Oh, the Many HORRIBLE Dangers of Our World...

So, apparently, it has been discovered that many reusable grocery bags (such as the one on the right) contain lead, which sounds terrible when thinking back on all the lead poisoning that occured several decades earlier.

However, it seems that the only bad effects that could occur would either be poisoning in the long term as the lead leaks out or paint flaking off the bags, resulting in the releasing of lead. Obviously, there have not been enough studies to confirm this.

It is definitely ironic that a deed with a good intention such as this could end up harming the environment (through lead leakage in landfills and such). But this story also represents how the many citizens in America are overtly concerned with any threats to their well-being. And mistakes happen all the time, so no one should be expecting a world where everything is harm-free.

Technological Upgrade Coming to the Government

You know those beeps and scrambling sounds that suddenly interrupt the radio or TV to announce some kind of emergency, such as a kidnapping or the license plate of a car on the loose? Now, there is an Emergency Broadcast System that works on cell phones by sending out text messages to people in a certain region.

The government, through the communications company Alcatel-Lucent would send out warnings "geographically-targeted", whether it is a "terrorist attack", "natural disaster", a "school or campus emergency", or any other kind of emergency.

While this might be a more efficient way to get out the message, as today is an age of technology in which people are constantly on the go and away from television, I hope that the company would be reliable in sending out only the necessary amount of texting and not use this as an opportunity to exploit the data access. But the Alcatel-Lucent does prove some capability in that it has already tested its system in San Diego and Tampa Bay will all mobile carriers.

Football Field More Important than a Student's Life?

According to an article from Yahoo!News, the 14-year-old boy on the left, Keanu Gallardo of Del Mar High School "suffered a concussion during a football" game, but the school's principal refused to let the ambulance drive to the track to help him. Gallardo has been suffering from headaches and neck pain, and the delay in help could possibly have caused some brain damage. The principal, Liz Seabury contends that she was simply following orders that she was not to let vehicles onto the field; she told the ambulance that "heavy equipment" was not permitted on the track or field, but I think that it was common sense that an injured boy needed immediate help, and emergency vehicles have to be able to help as soon as possible. Gallardo's mother is of course, furious, but she has not yet received an apology from either the school or the district for this terrible decision, and she "wants the principal reprimanded and the district to ensure this doesn't happen again."

Personally, I just don't understand how a principal of a school can make such a decision; how can she put the conditions of a football field above the safety of a student? And the fact that neither the school nor the district have apologized is completely ridiculous. What do you guys think?

G.O.P Preventing progress again?

During this years Lame Duck season Obama hoped to accomplish 1 thing; restoring an arms treaty with Russia, "The treaty, which would force both countries to pare back nuclear arsenals and resume mutual inspections that lapsed last year for the first time since the cold war." Obama has made great progress in foreign relations during his presidency, improving the image of the U.S to foreign countries. The G.O.P originally was going to vote for this treaty, in return for more nuclear weapon funding over the next 10 years. This bill needs a 2/3 majority to be passed, but now the G.O.P (Led by Mr. Kyl) has backed out and made it nearly impossible for this treaty to get passed. Mr. Kyl stated that "he informed the Senate Democratic leader that there was not enough time to resolve all the issues during the lame-duck session that opened this week." This decision by the Republicans has troubled Russian officials as they have "expressed fear that Republican victories in this month’s midterm elections would damage relations. 'We don’t have confidence that the document will secure enough votes,' Konstantin I. Kosachev, chairman of a parliamentary foreign affairs committee, said earlier in the day, according to the Russian news media. 'The problem is not that the document is bad. We are confronting the fact that Republicans refuse to ratify the treaty.'”Once again it seems that the politics that are being played are for preventing the other side from getting a win. Politics being more partisan then ever, do you ever believe that there will be grounds for progress in a bipartisan way ever again? Or will we be subjected to this constant blocking of progress from the minority party?

Can a Bigger Booze Tax Reduce Disease, Crime?

I stumbled on this article and though it was quite interesting. It may not concern us as high school student, but I picked it to share on the blog becuause it reminded me of the prop 19 debate. Similar to prop 19 if marijuana were to be legalized there would be a tax for it, people were arguing whether that would help or hurt our economy. But what about alcohol? Accoding to this article it would have a significant effect on, just 50 cents on a bottle of wine can reduce alcohol related deaths by 35% and fatal car crashes bby 11%. What would this tax on booze do to your economy? Help or Hurt it?

Are the Miami Heat done for?

First of all most of my posts on this blog will be about sports to give something new to the blog.
I've been reading lately that the "Dream Team" in Miami is falling apart because they are relying too much on D Wade and L James and even they have lower numbers then they had last year. "Because there's such a massive gap between the talent level of LeBron/Wade and everyone else, Miami is leaning heavily on two players to do it all. Big minutes, plus big responsibility, equals lots of tread wear." C Bosh has been falling apart with this Miami team..."Chris Bosh has shrunken from a center to a power forward to a small forward in just a matter of weeks, and at this rate, will soon be able to look Muggsy Bogues in the kneecaps." At the beginning of the season many people believed that they would be the team to beat but now they seam like the team people make fun of and look down on. They are currently in 3rd place in their division and have a lower record then the Warriors (Wow!) and they don't have any all-star players. So I guess money can't buy everything as we saw in the California race, maybe Pat Riley should have learned something from Meg Whitman.

Arizona's Prop 203 Rises in the Aftermath of Prop 19

Though it surprisingly has not been given much attention, Arizona has also had a proposition to legalize the use of medical marijuana, but only for those with "chronic, debilitating diseases", including "cancer, HIV/AIDS [and] Hepatitis C". And this propositon actually passed, by a very small margin of 4,341 voters in a ballot total of 1.67 million. There are quite a few restrictions, with a limited number of dispensaries allowed in the state, registration with the Arizona Department of Health Services, and of course a doctor's recommendation.

But some worrisome parts of the proposition include allowing those with the "diseases" to grow the plants on their own, and of course the increased crime around dispensaries.

Of course, just because this proposition passed does not mean that it will necessarily be put into action, as evidenced by the inaction that occured after Arizona voters had passed a similar medical marijuana law in 1996 and 1998.

California court rules illegal immigrants can pay in-state tuition

I thought this article was interesting due to price discrimination esp. for colleges.

School Eradicates "F" from Grading System

At West Potomac School in Washington D.C., many students have received grades of "I" for incomplete rather than "F" grades in the most recent report cards. The philosophy is that students would see this as an opportunity to improve their grades and actually learn the material instead of giving up and taking the "F" grade. Of course, if these "I" grades are not improved at all, they will remain "F's" on transcripts. The teachers at West Potomac would have to be more available, even staying over on the weekends so that students can make up any work then.

