Troops succeed in Iraq

Here is an article that I find very interesting. It just goes to show that with time our soldiers can succeed in Iraq. They can work directly with the Iraqis and help get their country back up and running. I'm not saying it's going to happen over night, but it is not a lost cause by any means. This is very encouraging. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article2358061.ece

Welcome

Students can NOT comment on posts from before this semester. Anything lower (earlier) than this post are not eligible for you to comment on.

presidential gays debates

(CNN) -- Voters concerned about where presidential candidates stand on gay rights may have their question answered tonight.

The gay and lesbian community is largely Democratic and politically active.

The forum, at 9 p.m. ET in Los Angeles, California, is co-sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, the country's leading organization advocating equal rights for gays, lesbians, and the transgender community.
Also sponsoring the event is LOGO, a gay and lesbian television network that is part of MTV Networks that will televise the debate.
While just three percent of 2006 voters identified themselves as gay or lesbian, the community is largely Democratic and politically active.
All Democratic candidates will be there except Sen. Joseph Biden and Sen. Chris Dodd who say they have scheduling conflicts.
No Republican candidates agreed to participate.
Serving as a panelist, Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese said the debate reflects the comfort level many Americans have now regarding gay issues and gay lifestyles.
"Candidates are talking about our issues [such as] overturning the ban on gays and lesbians in the military," he said. Watch the candidates take varying positions on gay marriage »

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/08/09/debate.gay/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

bridge debris

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (AP) -- Searchers found two more bodies Thursday in the wreckage of the collapsed Mississippi River bridge, bringing the death toll to seven.

Investigators stand on the collapsed Interstate 35W bridge wreckage Thursday.
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As many as six people are still missing, authorities said.
Crews have been searching the site for the past week since the August 1 collapse.
Hennepin County Sheriff's Office found the sixth body shortly after noon.
The latest victim wasn't immediately identified.
As the recovery operation continued, so did the investigation.
On Wednesday, investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board said they had found design flaws in gusset plates, which helped tie the bridge's steel beams together. See a diagram of the bridge's structure »
J. Richard Capka, administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, said the agency would quickly advise transportation agencies around the country of steps they should take if a systemic problem with gusset plates is found. He said no such advisory was in the works yet.
"Gusset plates have been around a long time, and they've been a reliable feature, and we have no indication that they've ever been part of a suspect bridge problem or a bridge failure before," Capka said Thursday.
"They have not concluded that they've discovered anything specific that might have contributed to the collapse," he added.
Officials of the Minnesota Department of Transportation wouldn't comment on the significance of the gussets in the bridge's collapse.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/09/bridge.collapse.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

scortcher

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Temperatures reached record highs across much of the Southeast on Thursday, while rainy weather cooled off many of the mid-Atlantic states.

Kam'ron McBryde, 2, gets a drink from his grandmother in Raleigh, North Carolina.
more photos »

The National Weather Service reported record highs of 103 in Atlanta, nearby Athens, Georgia, and Raleigh, North Carolina. Charlotte, North Carolina, and Greenville, South Carolina, both saw 102-degree readings.
A 104-degree reading set a record in Columbia, South Carolina. The state capital's previous record of 100 was set in 1954.
In Louisville, Kentucky, meanwhile, a 101-degree reading tied the city's record for the date.
The weather service urged people to stay inside air-conditioned rooms or out of the sun when possible and drink plenty of fluids.
Atlanta also set a record Wednesday morning for the highest overnight low recorded in the city's history. Overnight temperatures only dropped to 82 degrees, according to the weather service.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/09/heat.wave/index.html

Bashing Bush

Do you think it is okay for people to make videos making fun of our president? I mean the ones on utube or other internet sites. Even on Comedy Central the new cartoon Lil Bush. Do you think bashing our countrie's leader is morally okay even if you dislike him?

