayer in Georgia

I just read an article on MSNBC's webiste about a Federal Judge ruling against Prayer in Cobb County, Ga. The judge declared that the county violated the constitution when they had members of clergy offer prayer in public meetings. The weird part of this story is that the judge made the county pay $1 to the 7 residents who sued.

So what do you think? Is is right or wrong in your mind to publicly have prayer?

Katrina Info

As mentioned in class, here is the info on Hurricane Katrina that was in dispute.

A good, neutral, source to deal with issues like this is the urban legends page, Snopes. Here is their specific page on this topic.

The storm made landfall around New Orleans on the morning of August 29 (Source).

Here is Governor Blanco's August 26th press release on the disaster declaration.

Here is the actual declaration itself (also dated August 26th).

Here is a copy of the letter Blanco sent to President Bush asking for a federal declaration of emergency (dated August 27th).

I did misspeak in class. I said she declared an emergency four days before the hurricane hit, it was actually three.

Here is the Department of Homeland Security's mission statement:

In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will provide a coordinated, comprehensive federal response and mount a swift and effective recovery effort. The department assumes primary responsibility for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation.

The key part is the phrase "primary responsibility." Keep in mind that all three levels of government failed in response to Katrina and everybody involved made mistakes. Placing blame on one invidual or organization is a logical fallacy.

Former U.S.surgen gernerlals speak out

The most recent surgeon general are speaking out against the Bush administration because Bush would not allow him to say what he wonted to when talking to the public. the surgeon general used the fact that he was not allowed to speak at the Special Olympics because it was view as benefiting a political opponent. Other surgeon generals have spoken out too.

Thursday Class

You will have a quiz on Congress.

The survey questions are:

3. Should Congress get more work done each session? Explain.
4. Do you favor Congressional term limits? If yes, how long for each house?
5. Does Congress, as a whole, do a good job of representing the American people? Explain.

Yes, this is only questions 3-5. Questions 1 and 2 are a surprise.

Bring your logical fallacies handout, you will need it.

Also, don't forget that Friday is the last day to turn in your syllabus contract and to do your interview for full credit.

Federal Agencies Better be Ready Next Week

Federal Agencies are being audited next week by the OIG (office of inspector general) to make sure things are being regulated smoothly, and correctly inside each building. The U.S. Postal service is the largest government employer so it is very important that everything is running smoothly with them. Some of the things that they will be inspecting at the Department of Corrections are if the money is being regulated efficiently, and if people are being treated fairly as far as no sex, or relationships with correctional officers, and no drugs are being transported within the jails. Do you think the OIG are going to have good reviews? I think that the jails are pretty much running smoothly from what I hear. I just like the idea that we have these inspections because it makes sure things are okay.

Nichole Woods

President Bush and His Bench Marks for the War

President Bush is suppose to go forth to Congress on Friday July 13, 2007 with a military report on the war with Iraq. Do you think his bench marks have been met or his strategy has progressed? I think that everything on the war has not been met and this situation is not getting any better. Some how Bush is going to have to defend his actions, and I would like to hear what he has to say this time. I am not happy with the non-progression of this war, and every time I turn on the television or even read the newspaper, I get scared for my life and also the lives of millions who also live in this country. The threat levels of another possible terrorist act are pretty high, and it gets me really nervous. We need to get our troops out of Iraq right now, not next year, or next spring, right now. We also need some kind of stability because this country is still going to be at risk for another attack even if we get our troops out of Iraq.

Nichole Woods

Lady Bird Johnson dies

Johnson dies today at 94 years old. Her husband came in to office when President John F. Kennedy was assassination.

WMDs

Does anyone know what the definition for WMD is? I do. Dictionary.com defines it as follows:

noun
a weapon that kills or injures civilian as well as military personnel (nuclear and chemical and biological weapons) [syn: weapon of mass destruction]

So why is it people think that because there have not been any Nuclear weapons found yet that they never existed in the first place. Do the many caches of nerve agent found not count as WMDs? Do people not realize that the most popular nerve agent, Sarin(GB), is lethal at 75-100 mg if inhaled. Or that if it comes in contact with skin it is lethal at 1000-1700 mg. 10 mg is little more than a grain of rice. How much rice will fit into a 50 gallon barrel? To make it easier here's the math; 50 gallons = 189.25 liters=189250000 mg. Now think about how many doses of GB that makes. It makes 111,323 doses of contact agent and 473,125 doses of inhaled agent. That is just one barrel. Now multiply that by one cache that can equal five or more barrels. Some caches have been as many as 1000 barrels. From my husbands personal experience over 20 caches were found in just the year he was there by his Division.