A much more contentious part of this policy involves teachers allowing absent students to not make up an assignment or test if they believe the students understand the material, involving much subjectivity. And if someone decides to skip class just because, they will most likely be given another chance, which makes it completely unfair for the other student who turned in the work on time.

This topic has been extremely controversial, with some officials backing one side and others backing the other. For those in favor of having temporarily incomplete grades, they argue that it would give students a chance to actually learn what they're supposed to, and that students learning at a slower pace would finally get a chance to catch up. But the negatives seem to outweigh the pros. Without the presence of "F" grades and with the availability of constant make-ups, students will become unconcerned with deadlines, which is completely different from the working world. Realistically, there is not enough money to have teachers stay for extended hours to fulfill these make-ups, at least for public schools. And, there seems to be no real benefit for students who actually turn in work on time in this policy.

Of course, this policy has been applied to only one school, and every school has different demographics. For example, one teacher had a whole half of her english classes have incomplete grades, while the principal counted over 2000 "F" grades out of the 2,200 students.

Sarah Palin Coins 'Word of the Year'

The New Oxford American Dictionary has just lauded Sarah Palin for coining 2010's word of the year: refudiate. The word first appeared in a tweet posted on the former Alaskan governor's Twitter account. Palin tweeted last summer to call on "peaceful Muslims" to "refudiate" a mosque planned to be built near the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks site. The liberal media, so disgustingly bent on proper word usage, quickly attacked the former Vice Presidential candidate. Palin quickly changed the tweet to say "refute" instead of "refudiate", effectively using another word that did not make sense in the sentence.

While many of you may scoff at Palin's blunders, I find it to be yet another example of her fine character and potential to be a great leader. First of all, the members of the New Oxford American Dictionary defended Palin for her word usage, and whatever they say is obviously scripture. More importantly, it shines light on Palin's creativity and willingness to take bold action. She is not bound by trivial conventions such as grammar, vocabulary, or intelligence. Palin does what her gut tells her to do, and this is how a leader should be.

While Sarah Palin, if elected to be Vice President, may have run this country to the ground, she would undoubtedly have a clever word to describe the hopeless situation we'd be in. And isn't that the most important thing?

If anyone disagrees with my statements, please comment and I will be glad to refudiate.

A Shifting Opinion

At first, Cindy McCain seemed to be a strong advocate of the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT), a policy many of you may have heard of, as she has been featured in a celebrity-heavy video proclaiming that the government's failure to repeal DADT has only encouraged citizens, particularly teens, to view gay peers as "second class citizens". While this opinion opposes that of her husband, John McCain, Cindy McCain and her daughter have been advocating for gay marriage rights for quite some time, even condemning California's Prop 8.

However, about a day after the video was posted, Cindy McCain goes on Twitter to say that she "stand[s] by [her] husband's stance", meaning that she agrees with his support of DADT, completely contradicting the message sent across through the video.

Since Cindy McCain has shown support for the LGBT community in general, I have formed the opinion that she tweeted her support for her husband only to somehow solidify his political power, and that she still does believe in promoting LGBT rights. It was extremely rash to go and tape herself on the video while knowing the script ahead of time and then turn back on that opinion. Everyone should always stand by his or her opinion, and change it only for good reason.

To see the video, see this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhFZ7qjrw5U

Obama to Extend Bush Tax Cuts

Last week, President Obama decided that he would extend the Bush era tax-cuts for the wealthy. If the Bush-era tax-cuts expire, the tax-rates for people earning over $250,000 will increase back to the rates they were in 2001, before the Bush tax cuts were passed. This goes completely against one of Obama's 2008 campaign promises, in which he stated that he would end tax cuts for the wealthy, but his top political advisor, David Axelrod says that they just don't have the votes right now to let the taxes expire like they promised; for now they will extend the tax cuts. People who are in favor of extension of tax cuts assert that if the taxes increase, people will have less money in their pockets to invest in businesses, and this will be disastrous for the economy. People against the extentions, however, assert that the federal government needs money, and if we keep extending the tax cuts, this country's deficit will only worsen, instead of improving.

In my opinion, I think that Obama should have made more of an effort to bring an end to the tax cuts. The people who earn over $250,000 are able to afford a few extra dollars in taxes, and raising taxes is necessary if we ever want to fix our deficit problem. Although it may not be a politically popular move, it is necessary; we elected our leaders to make the best decisions for the country, not to focus on the best political moves. Also, according to a CNNMoney.com article, "ironically, if the Bush tax cuts do expire for top earners, some might actually find themselves with a somewhat smaller tax bill next year." What do you think? Is he right in extending the Bush tax cuts, or should he have let them expire?

Wait. what? Flying cars?

I kid you not. Technology has advanced to the point where the seemingly unrealistic science fiction inventions are becoming a reality. This flying car works so it runs like a car but takes off like a helicopter. The point of this invention is for soldiers to be able to fly with just knowing how to drive a car instead of extensive training for piloting. So far these cars are able to hold up to 4 passengers plus 1000 pounds of equipment and can fly for about 250 miles. Even though these cars will mainly be used for military purposes, I will definally get a chuckle out of watching the "The Jetsons" knowing that we too can drive in the skies.

Airport Security: Have They Gone Too Far?

As John Tyner meticulouly prepared for his flight to South Dakota for a hunting trip, he did not foresee the complicated threats and lawsuits that could ensue.

Things were going along smoothly as Tyner waited in the security line, until he was suddenly led to one of the full body scanners. He was startled because 1. Tyner had researched on the Transportation Security Adminstration (TSA) website that the San Diego Airport did not have these body scanners; 2. He disliked them greatly for their "huge invasion of privacy" and possible health risks. As he was led to the full body scanner, he was given the choice of the scanner or the standard metal-detector and a "basic pat down" and chose the latter. However, the airport security officials then wanted to do a "groin check", which Tyner promptly refused, causing a mass of police and other security officials to come. As Tyner's ticket was miraculously refunded, he then tried to go home, only to be stopped by the threat of "civil suit and a $10,000 fine if he left". But officials confusingly let him go moments later, and it is not clear whether this threat will become true.

All of this was miraculously taped by Tyner, as he had turned on the audio recording on his cell phone as the incident started and had sent the cell phone through the x-ray machine, a little far from the incident. This recording got its way onto the internet as Tyner posted everything on his blog, and many "applaud him for 'standing up' to the security forces". However, it is true that Tyner (and any other passenger, for that matter) gives up certain rights when buying the airline ticket, as a TSA officials explains. But it is also interesting that Tyner noticed many going through without such problems, with one person triggering the metal detector let go without a pat down.

While some agree with Tyner and complain about such extensive security measures through the comments on his blog, these officials are, after all, trying to do their job by stopping any more horrific terrorists from completing any plots, as exhibited in the past decade and more. And it is better for several individuals to be embarrased by such measures than a whole plane going up in flames. It is interesting, however, that they singled out Tyner and went for more extensive searching.