Saying Homosexuality is Wrong

Do you think it is okay to say in public being gay is wrong? Is it okay for pastors to preach sermons on this? What if making laws against it helped put people behind bars that commit crimes against homosexuals? Read this and tell me what you think.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20070807/NATION/108070036/1002

Obesity in America

Obesity is a touchy subject for most Americans. Either they have an obese family member or friend, or even are obese themselves. Do you think the United states does enough to help this big problem that is becoming a huge epidemic. Maybe the schools should give kids more free time to play on the playground instead of the usual 15 minutes?

Sample Final Exam Answer

The following are the topics that you might have to answer on the final exam tomorrow. You will randomly receive one of these topics, and you could get any one of them.

Economy
Health care
Poverty
Unemployment
Global warming
Morality of citizens

You will be required to take this topic and give one example (with an explanation) of how this issue either affects or is affected by each of the following:

Critical Thinking
Political Culture
Political Ideologies
Campaigns and Elections
Congress
President
The Executive Branch/The Bureaucracy
Judicial Branch
Public Policy
The U.S. Constitution
Civil Rights/Personal Liberty
Political Parties
Mass Media
Interest Groups
How Does the Issue Affect You
How Can You Affect the Issue

In order to get a good grade on this exam, which is 20% of your final grade, you have to write this in the form of an essay and you have to talk about ALL of the various aspects of government and politics listed above.

Below is a sample of a correct answer. The topic of this sample is terrorism. Terrorism will NOT be on your exam. Notice that the different areas don't have to be talked about in order, but also notice that specific examples are better than vague ones.

When thinking critically about the issue of terrorism, there are several things to take into account. In particular one should pay attention to potential actions that could be a sign of terrorist activity, should avoid going to places where one is likely to be a victim of a terrorist attack and should avoid activity that might make one a suspect of terrorist activity. One should also be realistic and recognize the unlikelihood of actually being a target of a terrorist attack.

Terrorism is designed to influence public opinion and successful terrorist attacks create fear amongst the public. They seek to obtain media coverage of their activities and what the media shows people influences their opinions. People's reactions to terrorism are affected by their socialization -- people who trust the government more are likely to be less afraid of terrorist activity. Different ideological groups will argue different solutions to dealing with terrorism, with conservatives generally arguing for a more military-based solution and liberals arguing more for diplomatic and law enforcement-based solutions. Similarly, the different political parties have proposed different approaches to responding to terrorism. Interest groups advocate for or against different policies based on the desires of their membership, such as groups like the ACLU fighting against the president's warrantless wiretapping program.

Election outcomes can be affected by terrorist attacks or the fear of terrorism. President Bush was re-elected in 2004 largely because independent swing voters felt that he had done a good job protecting America against terrorism.

The country's response to terrorism is largely created by Congress through the passage of new public policies, such as the PATRIOT Act. The president also has to agree to the passage of these laws and leads the implementation of these laws and any military actions designed to fight terrorism. The military, law enforcement, and other national security officials are all members of the executive branch and they are responsible for actually carrying out the country's response.

The court system becomes involved in the issue of terrorism in several ways. Accused terrorists often stand trial and the courts have a significant affect on the interpretation of new policies designed to deal with domestic terrorism. The Constitution lays out the ground rules for the passage of any policies and what the government can and cannot do in response to a terrorist attack. The Constitution also limits how the government can intrude upon the personal liberties of citizens in its pursuit of suspected terrorists, such as limiting searches and seizures.

There are several ways which terrorism can affect an individual. One could be the victim of an attack or know a victim or be related to one. One could have their individual rights curtailed in the government's attempts to hunt down suspected terrorists. One could also serve in the military or law enforcement and be on the front lines of the battle against terrorism. This is also a direct way in which someone could affect the issue. Other ways to influence the fight against terrorism would be to vote for candidates whose policies one thinks would better address the issue or donate money to interest groups whose proposals they agree with.

Draft

If a draft were to happen, do you think women should be able to be drafted? Some people don't want their daughters or wives fighting or going into the army. Would you be okay with Paris Hilton or other girly girls protecting your country and your back if you were in a war zone and underfire?