After doing the math can anyone honestly say that no WMDs were found?

Money Money Money

I read the article about the war costing 12 million a month. This is UNBELIEVABLE. I had to read it twice to make sure that my eyes were not playing tricks on me. There are large amounts of Americans that are homeless, in dept, or in need of assistance in order to survive. Instead of spending that much money on a war, we should spend it on making this country a better economical home.

U.S. Soliders and the Struggles They Face Coming Home

American soldiers that are returning back to the states from the war are either coming home injured or not. The ones that are not injured are blessed, but the ones that may have lost a body part or are going through psychological proceedings are going to need some serious support. Do you think that this war is going to give them a hard life to live after what they experienced over in Iraq? I know that there is counseling, and other forms of therapy, but I don't believe that there will ever be a time when they can ever forget. Soldiers who had once the security of a job may no longer exist because of their injuries, and that can put a huge amount of stress on one individual, and for his or her family. So many soldiers are finding themselves in a delima because of their wounds. This is a very big issue, and we really need to do something to help our men. They have fought for this country, and have risked their lives. They deserve to be given suitable jobs with or without injuries because they deserve them.

Found information from http://www.cnn.com

Nichole Woods

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama

Do you think Barack Obama will win the presidential election? In my opinion he has a lot to offer our country. Not only that, if he wins he will be the first African American president of the United States and I think that is a wonderful thing. We have come a very long way and African Americans have fought very long and hard to get where we are today. Two of his main focuses are ending the war in Iraq and implementing universal health care.His name and his party is pretty well-known which is a great for his campaign and for his potential votes for the upcoming elections.
Found information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama

Nichole Woods

The Army's Shortcomings

I was reading the news and came across a headline that dealt with recruiting numbers for the army. The article explained that the Army missed their recruiting goal for the second straight month. Exact numbers haven't been released but one defense official said that the Army missed their goal by about 15% in what is normally their busiest month. The article also said that decline in parental support, especially in the war may be a big factor. Now I don't know about other families, but I grew up in a military family and we were taught that no matter what your feelings on the issue at hand when your country calls for your help you do it no questions asked. Sure, I agree that our troops need to be pulled from Iraq sooner rather than later, but I also think that until that time comes Americans need to support our military regardless of their current feelings for President Bush, he's not the one dying for our country our troops are.

Tuesday Class

Make sure you bring your syllabus, you will need it for a bonus quiz, which will be open...

You do not have to turn in the extra credit assignment until Wednesday.

If you haven't already done so, make sure you turn in your daily journals, which are due today (Monday).

Daily Journal Question 7

Some of you missed this one...

7. For the "How Does the Government Affect Me" Activity:
a. What did you learn from this activity?
b. Did you enjoy the activity?
c. What would you change about this activity, if anything?

Global Warming again??

I don't understand why people keep harping on the global warming issue. It has been happening though out history. Reference NSF. It is nothing new. Why does everyone keep trying to maintain status quo for the climate? Do we have some responsibility for the pollution that has occurred this past century? Certainly. So does Mount St. Helens for blowing her top in the 80's. Are we trying to clean up her mess too? How about Mt. Kilauea has been erupting for the past 20 years are we going to be responsible for that too? The earth has been more polluted in the past than we have created our selves. The whole global warming issue is another politicians terrorist strategy to cause fear in us and get another vote.

Global Warming: the clock is ticking

For anyone who knows what Global Warming is should know that it's a scary thing. It is a problem that has been ongoing for decades and yet so few people really know the horrors that it could inflict on this planet. But, you have to stop and wonder why isn't more being done to try and stop it? Why are humans as a universal species still living the same way we did just 20 years ago? Why aren't we evolving in ways that are planet friendly? Sure more people are becoming aware and getting involved in the cause to save the planet, but is it enough? Or, are we as humans simply out of time and the problem of Global Warming is too advanced for us to shrink. Maybe, like all the great kingdoms of ancient times, like all the great species of ancient years, our time of being on top is running out.

N.Y times wants troops back....

The N.Y times wants the U.S Troops to return home because they feel that the fight is still a lose lose situation. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/usiraqmedia;_ylt=AqDK3p1AcChTBmnIVNxBJKkDW7oF
I agree Bush is set on the fact that we as a country will come out victorious but this war has been going on for years now and I dont see any progression nor positive outcomes. Alot of troops are dying for this country. I agree with the Times, this is a battle of lose lose outcomes. What do you think?

Florida plays major role in 08

Florida has moved the primary to Jan. 29. moving Florida ahead of most states. I think this is a good idea since Florida has almost equal number of Democrats as Republican.

Global Warming is not Cool....