Studies show we should eat less salty foods

Too much salt is bad for the body; well no duh, too much of anything is bad. However I did find it quite interesting that the taste of salt is a learned behavior. I always thought it was naturual for people to like salty foods, but I guess it's just because of the fast food plus the snack industry increasement in the recent decades. Americans typically eat twice the amount of salt that a person should eat in a day. Also, teens are currently the largest age group that eats too much salt. If  teens lower the amount of salt consumption it could lower the hypertension rates by 68% and it would also decrease the chances for heart conditions for the future.

ELD teachers in danger?

Last Friday I remember listening to a career project presentation for English on ELD teachers. However today, I just read an article in the Time magazine that could potentially put that career department in danger in the future.

 South Korea has developed an English teaching robots to keep students competitive in English.South Korea currently has around 30,000 foreigners to teach English. However the government wants to bring these robots to at least 18 or more schools at the end of the year. Looks like foreign English teachers are slowly being phased out.

Youths want Obama to stick to his vision

I think Obama has taken too much criticism and i think he deserves a break. Anyone who would have been elected President in 2008 would have also had a hard time getting America back into shape after President Bush. Yes, maybe he shouldn't have made some promises that he couldn't keep, but he is trying to do as much as he could. I think it's kind of sad that some of the youth are starting to give up on him and the numbers in favor are dropping in the polls.

There's a link above, What the **** had Obama done? I'm pretty sure this is a negative view of Obama's doings in the White House, making fun, and saying Obama hasn't really accomplished anything.

Sorry for the foul language in the website/link, but i thought it was just interesting.

Stem cell research making progress

If anyone has picked up this weeks Time magazine might have looked at the 50 top inventions of the year. One of the ones that stood out to me the most was the "No.12 Lab-Grown Lungs".

 Over a year or two ago, I remember Pro-Life people complaining about stem cell research in how it is unethical to use embryos of people to grow missing organs. However, scientists did not give up and developing a functioning rat lung. In my opinion, humanity can spare a few embryos that most likely won't turn into babies for stem cell research. Really, imagine the possibilities of saving lives with this research.

State Capitol Awash In Blue For Diabetes Day

If only i had read this earlier in the day i would have woren blue today. According to the American Diabetes Assoication(ADA) fact sheet of 2007, 23.6 million people in America have Diabetes. Of those 23.6 million people, 186,300 people under the age of 20 have Diabetes and about 2 million in that age group have pre-diabetes, which means you "have blood glucose levels than normal, but not even to be diagonsed." I think it is a good idea for people to start education younger kids on staying healthy. Which means excersing regularly and keeping a balanced diet. Both types of diabetes run in my family, so because it is in blood, I have to watch out more, as well as other people like me. But even if it isn't "in your DNA", you still should watch out for your self and make you and others around you are leading a healthy life.

PETA noticed that Amazon is taking a stand to issues to banning certain books...

Except Amazon ignores the suggestion of banning dog and roaster fighting books.

Amazon has recently started to ban books on pedophilia to help stop child abuse. PETA saw this as an opportunity to ban other genres of books to help with the issue of animal abuse. PETA does take the issue of animal abuse to the extremes, however I do agree that there should be more of an effort to stop animal abuse. I picked up a stray cat about a year ago; she is amazingly sweet and doing just fine. Unfortunately not all strays end up in a good home and do have a possibility to get picked up by people with ill intentions.

There are even MORE unethical people now?

It was announced yesterday that a professor at the University of Florida had discovered that over 200 students in his business course had cheated on their midterm exams. Professor Richard Quinn had suspected cheating when he had looked at the statistics and found that many had achieved scores one and a half grades higher than ever before. This suspicion was confirmed when an anonymous tip from a student explained that advanced copies of the test had been leaked.

What makes this case even more astonishing is that the course is comprised of seniors only, unfortunately revealing that the almost four years of schooling in a university had basically been a waste morally. Even worse, the University of Florida is known for its anti-cheating technology, involving extensive camera usage, with others serving as monitors to carefully scrutinize all students during exams.

The professor rightly gave a long lecture in front of all his students presenting his findings, and generously allowed those who cheated to confess and take a four hour ethics class without being expelled. Quinn gave these individuals a day to do so, and said that he would expel those who did not. He is, however, going to make all 600 students retake the test, even if they did not cheat, which seems like a fair deal and a practical manner in which to obtain genuine grades.

While the article did have some opinions from students that scorned the cheating, it was alarming that another student told his name to the interviewer and proclaimed that "everyone cheats", as if this incident was totally innocuous.

Keep in mind that all of these cheaters were students looking to become businessmen and businesswomen. It certainly does not bode well for the future to have so many unethical individuals in our world. Think of all the citizens who fall because of Ponzi schemes, such as that of Bernie Madoff. It is extremely alarming that more and more students are trying to work for the grade rather than really learning and working to become the best in whatever job they want to pursue. Maybe schools should step in more to palliate this situation by having mandatory ethics courses. These classes might be even more helpful if taught to children at a young age.

Future soldiers may be wearing 'Iron Man' suits

I am not sure how i feel about this yet. Our men in "Iron Men" suits that cost 150,00 per suit. I think the idea is somewhat in the fact that this suit will allow one man to do the work of two or three soliders. However, Raytheon Sarcos is working on the engery source and they are trying to figure out how they can power this machine for it to last eight to twenty-four hours, which could potentionally put our soliders in danger. I don't yet. What do you guys think?

Americans around the world mark Veterans Day

Since it is Veterans Day it is only appropriate to post this :)

If you follow this link, there's and article and some videos on the left side of the page to watch.

I paid my dues today and went by the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno. Although I didn't see too mnay people there, it was nice to drive by there.

Thanks to all who sacrifced their lives for us. God Bless. Happy Veterans Day!

The Forgotten War-- except Obama rememebers

Last March South Korea expects that North Korea was the one who blew up a South Korea warship. Because of this the U.S. and it's allies are now trying to talk North Korea to get rid of it's weapons program. Obama recently went to South Korea to give a speech. It was not only a memorial speech to those who died in the 1950-1953 war but a speech for the future of North Korea.

In his speech he claims that North Korea is suffering  from poverty. The biggest fix would be if they decide to break out of isolation and commit to foreign nations. Knowing North Korea, that is not happening anytime soon.

Needless shots: Your childhood fears might finally be over for good.

 Most remember the early trips to the doctor; the majority that do learn to fear shots. Well with senior year ending, colleges will most likely require updated medical records which means shots once again. Now onto the topic of needless shots.