The first Black President Barrack Obama

Hilary is dealing with gender but Obama is dealing with an issue that has plagued America since its beginning race and superiorty. I won't say I'll vote for obama because he's black and I am but I do feel a slight obligation to although he will never know my vote.I'd like to see him in office as well as Hilary Clinton. Go Democrats!!

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/27/obama.black.votes/index.html#cnnSTCText

Underage Abortion

In Florida only one parents has to know about their child getting abortion. Different states have different laws. Do you think it should be legal for any state to allow an underage girl to get an abortion without parents consent?

Electric Cars?

http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/09/autos/gm_electric.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes
This is for all you environmentalist and electric car the hybrid from Gm. Not only does it look high tech but the whole in the ozone won't be widening with this one. Its rechargeable like the battery in your phone and is said to be out in 2010 they are doing road test now.

Gas is down again!!!

I know you SUV owners are a bit more happy that gas isn't 3 dollars anymore. Ican't keep up with these gas prices. I don't have a car right now and I don't know if I want one with all this going on . Anyway I cheer for the decrease.

Memorial Day for the preborn

If you go to yahoo news there is a story on this.The event will take place on the 1st of october to honor the aborted children . I am confused about this act is it a publicity stunt to gain support for pro-life or truly people are requesting this memorial.

What did the Ft.Lauderdale mayor say about gays?

Ok so, did you hear about what the Ft. Lauderdale Mayor said...? Well he said that basically he has to do something about the public restroom use, because it seems that since November 2005 there has been four reported incidents of male with male sexual acts . What do you think about this? Would getting single occpuntacy restrooms work? Would it relly stop anything? I don't think so...

Kids murdered in Newark

Ok while we where living our lives on Saturday, four college students ranging in age 18-20 were being murdered, execution stlye. I mean what was the motive and why? Those questions are still up in the air. But so far they have began to make arrest, including one boy age of 15. One man came and turned his self in with his lawyer, this is some crazy stuff. Supposably the kids where in the schoolyard listening to music, and I guess the police are starting to say that the suspects, which they think are gang members, where maybe trying to rob them. Read up on it let me know what you think.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/09/schoolyard.killings/index.html

The greatest feeling....

The other day as I got home from work I recieved one of the most greatest presents in the world. I mentioned to my future mother in law that it would mean a lot to me to have CFL light bulbs. SHe bought them for me and as I screwed them in, I felt like I was making a difference!!

On August 17th, A documentary called The 11th Hour is coming out. I encourage anyone who is on the fence on environmetal issues to go see it. It could be antoher great impact film like An Inconviant Truth.

here's the link.
http://wip.warnerbros.com/11thhour/

Fort Lauderdale mayor's anti-gay remarks draw protest

The mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Jim Naugle has recently made some comments about homosexuals that have sparked some protests form the city's gay community. He made a comment that they should start making bathrooms with occupancy for one so that the homosexuals would stop having sex in the bathroom. According to police reports there have been four incidents of alleged male sex acts in the public bathrooms in Fort Lauderdale since November 2005. I think this mayor is out of line, he made a comment that offended members of the community, and its going to have a negative affect on him. He is stupid for making that comment just because of the four police reports since 2005. I mean yeah thats nasty that people are doing sexual things in the bathroom but it only happened four times in the past two years, it's obiviously not a huge problem.

Minorities become the majority in 10 percent of U.S. counties

Studies are showing that whites are now the minorities in one in ten U.S. counties. These studies were done by the Census Bureau and their reports have population estimates by race and ethnicity for every county in the U.S. This is the first estimate done since Hurricane Katrina hit, which made many people scatter throughtout the nation. This increased diversity has putting a strain on race relations and in some places its starting a backlash in many communities on immigrants. I think that it is wrong for people to get mad at the immigrants for this because the diversity is going to increase in this nation whether anyone likes it or not. If youre going to blame the hispanic immigrants than you might as well blame everyone else to.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/09/minority.counties.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Presidential hopefuls attack Obama's remarks about Pakistan