I saw that on a T-shirt and it made me laugh. The truth is until last spring in ENC 1102 I had no idea what global warming was nor did I care. It took one movie called An Inconvenient Truth and one great man named Al Gore to press the issue on me. The movie made me realize that in about fifty years all of our world's polar ice caps will melt. Did anyone know that polar bears are drowing to death from the lack of ice caps to rest on?
Here are some other facts:
1. Deaths from global warming will double in just 25 years -- to 300,000 people a year.6
2. More than a million species worldwide could be driven to extinction by 2050.
3. Global sea levels could rise by more than 20 feet with the loss of shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica, devastating coastal areas worldwide.

Just thought I'd share this information, ya'll can decide for yourselfs how you feel about this issue.

All the facts came from - http://www.climatecrisis.net/thescience/

More Daily Journal Questions

The following questions (and all previous questions) are due by Monday.

7. For the "How Does the Government Affect Me" Activity:
a. What did you learn from this activity?
b. Did you enjoy the activity?
c. What would you change about this activity, if anything?

The following question is for extra credit:
EC1. Where did the 9/11 hijackers come from?

Paris Hilton and her Jail Sentence

As you all know Paris Hilton just recently got out of jail for committing an illegal act, but I don't think that her time was legitimate. Paris Hilton is known by so many people and she has grown up as a child with more money than she can count, but does that make her any better than the rest of us in society. If anyone else had committed the same crime she just recently did, they probably would have been given a longer sentence. So does being a celebrity, give a person the right hand of not having to serve the average time for most U.S. citizens for the American Judicial System?

Cars That are Available to Share with Others

There has been a new discovery, and it is sharing automobiles. What happens is you go around having a "card" that will get you from point A to point B. The car is opened by you having access to this card and when you are done with driving the vehicle, all you do is park it and let someone else use the same car. This has already started in Europe and also in some parts of the United States. The great thing about this sharing idea is the fact that the individuals who agree to do this don't have to pay car insurance, and they don't have to pay for any repairs that the car may need. Just think about how much money that would save you. I would love to try this idea, and see how well it would work for me. So do you think this is going to become a major change for the automobile economy and are car salesmen going to go out of business if this comes into full effect?

Nichole Woods

Brown Vs. Board

When the changes to the Brown Vs. Board of Education was passed, I really did not put much thought into it but along with my government class I have an African American Literature class and after watching a long video on slavery and the mistreatment of the African American race, I started thinking about it hard. Honestly, the ruling should have not been altered in my opinion. For one, I have attended school of many different cultures and although slavery has come to a halt and racism is low, serperation is still thriving but very little. I feel that this will broaden it.I feel that as people we should be united. Little alteration like the one recently made can slowly but surly bring society back to seperation. I dont believe in serparate but equal.....I believe in equal and unity. I dont want society to come back to the state of having all black schools and all white schools. Then some groups will have poor education and education settings. This will just back track on all the hard work done to bring us as a people back together.

Rapper Vs. Politician

Ok, Politician Scooter Libby was found guilty for lying under oath and sentnced to 30 months. Rapper little Kim was found guilty on the same charge, lying underoath and sentenced to a year and a day. The only difference between the two is that she served her whole sentence and his sentence has been commuted. The main factor in both of these cases is that he knows the president and she does not. The thought of having her sentence commuted was never an option. Why? Because she doesnt go hunting with President Bush. The point is they did the same crime. One served the time one did not!

Daily Journal Questions So Far

1. What concerns you most about this class?
2. Who is your favorite politician and why?
3. For the “Politics and Pop Culture” Activity:
a. What did you learn from this activity?
b. Did you enjoy the activity?
c. What would you change about this activity, if anything?
4. Who is your least favorite politician and why?
5. Do you think the president should’ve commuted Scooter Libby’s sentence?
6. What does the Fourth of July mean to you?

Friday Class

Tomorrow we will be going over the research directions. Do NOT miss this class.

The extra credit textbook assignment 1 is due tomorrow.

The Son of Jeb Bush and his Troubles

I watched the news tonight and I noticed that Jeb Bush's son is might be going to jail because of having some kind of acquaintance with marijuana. Do you think that he is going to possibly go to jail? I think that if he did do it, then yes he should be suffering for his consequences because he is just like the rest of us. I wonder is President Bush is going to say he doesn't have to go to jail either just like he told Scooter Libby that the didn't have to go to jail for committing an illegal act.

Nichole Woods

Thursday Class

You will have a quiz on Political Ideologies.

Here are the survey questions:

1. What is your ideology?
2. Why do you have this ideology?
3. What does this ideology mean to you - what beliefs make up this ideology?
4. Which ideology do you like the least? Why?