But wait... needless shots, what? Just the idea of it sounds amazing, however is the reality as good as it sounds? Instead of a needle, now the liquids can literally be streamed into your body. It's suppose to hurt less, but don't most doctors say it won't hurt much in the first place?
Well, even if there is still a little pain the overall issue of people reusing needles will hopefully be resolved in time.
Other companies have been developing similar needless shots but PharmaJet injectors are the cheapest ones on the market. One injector does cost $100, however it can be reused thousands of times. The single-use ones on the other hand cost from 30 cents to $1 while traditional needle-based syringes are sold around 15 cents or less. Kathleen Callendar, founder of PharmaJet, claims if the production volume rises the cost for the injectors will decrease enough for it to become an option for developing countries.
Currently this project has a second model which is currently being made. This model will inject the medicine in the top layer of skin rather than going deeper into the muscle.

Who knew needless shots were possible?

Crime does not pay — unless you sell ‘murderabilia’

Wow. If you haven't already read this article, go and read it. It is pretty interesting and weird. Murders who are on death row's stuff can be sold online. From snow globes, to paintings, to notes and journals. After first i thought that this should be illegal, for the sake of the famililes involved, but like the article says it is legal if the murders do not get any personal gain from it and the government can't stop third parties from selling these things online. I also started to think, that there are people out there who try to get into the heads of murders to figure out how or why they do what they do. And this is an easy way to figure that stuff out, so it makes sense in a way. However, i am a big family person, and for the sake of keeping closure closed and not "putting any salt into a wound", maybe there could be an alternate way of doing things. I can't think of any right now. But what do you guys think of this?

260,000 students, staff in Fla. schools lockdown

A woman calls a radio station, saying that her husband may go to a school and start shooting...why are you calling a radio station and not the police. They don't know who the caller or the husband is either but all schools in that Florida area is on lockdown. That would be so scary, not knowing what schools, or who it is. The police captin said that this call was not credible. What makes any kind of threat credible though? If there is a serious threat, espeically since it cound potentionally hurt many lives, it should be credible and taken serious. I am very shocked that the captin of the police force is saying that all schools are safe, but how can you know for sure? You can't. So if i was a parent, i would definitely wand police forces at all of the schools, or where there is a high concentration of kids at because people these days are crazy!

Despite new female faces in Congress, numbers in decline

The percentage of Women in politics could go down, What? Since the Republicans are starting to take over the House, and they don't have that many female candidates, this could be the first time that the percentage of women lawmakers will decrease since 1979. That is 31 years that us women have kept our numbers up and in this next election we could be lossing ground. I thought we were supposed to start to gain a little bit more power and now i hear that our numbers could increase...that's not good. In this article some of the women had said that they should start going to the young girls to try and convince them that they too can become women leaders. Don't get me wrong, I believe in woman power, but I would never consider becoming a lawmaker of this country. But im sure there are some out there who alrady at this age, want to do that, even though I think those numbers are still low. But if women of power start going to young schools and talking about how women can have a first hand say in politics, maybe more young girls will start to believe that they too can become powerful.

Car-struck deer flies through windshield, out back

Was reading this and just thought to myslef, how fast was this car going to have hit a deer and have it going flying through the car, hitting the kids in the back and giving them injuries and then to fly out the back of the window? I think that is just crazy. The car must have been going pretty fast, don't you guys think? And in Minnesota, on saturday when the accident happened, it was the first day of the deer hunting season...how ironic and horribly sad.

Too much money in politics? Ain't seen nothing yet

Too much money in politics? I think yes. There is way too much money being spent on politics. In the 2008 election Obama set the fundraising bar at "sky high" and for the 2010 elections it is going to be the biggest fundraising competition ever. Because Barack Obama didn't have to pay attention to the spending limits, the Republican are now wanting to follow that path and raise as much much as they can because they are trying to gain control over the Senate and continue to grow in their strenght in the House. The article says that $3 billion has already been spent inthe 2010 federal midterm elections and that the "final potentioal tab" will be $4 billion. $3-4 billion dollars is going towards who is going to win the 2012 elections. $3-4 billion is going to politics when that grand sum of money could be going towards other things. I know that it is illegal to give or receive large chunks of money for political aspects, but to gain that much money, people are giving a dollar here a dollar there. Think about it. People are willing to spend some little money on politics. Yet, people can't seem to find a couple dollars here, a dollar there to go towards foundations, lets say for the poor. Yet they will give to PAC's so they can feel apart of a political campgain but they won't spend what little momey they can on the people of this country who really are in need of help. Makes me think...how selfish some people in this country really are.

Federal crackdown on child prostitution results in 884 arrests

Before reading this article, I knew that child prositution occured somewhere in the world. However, it did not occur to me, EVER, that it happens in our country and infact happening so close to home. Over this 72 hour "crackdown" 69 children in the United States of America were recovered from their so called "pimps". That many kids in a matter of three days. I am very shocked and appalled. Then to continue reading and to find out that in our own state capital, Sacramento, 7 children were recovered. I had absloutely NO IDEA that our country had such a problem with exploiting young children, some even as young as the age 13 and thought that i should share this with the rest of you.
Are any of you as shocked about this as I am? Please tell me i am not the only one in disbelief.

Extended school days under consideration in District public system

Reading this truely shocked me; why is an extended day at school even considered. The article even claimed that there were mixed results about students attending the molded schedule and the new extended one. If the results basically turn out the same, there is absolutely no reason for an extended schedule. Not only does it interupt what a student does in their daily life, it would cost the school more money. About 950$ per student.

What's even worse, is that parents actually favor the extended schedule, thinking that it will give their child more knowledge when in fact it does not. The teachers are also in support for this idea for it gives them more time to plan out what they do in class. For me, that does not seem exciting; I can barely handle listening to the same material for 8 hours a day.
I have a feeling this will not be implemented in schools for it interferes with the sports programs and it just costs too much for our school to handle.

Automakers put smartphones to work in your car

Just when we all thought there couldn't be more uses for a smartphone, the automakers are putting them in cars. Right now, we can use the phones as a GPS, a radio for the car and so many more things. Motorists already can keep their data close at hand.
The Detroit automaker is moving their manual on to smartphones. Consumers can look up features of a car, which includes a video demonstration. Smartphones have become like another extension to a car. There is even an iPhone app being developed which will let you keep tabs on key performances of a car by just plugging it into the dashboard.
It feels as if this keeps on going, there will be a decrease in sales for GPS but, keeping an eye on your cars state will become much easier. There won't be anymore confusing instructions since everything can be shown visually and the performance of your car will be managed much easier. Overall, this seems like a good design for consumers, but it will hurt the sales of devices that did only specific jobs which the Smartphone will cover.

Almost half of elderly report pain in life's final months

When dying, people usually think that a natural death is peaceful. But studies have shown that in the last 2 years of life, 26% of the elderly have been experiencing pain on different levels. There were three types of pain options were given: mild, moderate and severe. It was reported that the pain was steady up until their last 4 months of life.Elderly with other health conditions such us heart disease, experienced the same amount of pain.

A factor like arthritis though, has been reported with 60% troubling pain.