At a debate on Tuesday, Senator Barack Obama was blasted by Democratic rivals for what he said about Pakistan. Apparently Obama had made a comment saying that he would send U.S. forces into Pakistan, without the country's approval, if it were necessary to get rid of terrorism. I don't think that this was very wise of him to make a statement like this while running for president. I think that many voters will be turned away from someone that says their going to do things even if the country doesn't approve. We already had our current president do things like this and look at how much the country likes him now.


http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/08/07/obama.pakistan/index.html

Doctors remove 5 polyps from Bush's colon

On Saturday, President Bush had five colon polyps removed from his colon, none of which seemed to be anything to worry about, according to doctors. I can't believe that they published this news report, I know he's the president of the United States but there are just some things that should be kept private. If I were him I wouldn't want my name in the paper or on the internet about this, I feel embarrassed for him.



http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/21/bush.colonoscopy/index.html

Class Cancelled

Sorry I had to cancel class. I had technical difficulties.

If you would like to know what your exam grade was, send me an e-mail requesting it.

Make sure that you turn any assignments in today, either via e-mail or to the secretary on the 2nd floor.

Shortly, I will put a sample of a correct final exam essay up here on the blog. E-mail me if you have any questions.

Pacekeeping in Darfur

Pledges from soldiers and police officers have come from over the United Nations to help out with the four year conflict in Darfur that has killed 200,000 people. About 26,000 enlisted personels have signed up to issue peacekeeping tactics in Darfur. If anyone did not know, the Darfur conflict has been going on for several years pretty much wiping out an entire race. Efforts to help the victims have been made but enough to help support the injured and the infected.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20186812/

Mosquitos in Puerto Rico

There has been a growing epidemic in mosquitoes carrying diseases in Puerto Rico. According to Enid Garcia-Rivera, there have been 2,343 confirmed cases of Dengue making it the worse epidemic than 1994.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20181559/

Bush and Lyme Disease

In 2006 president Bush was diagnosed with Lyme disease during his annual physical. He was treated for the disease last August. Doctors told him to do more excericise. Now, almost a year later, he is stated to be fit for work. He has been keeping in shape by doing his recreational bicycling.

Boyfriend kills Girlfriend

Micheal Cordero is a 23 year old male who was acccused of killing his 20 year girlfriend, Boitumelo McCallum. The woman was a student attending NYU and was found killed in her apartment several days after she was killed. When the police came to question Micheal Cordero they noticed that he had attempted to committ suicide. Due to hot temperatures, the cause of death cannot be determined.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/08/nyu.body/index.html

3 year old shots 6 year old

In Milwaukee, a 3 year old girl found a loaded .32 caliber semiautomatic and accidently shot a 6 year old boy. The kids were being baby sat but were unattended for that brief moment when the girl shot the boy. The owner of the gun is a 32 year old man who is being charged felon and possession of a gun and having it loaded within child reach. The boy is recovering in the hospital. It's ridiculous how this could have happened. The man who owned the gun actually believed that it was safe hiding it behind the stove. Why were these kids unattended? And what the heck is that type of gun doing in the house with little kids?

http://www.wisn.com/news/13846111/detail.html

Republican walk-out.

I noticed that this hasn't made much in the way of news, so I thought to post it myself. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/03/politics/politico/main3130820.shtml

Wow, can they really call for a new vote like that? Can they really just drop a vote and erase it with impunity? We will never know now what the actual tally was because the Democrats erased it. Who is right, who is wrong? It sounds very suspicious to me either way?

miners traped

HUNTINGTON, Utah (CNN) -- Rescuers have bored one-third of the way to the cavity where they believe six miners were trapped by a Monday mine collapse, the mine operator's CEO said Wednesday.

A mine official says efforts to drill a hole into the mine could prove fruitful as soon as Friday.