This might be connected to the fact that the body has begun shutting itself down and cannot support its own weight. It also proves that the body is slowly shutting itself down, starting with the least contributing parts of the body. The pain might be more severe towards the last 4 months since the major bodily function could be shutting down.

Gates Would Like to See Congress Repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell Ban Now

Robert Gates, U.S. Defense Secretary, said he urges Congress to repeal the the ban on gays serving openly in the military before new members of Congress take their seats. However, he did not sound optimistic about the current Congress holding a brief session to repeal the ban.
The current, Democratic-controlled Congress has not acted to lift the ban, which President Barack Obama promised to eliminate. In his postelection news conference Wednesday, Obama said there would be time to repeal the ban in December or early January, after the military completes a study of the effects of repeal on the front lines and at home.
Now that the Republicans will be taking control of the House in January, and there are now larger margins in the Senate, those who are in support of no ban, think it will be much more difficult because of certain circumstances. What do you think? Will there be a repeal of the ban, or will it stay in place?

Obama Acknowledges the Need For "Midcourse" Corrections At Home

A few days after the midterm elections, Obama acknowledges the fact that he must make some corrections to the current policies back home if he wants to win over an irritated electorate and work with resurgent Republicans.
Currently in India, Obama visited a crowd of college students who were eager to ask questions. Obama said that "the midterms back in the states were a way for the electorate to express their unhappiness with me."
Even though Obama was not on the ballot last Tuesday, the Democratic party still took a beating. Republicans took control of the House, got rid of the Democratic majority in the Senate, and had major gains at the state level. This Republican take over could ultimately hurt Obama in the 2012 Election. According to the Associated Press, Obama said he will not change his determination to move America forward by investing in education, infrastructure and clean energy despite mounting pressure in Washington to cut spending. But he said, without elaborating, that the election "requires me to make some midcourse corrections and adjustments." It all depends on how Obama will plan to deal with the Republicans. Obama seems to the think the White House needs to undergo a change. However, in a news conference on Wednesday, he purposely was vague on how he plans to change his agenda for the next two years. How do you think the Obama White House will do in the next two years? Do you think the Republicans have hurt Obama's chance at re-election in 2012? Will anything ever get accomplished in Washington D.C. now that the Republicans control the House under a Democratic president?

Pending home sales drop 1.8% in September

It is known that in recessions, the sales of houses drops. As we try to get out of the recession, we have been going up in the sales department. Lately though, the sales have dropped by 1.8%. This isn't really a surprise with our unstable economy.

Analysists think that the reason for this disruption is because of banks halting the amounts of foreclosure to investigate some flawed legal documants.
It isn't that hard to figure out when the homes will start selling again; it is when the economy becomes stabilized. As soon as that happens, we won't have to worry about what we can spend our money and what we cannot. This article presents what happens every time in a recession.

More customers drop cable TV; is Internet or cost to blame?

Recently, cable TV has been noticing a drop in their subscriptions. More and more every day. The cable company has turned their heads to blame the new internet; it's fast download and you can watch any movie you want. Netflix has actually become the mainstream at peak hours.

Others say that it is just becoming too expensive for low-income families and other services are cheaper. The company thinks that once the economy goes back to working like normal, the subscriptions will go back up. Though, in my opinion I think that customers will stick with the cheaper service and never give cable a second thought.

Sadly, there is no way for cable companies to lower their prices since the providers, like Walt Disney, won't liscenes their channels one by one so subscribers have to pay high amounts for a channel package or get very basic ones in which an antenna can provide them more services. It is sad to say that low income consumers are a big portion of cable TVs customers who have a more likely chance to cut the cable cord and switch to other sources.

Exercise fights the common cold, study finds

A new study has shown that people who exercise, have a less chance of being sick with a cold. Not only that, but the duration of the cold decreases. Exercising is showing more uses then just getting rid of body fat or building up muscles. There was a report published which showed that people who exercised frequently for five days or more was up to 46% less frequency of colds compared to the people who barely got any. 41% of the symptoms were suffered less and the fittest group experienced 34% fewer cold days.

Researches think the reason for this is because the immune system is more revved up while exercising. When one is dormant, the immune system goes back to its regular function ways.

The only thing that was limiting this research was the exposure to the cold germs. Overall though, this seems pretty exciting and another reason as to why we should exercise more. If the immune system is more active when exercising, can't science make a new drug that operates as a "pump" for the immune system to make it more active? I wouldn't be surprised if this happens one day.

Marco Rubio, GOP's answer to Obama

Republican Marco Rubio, the first Tea Party candidate, is a Cuban-American that has recently won the Florida Senator race in this year's 2010 midterm election. The son of Cuban exiles, many have called this previously unknown politician as the "Republican Obama". He paid his own way through college and law school. He had a passion for football in high school just as Obama did for basketball. Most importantly, he has created a name for himself on the national political level in a short amount of time and has given people a figure of hope as Tea Party supported candidates are being elected to go to Washington to bring about change. Sound familiar?

Limewire must shut down?!

Woah woah woah... i was looking for a photo for my last blog post.. and i stumbled upon an article about Limewire. The peer two peer file sharing company has lost a 4 year legal dispute with the record companies and is being ordered by the courts to shut down.

"The decision to have the site shut down was a result of a ruling earlier this year. A Manhattan federal judge ruled in favor of 13 record labels and the Recording Industry Association of America's copyright infringement suit against the website"

So there goes limewire..... what now? It's time for fellow limewire users to find another place for music.

24 Downloaded Songs = 1.5 Million dollar fine

Where'd you get this song?

Limewire, Mediafire, Filestube....you know

No one seems to want to pay 99cents a song.

Yeah were all guilty of it--I'm guilty of it too. Downloading songs for free is very illegal, very tempting, but seems like the only way to do it nowadays. We never think about what happens when we get caught, 'cause really, no one really has ever been caught yet, right?

Well, Minnesota resident Jamie Thomas-Rasset was fined $1.5 Million for illegally downloading and sharing 24 songs on an online file sharing service. That translates to $62,500 a song. This case has become a poster child for the record company industry's attempt to crack down on illegal downloading.

I have to come to favor downloading my music for free. Fast, free, easy, and most importantly, FREE. I understand why the music industry is cracking down. Somebody's got to pay the artists and concerts don't exactly pay for all of it.

Going back to an example in the 'UnSpun' book we read long ago, downloading songs illegally can kill an artist's career simply because the fact that music downloaders liked his/her songs better than music buyers. For others it provides free promotion by giving it away for free and letting people sample the music, especially for unsigned talent. Blessing and a curse?

Oakland's Response to the Mehserle Verdict

I come home literally 5 minutes ago, turned on the 11 o' clock news.... oh snapp...

Protesters took to the streets moments after former police officer Johannes Mehserle was sentenced to 2 years in prison for the 2009 killing of Oscar Grant.

Just as many did when Mehserle was convicted, several storefronts and government buildings, including city hall, closed early and boarded up the windows.

At first it was a peaceful protest, with people venting anger, sadness, and frustration. The demonstration ended without problems. But after it ended, violence erupted. About several hundred protesters marched towards the BART station where Oscar Grant was shot. An officer had his gun stolen from his holster and pointed back at him. A protestor was hit by a car. Property destruction was spread. Oakland police would later contain the situation and arrested 150+ people.

My question is though, when we all finish with the sentencing, the frustration, anger, tears, and demonstrations, what's going to happen to the Grant's family, and what's going to happen to Mehserle?

Ex BART Cop Receives a Two Year Sentence

Today was the day awaited by many: sentencing day for Johannes Mehserle, an ex transit police officer. Mehserle shot and killed unarmed patron Oscar Grant, on New Years Day 2009. The case against defendant Johannes Mehserle has provoked racial unrest at every turn, and police in Oakland were on alert for more problems following a sentence that many thought was too light. After being sentenced back in July, possible sentences could have been much heavier and longer. Several police officers in LA and Oakland would on hand and ready to control the crowd in case riots erupted. However, small crowds in both locations reacted calmly to the decision. Of course Grant's family though the outcome was too light and believed Mehserle should have received a much harsher sentence. According to NBC news, Grant's uncle, Bobby Cephus Johnson, said "I have no power over what people feel their matter of expression should be" Mehserle had faced a possible 14-year maximum term after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
Since the two men involved were of two different races, many believe Mehserle's actions were racially charged. Personally, I think the sentence is way too light. Furthermore, I am not buying any of Mehserle's arguments, that he "pulled out his gun instead of his taser." Meshserle is calling his action "accidental and unintentional. I can't believe he claims he did not know any better. But then again I must not get too carried away with my opinion, as everyone sees things differently.
What are your opinions on the sentence? Is it too little Is it too much, or just right? Let's hear it.

San Diego Puts New Restrictions On Future Supercenters.

Supercenters have always been part of our lives; they are those big stores that are the size of football fields. In San Diego, there have been many heated debates about them. The council wants to ban the Supercenters and have tried to do so, only to have the mayor veto the ban.

This time around, instead of outright banning the stores, the council wants to put restrictions on new, incoming Supercenters. It will not affect the ones that already exist. Even knowing this, Wal-Mart challenges it. In fact, Wal-Mart stated that if this gets passed the company would begin to build its stores elsewhere.

Even after hearing this threat, there are still supporters of banning Supercenters outright. Several other people have argued that it is up to the consumers to where he or she desires to shop.

The big problem of this is the jobs available. The Sand Diego Council thinks that if the Supercenters would be removed then many more construction jobs and employment jobs will enter the market. The City's Independent Budget Analysist looked at the economic impact of Supercenters and found the studies to be inconsistent. There is a positive impact to this and a negative one. The only real situation that would change in this is where the sales taxes would come from; Supercenters will replace the missing sales taxes from the small retailers.

Not-so-happy holidays ahead at the pump as gas prices jump

Gas has always been an issue in America, but this just raises it to a new level. The amount of our dollar has decreased in foreign trade and to make matters worse, countries like England have an easier time obtaining the gas with fewer euros, making the pricing for the US more severe.

Around May, the oil prices hit a shocking $87.15 per barrel, which equals to around $2.90 per gallon. The prices have gone down from that but with the current trend, it would not be surprising to see it go back up to that level.

In the past, high gas prices have prompted consumers to cut back the amount of time they can spend on the road. Back in 2008, that was the trend and at the current rate, we might be experiencing the same soon. At the moment though, it should not cut you back from your main objectives but, you might want to consider not going to that movie or going to a restaurant.

The increasing gas prices may put a strain on low income families for heating oil has also been added by $4.52. The new increases might make one consider on skipping meals which is never healthy.

This just proves that America needs to be less gas dependent and needs to find a way to obtain energy without being so reliant on foreign oil.

 

California's Unemployment Rate is Sky High

Several California metropolitan areas registered among the nation's highest unemployment rates in September, according to figures released yesterday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The El Centro metropolitan area in Imperial County continued to lead the nation with a 30.4 percent jobless rate. The heavily agricultural area has recorded the country's highest jobless rate every month since June 2007.
In California, there was only one metropolitan area that saw year-over-year job growth in September: Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, which gained 13,400 jobs.
Nationwide, the unemployment rate was 9.2 percent in September, compared to 9.5 percent a year earlier. California's jobless rate was 12.2 percent, compared to 11.8 percent last year. Among the 13 metropolitan areas with unemployment rates of at least 15 percent in September, nine were in California:
Bakersfield-Delano: 15.1 percent
El Centro: 30.4 percent
Fresno: 15.2 percent
Merced: 16.6 percent
Modesto: 16.2 percent
Redding: 15.2 percent
Stockton: 16.6 percent
Visalia-Porterville: 15.9 percent
Yuba City: 17.9 percent
Among metropolitan areas with a population of 1 million or more, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario had the second-highest unemployment rate in the U.S. at 14.8 percent, just behind the 15-percent jobless rate in Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev.
Yuba City had the second-largest year-over-year unemployment rate increase at 2.4 percent. It also reported the nation's largest percentage decrease in employment (4.7 percent).
As for drops in over-the-year employment, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale shed 37,100 non-farm jobs and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont lost 33,900. Overall, California counted 62,100 fewer employees on its non-farm payrolls.
The Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta metropolitan area recorded the state's lowest unemployment rate in September at 9 percent. Napa was close behind at 9.3 percent. The lowest jobless rate in the country is 2.8 percent in Bismarck, N.D.
The new employment figures come on the heels of midterm elections that were centered on jobs and the economy.
Governor-elect Jerry Brown pushed green jobs to kick-start the state's economy. Barbara Boxer, who held onto her Senate seat with 52 percent of the vote, defended the federal stimulus bill as having saved eight million jobs and opposed tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas.
In a press conference yesterday, President Barack Obama emphasized the need for job creation. He acknowledged that Americans are frustrated with the economy, attributing their discontent largely to the pace of economic recovery, which he said is now "stuck in neutral."
"We've stabilized the economy, we've got job growth in the private sectors, but people all across America aren't feeling that progress," he said. "They don't see it."
Asked what government could do to spur job growth across the country, Obama too pointed to green jobs: "If we can develop new technologies in areas like clean energy, that could make all the difference in terms of job creation here at home."
Obama also voiced support for an extension of unemployment insurance, which he authorized in July, because, he said, "there are still a lot of folks out there hurting."
As of Tuesday, the state Employment Development Department reported that nearly 232,000 Californians had exhausted their unemployment benefits.
So, with a new governor in place, do you think this issue will become better, worse or stay the same. I must say it seems like we are the most troubled state in the country. Would you agree or disagree?