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more photos »

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If all goes well, the drill could reach the miners by Friday, said Robert Murray, CEO of Murray Energy Corp.
"In two days if they continue this pace, that hole will be down to where we want it to be," Murray said, adding that drilling efforts will have to begin anew if rescuers miss the cavity.
As of 7 a.m. Wednesday, rescuers had drilled a 2½-inch-wide hole through 450 feet of rock, Murray said. The miners are thought to be 2,000 feet from the closest access point and 1,500 feet underground. There has been no contact with the miners since they were trapped.
Another drilling effort could prove fruitful as well, as efforts to drill a roughly 8¾-inch-wide hole are under way and also are expected to take two days to reach the miners, Murray said. Watch mine boss Murray reveal what he calls "good news" »
The larger drilling effort, which Murray guaranteed would hit the mine cavity where the miners are thought to be, was delayed because rescuers had to set up a "very huge rig" on a 23-degree mountain slope.
The effort also was hindered because rescuers had to cut 8,000 feet of roads out of the surrounding forest to make a route for the heavy machinery, Murray said.
Murray stuck to his Tuesday assertion that it will be at least a week before the miners can be rescued.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/08/utah.mine/index.html?iref=mpstoryview#cnnSTCText

earthquake

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- A powerful earthquake has shaken buildings and caused panic on the densely-populated Indonesian island of Java, but there have been no reports of casualty and no tsunami alert.
The quake, measured at magnitude 7.5 by the U.S. Geological Survey, struck shortly after midnight. According to CNN's Kathy Quiano, it shook in the capital Jakarta where many fled their homes.
"We felt the earthquake in Jakarta, it was pretty strong and went on for at least a minute," Quiano said.
Financial Times journalist John Aglionby described feeling the incident in his house in a suburb of the Indonesian capital.
"I was just getting into bed on the second floor of my house. You rarely feel these things in Jakarta so I knew something was wrong immediately," he told CNN.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake was located 70 miles (110 km) east-northeast of Jakarta, at a depth of 175 miles (282 km). The Pacific Tsunmai Center in Hawaii said the seismic jolt was too deep to generate deadly waves.
Aglionby said there were still concerns for the many oil rigs exploiting the resource rich waters off the north coast of Java.
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Did you feel quake? Send I-Reports
Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
In December 2004, a massive earthquake struck off Sumatra island and triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries, including 160,000 people in Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh.
In 2006 more than 5,000 people were killed by an earthquake near the Java island city of Yogyakarta.
U.S.G.S. geophysicist John Bellini told CNN that 7.5-magnitude quakes strike around the world roughly 18 times per year, affecting Indonesia approximately twice annually.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/08/08/indonesia.quake/index.html

Homeless man killed over 25 cents

According to news sources, in Cincinnati, a homeless man was asking for a quarter when a 62 year old women (Francis Beasley) shot and killed in front of a gas station. I understand that the elderly lady may have been frightened about a strange homeless man asking for money, but that doesn't mean that you have to shoot someone for that. Apparently Beasley has mental disorder and was charged with murder and placed on $500,000 bail. Why did someone with mental issues possess a gun in the first place? Isn't there some sort or background check conducted before you purchase a firearm? All of this for a measly 25 cents. For more information click here http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070808/ap_on_re_us/brf_panhandler_shot;_ylt=ArcKmYxpdIVei3X7KBo8zz5I2ocA

Report: Bridge inspectors raised concerns beginning in 1996

Now it seems to me just by the title of this, you would think that this could have and should have been prevented from happening. If you don't know, a bridge collasped in Minneapolis, Minnesota during the evening rush hour on August 1st. The eight laned bridge fell into the Mississippi River and five people were killed, while eight remained missing. In 2000, some engineers had warned that the bridge needed to be replaced after reports had already been made four years earlier. I can't believe that this has happened, especially since people knew that it needed to be repaired a long time ago. I don't know who should be held responsible but I think someone should. People are dead over something that could have been prevented.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/08/bridge.investigation/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

McDonalds lure children as young as age 3.

According to a recent study conducted my Standford University, children as oung as three prefer McDonald's brand packaging over any other. The study administered taste tests with McDonald's food products one with the familiar logo, and the other in plain packaging. Although the foods in each package were both from McDonald's, the children still chose the familiar label over the plain packaging. This study shows that advertisers are targeting these children with their popular advertisements, which in turn influences childhood obesity. When a child prefers McDonald's over a home-cooked meal, this definitely shows that fast food consumption among children is an increasing problem. For more information on the add click here http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1650268,00.html

Gore for president?