The Daunting Challenge for California Ahead

Governor elect Jerry Brown along with new and incumbent Californian politicians alike have much to deal with in the very near future.

The big questions on everybody's mind: "Where the money at?"

Jobs, the economy, housing market, and most importantly, the record-setting budget deficit (the one that ties it all together) --> The politicians are being served a full plate of problems with the budget as the main course.

The passing of Proposition 25 will make it easier for State Legislature to pass a budget with a simple majority. However, the Passing of Proposition 22 (limits on money borrowed from local governments) and 26 (increases difficulty in raising fees) is making it harder as well.

The governor elect will find somewhere to sleep in Sacramento while on the job as he tries to keep his home in Oakland. On a humorous remark at a press conference, Brown shows us that he too is like any Californian. "[He's] not selling this house until it retains it original value"

Something's got to give at some point. The simple way out looks like the harder way out to most of us--> Raise taxes to fill the hole in the budget..but if it's not that simple, there must be some many other variables that do and don't matter that must be keeping us from doing it in such a simple manner. Prop 22 and 26 however demonstrates California's unwillingness to put their own money. Most of the change to close the deficit will have to come from budget spending cuts that would translate to fewer and lower quality government services. Yes, it's our hard-earned cash, I'd like to keep mine too, but I feel like were screaming "HURRY, MY CAR HAS A FLAT TIRE, FIX IT SO WE CAN GET BACK ON THE ROAD!" while saying "sorry, I don't have a spare tire and I don't know how to pay you back, can you still fix it?!"

I don't know about you, but I am trying to go to college. I'd like to see the CSU and UC systems keep the quality of education as it is, and stay like that so I don't have to spend 5 years to get a 4-year degree.

I'm not saying the education is good or bad at the moment, I'm saying I do not want to see it get worse. With the looming issues with the budget, nothing is promised.

Happy Meal Ban: Good Idea, or Wrong Approach?

San Francisco has a long history of bold public health and environmental stances, going after everything from plastic bags in grocery stores to cigarettes to sugary drinks.

The latest target: Ronald McDonald.

A proposed city ordinance would ban McDonald's from putting toys in Happy Meals unless it adds fruit and vegetable portions and limits calories. The proposal would apply to all restaurants, but the focus has been on McDonald's and its iconic Happy Meals.

Supervisor Eric Mar said he proposed the law to protect the health of his constituents, but McDonald's has waged an aggressive fight to block the measure. A battery of McDonald's Corp. executives showed up at city hall to argue that the legislation is a heavy-handed effort that threatens the company's decades-old business model and the free choice of its customers.

The proposed Happy Meal law is just the latest in a string of San Francisco ordinances aimed at regulating public health. The city recently expanded a law banning tobacco sales in pharmacies to include grocery stores and big-box stores that also have pharmacies.

Mayor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order earlier this year banning sweetened beverages like Coca Cola and Pepsi from vending machines on city property. Local leaders considered but ultimately abandoned laws recently that would have imposed a fee on businesses that sell sugary drinks and alcohol.

This seems like a good idea in some aspects. It encourages younger kids to put an end to those bad eating habits. Why should kids be lured into eating these meals all because of some little plastic toy that they'll probably forget about in a day or two? Do you think this is the right way to go?

"Literally less than 24 hours later, we have beaten Texas again!"

"California already beat Texas in baseball this week.

And today literally less than 24 hours later, we have beaten Texas again!”

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

California has said no to Proposition 23, the controversial piece of legislation that would suspend California's strict Air Pollutions laws until the economy would improve. The defeated proposition was widely backed by several Texas based oil companies who wanted to get around California's environmental laws which are the strictest in the nation.

For the "Governator", he considers this his last victory in his political career as governor of California.

The idea that we have to sacrifice the environment for the economy no longer applies, to this day and age. We can go green and fix the economy with what California has at it's resources. I feel that it is old-thinking that we can not do both and succeed.

Democrats hold onto the Senate, Tea Party makes Waves

With seven seats up for grabs, the republicans have taken 5 seats away from the democrats. With key victories in West Virginia and California, the Democrats remain in control of the Senate with 51-47.

The grassroots Tea Party movement is gaining momentum with the GOP's and Sarah Palin's backing. Winners include Senator elect Rand Paul of Kentucky, Senator elect Marco Rubio of Florida (a favorite for the 2012 Vice-Presidential ticket), and Senator elect Mike Lee of Utah.

Several polls conducted by ABC News indicate that the number one issue in everyone's minds are JOBS, with our military personnel overseas claim that the one issue on their minds are how will they get a job or complete their education when they come back home.

I feel that as one of the worst midterm election turnouts in history, Barrack Obama needs to do something about his policy and act as quickly as possible if he is going to bring about the change he wants and the change that America is still waiting for. These election results demonstrate the frustration with Washington for the lack of progress that many people have been waiting for.

The New (and returning) faces of California State Politics

The results coming, 32% of the precincts are reporting.

Gubernatorial Race

2026785 Brown (51%)

1755863 Whitman (44%)

The secretary of state's computer that is to process the votes has crashed, but almost all news organizations and polls (abc7news, CNN, the Associated Press, etc.) has declared Jerry Brown the winners of the California Governor's race. After one of these most expensive political campaigns in history, the house keeper scandal, and the backfiring of the infamous numerous negative ads, the California Attorney General has come back in the polls over former EBay Millionaire Meg Whitman and will return to the governor's position after his two terms in 1983

Lieutenant Gubernatorial Race

34% of the precincts reporting

1672308 Newsom (47%)

1532562 Maldonaldo (43%)

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is expected to win over incumbent Lt Governor Abel Maldonaldo. Enough Said.

34% of the precincts reporting

Senator Race

2054000 Boxer (50%)

Fiorina 1860941 (45%)

Incumbent Senator Barbara Boxer is expected to win over Former HP executive Carly Fiorina. I am watching the Channel 7 news at this very moment as she addresses supporters at her Irvine headquarters. She has not thrown in the towel yet and is still hopeful as Barbara Boxer has already claimed victory in Hollywood.

"It's going to be a long night" -Fiorina

Among these elections, Proposition 25 is expected to pass by 54% with 38% of Precincts reporting.

This proposition will reduce the super majority to pass tax laws and suspend pay and benefits to state politicians if a budget is not passed on time. With this new system that has already been accepted by 47 other states in the Union and the Republican controlled house, the game of politics of in Sacramento will most like change. These new political leaders will have a lot to handle, let's hope for the best Californians!

I now have the utmost respect for election reporters, pollsters, and bloggers. Keeping up with the changing numbers in real time as you try to analyze and comment is hard to impossible.

Now Remember--> Not all the precincts have reported. It's not over until it's over, but it's getting ugly at the moment for the hopefuls

*Election Result Source: ABC7News*

Sorry....Jimmy Didn't Win.

Favorite to win Democrat Andrew Cuomo, the current NY state general, will win the gubernatorial debate for the state of New York over Republican candidate and Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino.

With 92% of Precincts reporting, Cuomo has a comfortable 62% over Paladino's 34%

Cuomo expects to follow in his family's dynasty in New York Politics as the son of Mario Cuomo, former governor of New York that was elected in 1982.

Somewhere in that last 4% or so, The Rent is Too Damn High Party has his votes with 4 other little known candidates.

Jimmy McMillan, a former black panther and political activists, took the internet by storm with his catchy phrase "The Rent is TOO damn high" has brought comic relief to viewers of the NY governor's debate and Youtube watchers alike.

I'd like to point out that the Rent is too damn high party, with its humorous slogan, has brought about the real point that for many New York residents, the rent really is TOO high. Higher costs of living, a tanking economy slow to get back on it's feet, and bad housing market are taking it's toll on everyone, rich and poor. If the wealthy and the well-off are struggling to keep to heads above water, how are those on the lower end of the spectrum holding on?

Puff, Puff... Pass?

Anybody remember Cheech and Chong?

Proposition 19, the bill that would approve legalization of marijuana for personal use and tax revenue, has gone "Up in Smoke"

With 19% of Precincts reporting at the moment,

56% are voting no on 19 and counting. It is expected to not pass.

Maybe it is for the better that we will not be able to walk into the local drug store and buy a dime's worth for ten dollars+seventy dollars tax. Although the expected tax money that would be brought in appears to be rather generous, their must be better ways to fill the budget deficit.

Supporters claim the failure of the Proposition to be caused by the much older, more conservative voter turnout. They will however claim to come back in 2 years in the next elections when younger politicians will have more influence

Republicans Gain Control of the House

By midnight EST, the Republicans have safely acquired enough house seats to gain control of the house of representatives as they gain 57 seats--one of the biggest single election gains in seats since 1938.

They have not completely taken over the house, however they have enough of majority to play a major influence on the democratic controlled senate and presidency. President Barrack Obama is expected to re-adjust his policies and politics to accommodate this loss for the democratic party.

San Francisco Giants! and San Jose A's?

Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants--The 2010 World Series Champions!

FYI: The victory parade will take place tomorrow at 11 AM starting on Montgomery and Mason, following along market, and ending at the Civic center.

Diehard fans are camping overnight to save good seats for tomorrow. It is suggested to take Caltrain and BART to avoid traffic and parking issues. Get there as early as possible!

In other news.....Oakland A's co-owner Lew Wolff is fighting for the A's move to the South Bay. The World Series win by the Giants is now encouraging the move. Studies are being done to determine what would happen to the Giants Fan base if the A's do move to Fremont or San Jose.

Personally, I am just used to taking BART to get to Oakland Coliseum and CalTrain to get to AT&T Park (I miss calling it PacBell Park, easier to say!) For me, 17 and limited transportation, the idea of taking the train North to watch the Giants and south to San Jose for the A's doesn't sound to bad at the moment.

Suppressing Election Day Turnout

After some technical difficulties with acquiring a confirmation invitation to blog, this was the first article I stumbled upon after searching for topics to include for election day.

There are reports of registered Latino voters in the Los Angeles area receiving phone calls reminding them to vote on "November 3rd", not November 2nd.
Voters in Louisiana, Maine, and New Hampshire are receiving calls about information to go to a website to vote online. However, online voting is only available to U.S. voters overseas.

Minorities neighborhoods in Texas have been passed out fliers encouraging to ticket-split there ballots under the "Black Democratic Trust of Texas"--A non existent political group.

All over the country, the list go on and on.

Voter Suppression is illegal and these incidences are being investigated. It is a very clever, but cynical and cowardly way to take advantage of the election system and of those unaware of the voting process.

Get Your Vote On

After months of campaigning and debating, it is finally Election Day. In California, went to the polls with purpose having to decide on several different issues such as experiences, economy, a new governor and the Senate. Also in the mix, strong feelings towards Proposition 19. If passed, this initiative to legalize marijuana.
In regards to the gubernatorial race the most well known candidates include Jerry Brown and businesswomen Meg Whitman, polls are calling Brown the front runner at this point. I guess we will see. Whitman calls herself an outsider who will turn california around. We must step back and examine this for a second. If we look at the current governor, who originally called himself an outsider who would fix California, he hasn't really gotten the state anywhere. He has left us with a large deficit and possibly leaving us worse off than before. Whitman also has a horrible voting record and hasn't voted since 2002. As for Brown, he might be slightly better for California, but who knows. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
As for the propositions, they all seem to be talked about, some more so than others. The big ones on people's minds seems to be Proposition 19, the legalization of marijuana. Proposition 19 would not only legalize marijuana, but also allow local governments to regulate these activities, permit local governments to impose and collect marijuana-related fees and taxes, and authorize various criminal and civil penalties.
Another hot-button issue on today's California ballot is the Senate race. The top contenders are Barbara Boxer and Carly Fiorina, a former CEO. Most would argue that while Fiorina is an outsider, Boxer has more experience since she currently serves in the Senate.
We must not forget about the other states. Other hot-button races include the Miller V. Murkowski Senate race in Alaska, Tea Party candidate Christine O'Donnell to represent Delaware in the Senate. Ther are numerous races that I could mention, but we would be here for days.
Anyway, What are your opinions?

The Rally to Restore Sanity

The Rally to Restore Sanity was a demonstration that took place on October 30, 2o1o on the National Mall in Washington D.C. The really was led by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. The event was a combination of what was originally supposed to be two separate events: Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity and Colbert's satirical counterpart, the March To Keep Fear Alive. The rally was expected to be low in attendance, but according to CBS News, an estimated 215,000 people attended.

The purpose of the rally was to provide a venue for attendees to be heard above what Stewart describes as the more vocal and extreme 15-20% of Americans who "control the conversation of the United States. The point is that Americans become crazed when discussing politics, and demonize each other, which is counterproductive. A return to to sanity would promote reasoned discussion. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Rally to Restore Sanity was a satirical response to Glenn Becks's Restoring Honor Rally.

Because it was aired on Comedy Central commercial free, it was pretty easy to get drawn in pretty quickly. Did Anyone tune in ? If so, what did you think?

Free birth control for all!

Due to a new health care law, free contraception for women is a goal in plain view. A panel of experts have advised the government to take preventative measures against pregnancy by offering free birth control to all women. Many public health experts believe that by making contraception more available the abortion rate will fall, thus saving the government more money by almost totally eliminating the risky procedure.

Debates have sparked from multiple religious representatives on the subject. The Catholic Church has expressed outrage on the subject of the "morning after" pill also being free of cost to the public. They labeled it not as a birth control drug, but an abortion drug.

What are your thoughts and opinions on the subject?