With his efforts to inform Americans of their effect on global warming, I believe that he would be the best canditate for president in the Democratic party. Not only for his environmental efforts, but also his experience as Vice President during the Clinton administration. He surely has more experience than Hilary. Hey, there is still 15 more months until the Presidential election and anything could happen. If Gore decided to run, who would vote for him? I definately would.

Presidential Candidates Receive Same-Sex Support

Democrat Hillary Clinton gets approximately 63% of her support from women. It seems that Obama takes many of Clinton's possible male voters. Another presidential candidate, Republican Fred Thompson, is having the same problem. 68% of Thompson's supporters are male. Republican Rudy Guliani surprisingly receives 54% of his support from women. Some analysts say this may be because he is moderate when it comes to abortion issues.

I'm not at all surprised to see Hillary receiving much of her support from women. I know if she gets elected I will probably put up a poster of her on my wall or on the ceiling--for when I wake up. Whichever inspires me most.

Iraq's political boycotts

If democracy is going to work in Iraq I wholeheartedly agree with the Minority Sunnis to boycott the assembly of al-Malawi, a Shi'ite, Cabinet. However, I understand that as America looks in on this travesty of infrastructure rebuilding, there are feelings of frustration. What the American public needs to understand is that building a workable democracy among a country rife with religious controversy will take years and years. That being said I personally do not think we should be anywhere near this conflict although the fact that the Iraqi people are attempting to make democracy work is impressive. There is no historical precedent for democracy in middle-eastern countries aside from the heavily U.S. backed Israel. Ultimately, I think the project is doomed because of extremists.
The continuing attacks on cities that have been declared successfully secured shows that we would have to impose an extreme form of militarized government to secure anything in Iraq for a length of time. That would never happen because we would be more than just occupiers of a country and the international community as well as the U.S. public would not allow it.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8QRT3D00&show_article=1

Arguing that the people believe the U.S. surge is working

A USA Today contributor has said that their has been a slight turn in the statisitcs that people are agreeing with President Bush's thinking of military progress in Iraq. The statistical change provided does not indicate any major change and therefore is null and void to me. They used phone surveys 1012 adults for the statistics which is always a questionable way of attaiing information to me. The genreal population does not know what to think or can not form their own thoughts on political issues so they regurgitate things the news says or what their more politically savvy friends say. In talking with people around Tallahassee I find a negative feeling about the surge and its progress but then again the majority of Tallahassee is Democrat. I do not believe anything should be taken away from this article as I feel it is just standard poll reporting on a major issue and is not particularly useful.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/08/latest-poll-sho.html

Iraqi Translators Not Given Automatic Asylum in UK

Ninety Iraqi translators working along with British troops in fear retaliation when troops pull out of Iraq. Already, three translators were killed for helping the troops. A British defense spokesperson responded, "We consider any specific requests for assistance from serving or ex-employees on their individual merits. Should an individual seek to come to the UK, they would need to apply for entry clearance in the usual way." The United States has already said they will grant asylum to Iraqi collaborators.

Source

Put up your dukes Hilary and Barack

In the media there has been an effort to convince the populous that Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama are sniping at each other. This is extremely prevalent on television news programs and to a lesser extent in print media. The effort takes just about anything the two presidential candidates do and serves it up with a nice spicy drama induced meatball. Both Barack and Hilary are too well versed in providing a public persona of friendliness for this to be working. There is no way you can convince me that Hilary and Barack are barking at each other. Barack continually convinces me through his speeches and public endeavors that he is a cool customer and genuinely cares what the people have to say. Hilary is too focused and too politically savvy to willingly snipe at the other candidates of her own party. She knows going negative at this point in time will only hurt her commanding lead. It makes sense for the candidates to put distance between each other because it is politics and there is a certain amount of secrecy you want when you are associating with a political rival. Ultimately, I believe the war between Hilary and Barack is a complete media conjured story to put something new on the airwaves.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/07/us/politics/07rivals.html?ei=5065&en=d72d70a35a50a5ef&ex=1187064000&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print

Publix giving away drugs!

I didn' think I would see the day so soon when a private company would take it upon themselves to help society through healthcare initiatives. Publix Grocery chains have started to give away free antibiotics and I praise them for it alongside Governor Crist. According to the article there are 3.6 million people uninsured in Florida and antibiotics without insurance costs hundreds of dollars. With the inability of the U.S. government to provide universal healthcare for its citizens I think it is the duty of private businesses and private citizens that own those businesses to take care of its consumers. It is potentially dangerous to give away free drugs because inevitably people will take advantage of it and I am sure there is some way to attain a high off of antibiotics but as long as Publix's and other companies have a good screening process things should not get out of hand. This is a significant step in the right direction for helping healthcare be affordable.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-0806publix,0,1726442.story

Loose Change Aka Conspiracy 9/11

Loose Change is a video that looks at the events of 9/11 and asks questions that lead the viewer to think the U.S. government was involved criminally. I think everybody should watch this to learn about critical thinking and to learn how people can use information to sway other people. The documentary is ripe with logical fallacies and uses questionable footage to prove outlandish points. I enjoy conspiracy theory and this video feeds my desire for it but it is important to not go overboard with it less you end up like Mel Gibson in "Conspiracy Theory". The website for Loose Change provides a timeline for events leading up to 9/11 starting in the 60s which I find fascinating and they provide documentation to prove what they are saying. Ultimately, the video asks questions about the government that regular citizens should always be thinking but takes it too far when they state that the U.S. government murdered 3000 people. Whether anything is true or not the video is very important because it looks at the events critical and gives a different viewpoint. There has been a lack of questioning of government in our society lately even with the war in Iraq and this videos popularity is growing. I hope more people watch it and start using their minds.
http://www.loosechange911.com/download.htm

Police shot a boy over a snake?!

Well, from my understanding and reading the police accidently shot this 5 year old boy when he was suppose to be killing some snake that was in a tree. Austin, the 5 year old, was fishing at the lake with his grandfather. I just understand how you can mistakingly shoot a child, adult, or anyone else for the matter in the head if they are on the ground and the snake is in the tree? Can somebody please explain this one to me?

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/cops-shots-at-snake-may-have-killed-boy/20070805154109990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Children dead after bombing!

I know that you have heard about this, if not listen up: A bomber drove an explosive truck, filled with bombs into a village in an Iraqi city. This bomb injured 50, killed 28(19 of the 28 being children). This bomb was so powerful, it left a 10 ft. crater,( for anyone who took Earth or Enviromental science, or any science, you probulally have a good mental picture of this)in the ground and damage 10 homes. The bomber used a dump truck and covered the bombs in gravel, to prevent people from seeing it. I mean, these people are living rough, a dump truck in the middle of their village being a bomb, I mean what if that was to happen in the middle of Tennessee street? There are some crazy people in the world, remember that.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/08/06/iraq.main/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

The Frenchman is MAD!!!!

Ok, did you hear about the French Prsident going off on the American press? I mean, I understand that he wanted some privacy with his family. What happend was he had already did an interview with the press, but it was in french and nobody was able to translate it until later, however, in his interview, he stated that he agreed to answer in questions, and that afterwards he just wante to enjoy alone time with his family. The American reporters didn't know that, that's what he said, therefore they followed him and his family out on the water. When the Frecnh President saw this he took his boat in their direction, climbed aboard and started venting in French. The funny thing is nobody knew what he was saying, at all. But afterwards, everything calmed down, and the reporters realized back at the office why he got so mad once they translated the interview. LMAO!

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/french-president-yells-at-photographers/20070805222509990001

Monday

The quiz on the Judicial Branch will be tomorrow, not Tuesday. In class, we will also go over the answers to the remaining assignments and quizzes.

The following journal questions are due:

19. For the Civil Rights Viewpoints 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?

20. For the Green Day/Darryl Worley 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?

21. For the Can You Tell the Difference -- Ideology 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?

22. Based on your research, what is the answer to your research topic?

Florida Presidential Polls: 07/26/2007

Democratic Contenders in Florida

Clinton	39.2%
Obama	15.5%
Gore	13.6%
Edwards	11.7%
Richardson	3.5%

Republican Contenders in Florida

Guiliani	26.8%
Thompson	20.8%
McCain	10%
Romney	8.7%
Gingrich	6.4%

Polls from http://www.pollster.com/

Who are you rooting for? Personally, I'm a big Hillary fan.

Guilliani's health care plan.

I just read the article about Guilliani's health care plan. Glad to see that a candidate at least has one that isn't socially based. Why can't the government sponsor one that is like an HMO? Everyone pays into it and has access to it, not like medicaid or medicare. I think it would go a long way to fixing the healthcare issue. Medicaid and Medicare not everyone has access to but has to pay for it.

If you can't prove, You lose

Stated in the Tallahassee Democrat, the Department of Homeland Security will have a new rule for illegal immigrants. Employers will have to notified when a worker's name or social security number is flagged by the Social Security Admistrative. The rule call for employers to fire people who can't be verified as legal workers. Employers who don't follow these rules will face fines up to $250 to $10,000 per illegal immigrants.

BUSH SIGNS HOMELAND SECURITY BILL

" WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush signed legislation Friday that intensifies the anti-terrorism effort at home, shifting money to high-risk states and cities and expanding scrutiny of air and sea cargo.
The bill elevates the importance of risk factors in determining which states and cities get federal security funds. That would mean more money for such cities as New York and Washington. It also puts money into a new program to ensure that security officials at every level can communicate with each other.
It requires screening of all cargo on passenger planes within three years and sets a five-year goal of scanning all container ships for nuclear devices before they leave foreign ports." Funding bigger cities, such as New York, is a great idea becuase those cities are the main target for terrorism attacks.

Interstate Bridge Collapses During Rush Hour!

I was flipping channels last night and came across the footage of the I-35W bridge that collapsed during rush hour. It was horrible, the broke looked like it just snapped into pieces. Authorities say that traffic was bumper to bumper at the time the bridge collapsed sending cars 60 feet below into the Mississippi River. Governor Tim Pawlenty said that the bridge was inspected by the Dept. of Transportation in 2005 and 2006 and noted no major problems; well there is one now. The state of Minnesota could have a massive civil law suit on their hands when all this is over, interstate bridges don't just fall down every day. The bridge has no piers just a 458 ft. long steel arch holding it up, they didn't want to disrupt the flow of the river. My problem is that it seems unlikely that a bridge as important to traffic and used so often would not have shown signs of any kind of deterioration in 2005 or 2006. Massive structures like this take years to age and to me it seems that the aging would have been noticeable last year. As of right now there are at least seven states where the majority of the highway bridges do not meet standards, New York being the highest with 63%. Can you imagine if a bridge collapsed in New York during rush hour? It also occurred to me that states probably can't afford projects this big and would need funding through the Federal Govt., do does that mean that they didn't ask for the funding to try and fix the problems or has the govt. just not given them the funding?

Increase rate of child abuse and neglect due to War deployment

An article I came across described an increase of instances of child abuse and neglect within Army homes due to the stresses of deployment. It stated that the rates of maltreatment have risen 42% since 2001. Studies correlate this with the stress placed on mothers whos husbands have been deployed to Iraq and Afganistan. I can only imagine what these wives go through, having to deal not only with the stresses of being temporary single parents, but also the fear of their husbands not returning. For more on this article, click here http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1648412,00.html

For those against war and for Obama....

I just read in the paper, so who knows if there is truth to this, that if Obama is elected he wants to send troops into Pakistan to hunt down terrorists. He said if president Bish ends the war he is giving terrorists what they really want.

Obama said that as commander in chief he would remove troops from Iraq and putting them "on the right battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan." From--

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBAMA_TERRORISM?SITE=FLTAL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT