Effort to ease tensions between Mainland and Taiwan.

On Tuesday, December 21, Mainland China and Taiwan signed an agreement that allowed them to come together in developing new drugs. When President Ma, of Taiwan, became president, he promised to improve relations and ease the tension between Mainland and Taiwan. This new agreement that was just signed is the 15^th agreement between Mainland and Taiwan since Ma’s presidency.

Signing this new agreement will allow Taiwan to enter into a bigger market instead of being restricted and limited in its small market on the island. When Taiwan split from Mainland China, there has always been a lot of tension but with these new agreements, 15 to be exact, Taiwan and China’s relationship has gotten better than ever.

Along with cooperating in the biotechnology field in creating new drugs, Taiwan and China has also agreed to let more people enter Taiwan per day. It used to be only 3,000 people can enter but now they are increasing it to 4000 people per day, which in my opinion isn’t that big of a different compared to China’s large population.

President Ma hopes to help Taiwan’s slow economy by engaging with China. Even though Taiwan’s economy may improve, many people might seek this as an opportunity to move to China and start a business there. It may cause the unemployment rate in Taiwan to increase which is bad. Being Taiwanese myself, I think it’s good to engage in activities with China to ease tension because there has always been some tension between Taiwanese and Chinese people but it is also a bad idea because with Taiwan getting closer and closer to China, Taiwan may lose some of its democratic values.

After this decision was made, some people started protesting that President Ma was selling Taiwan to China, which is partially true with all these agreements bringing Taiwan and China closer. 

Obama Repeal's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy

Today President Obama signed the the repeal on the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy meaning that the ban for openly gay men and women in the military will be over. Obama says that this will uphold our country's ideals because "no longer tens of thousands of people will have to live a lie." He means that the people dying for us across seas will no longer have to worry about being prosecuted for their sexual orientation. This also helps Obama because promising to end the ban for gays in the military was one of his goals, showing that he is trying to keep his promises which will help his publicity. Now that the repeal has been signed, the Pentagon must rewrite series of policies and regulations for the current law so that the repeal can take effect "swiftly and efficiently."
I think it is great that gays in the military no longer have to fear being prosecuted. Gays work just as hard as every other person in the military and shouldn't worry about being prosecuted. I also like seeing that laws and actions are being made even though recently there has been a lot of plans that are being denied because of a divided Congress. I also do agree that this will help Obama because it will show that he is keeping his promises which could benefit him for re-election. What do you think about this ban? Do you think that this will help promote equal rights? What will happen next?

Is Obama in danger?

 According to the 2010 Census, the states that are more Republican than Democratic will gain half a dozen more seats in the House of Representatives.  Most of the states that are gaining seats in the House were the states that Obama lost in the 2008 presidential election.

The states that are losing seats in the House, Ohio and New York for example, are states that Obama won. If the same states still favor Obama in the next election, Obama will be short six votes. Some states have shifted into a more Republican side since the 2008 election which may cause Obama to lose more than six electoral votes in the next election.

With the states that lean toward Republican gaining new seats in the House, the 2012 election map will turn more Republican than Democratic, which may cause Obama to not get re-elected in the next election.

In the last election, a lot of states had Republican’s in full control of many state governments. With Republican’s gaining more power in the House, do you think Obama is in danger of losing his spot as president in the next election? Or do you think Obama will step up his game and try to shift people’s views into a more democratic side?

If Obama wants to win the election in 2012, he will need to prove the Republican’s wrong and win over more states by making decisions that are more beneficial to the US rather than helping other countries, which is my opinion at least. Hopefully Obama will be able to pull through and win the election, unless everyone starts losing faith in him and more states start to lean toward the Republican side. 

A Bill to Possibly Alienate Turkey

The country of Turkey is one of our allies, but Congress is thinking about voting on a measure based on the WWI Armenian Genocide that would hurt our relations with Turkey. The plan's details aren't set in stone, but the House believes they need to pass a plan because of the genocide Turkey committed. The article says that passing this plan would be a blow to Obama by his democrats but doesn't explain why. I believe that it is because it would further hurt his reputation because he is neglecting his allies, and that soon next month the House will be led by Republicans. Turkey warned the US that the plan's approval will jeapordize US-Turkey relations and cooperations. Another thing about Turkey is that they are going to be part of the United Nations Security Council that will vote to approve more sanctions on Iran.
I have mixed emotions about this issue. I believe that we should see what Turkey did, and make measures because of what they did. But I also think that we shouldn't hurt our relations with our foreign allies. I also believe that this happened in the past and that we should "Forgive and Forget" even though big things like genocides are hard to forget about. What do you think is best for our country? Should we approve a plan that will hurt our relations by one of our allies who did something horrible a long time ago? Would approving a plan like this be worth it?

China bans Engrish wolds in media

Just something I found was interesting on the BBC. China has basically ban newspapers, publishers, and websites from using foreign words- especially English- in order to protect the "purity of the Chinese language". Their fine government wishes the media to "avoid foreign abbreviations and acronyms, as well as 'Chinglish'". If words are to be written in a foreign language, says the fine government of China, an explanation in Chinese would need to be given also.

Kind of ironic that China now wishes to maintain some "purity" considering that they use simplified characters over the traditional characters, which are obviously more "pure". Chinese also don't have a very easy time with all the new words that are entered all the time, and now it seems that they have to go without saying "DVD" or "lol". But I guess considering how well China is doing, compared to other places, they want to flout their culture and show how much better it is doing than everywhere else.

So what do you think about this? Is it going to work out, or fail a horrible and miserable death?

-a G.U. from the Spiral King

The First Step Away From Steam Powered Catapults

Early this morning, the Navy was able to successfully launch a F-18 Super Hornet. This new kind of catapult can launch a variety of aircraft, including the small ones that could not be launched on earlier catapults, up to 180 knots. This was the first time an aircraft was used; this catapult will pave the way for UAVs being used on these ships. This technology uses the electricity from the ship's nuclear generators and should be placed on the new USS Gerald R. Ford class. These new aircraft carriers will be launching in 2015.

This complements the US Navy's recent tests on rail guns, which also used electromagnetic to deliver a shell a couple of miles at couple times the speed of sound. It has been proven to be cheaper and safer than the current Tomahawk cruise missiles that are currently carried on our destroyers.

I think it is good that the Navy is starting to modernize in the event of a conflict with the growing superpower of China, but it also will give the Navy more bargaining power over smaller rogue states that threaten our ships. It is time for the US Navy to have the power to defend its carriers and leads to less loss of life through the use of UAVs. What do you think about these recent advances in Navy technology? Comments? Thoughts?

Moonwatchers treated to total lunar eclipse

A good way to kick of a winter break? A lunar eclipse. This total lunar eclipse occured late Monday night and early Tuesday morning, depending on location. The miraculous ascpect of this lunar eclipse was that it occured on the day of the winter solstice. Because the winter solstice is when the Earth is tilted farthest away from the sun, this gives a great viewing of the lunar eclipse. This event of lunar eclipse and winter solstice occuring on the same day hasn't happened for 372 years. However, the next time this occurs is in 2094. Certainly watching an eclipse happen is a slow and seemingly anti-climatic event, but since this event probably won't occur again in our lifetime, I hope that many people were aware of this event and watched the lunar eclipse last night. Even though these types of events happens once in a blue moon (ha ha), do you think it's important that try and experience things like this personally, rather than by secondhand?

Russia warns the Senate to just pass the START treaty already

Is the Senate deliberate or dysfunctional? It seems to becoming more and more dysfunctional. Various Republicans are objecting to the new treaty with Russia to reduce the nuclear arms amount by 30% from the previous limit and establish new methods for arms inspection, which have not happened since last year, after the expiration of the previous treaty. President Obama wishes to get the accord passed before January, as the chances of passage would decrease with the new Congress. Obviously Russia is getting a little ticked and says that negotiations cannot be reopened.

I swear our government is trying to become black and white (more like blue and red, but whatever) with one side against the other just because it seems. Arms reduction is pretty darn important to try to keep some sense of world peace, but it seems that some want US dominations of some sort. Keeping the peace with a big stick isn't going to work when everyone has big sticks also. Maybe there is something I don't know, but arms reduction sounds pretty good to me. Plus, they are going to go out of date as soon as I come up with the N2 bomb (A Neon Genesis Evangelion reference in case you don't know, oh wait, that is everyone pretty much)- which is pretty much an ecofriendly nuke- and then I come up with an Eva unit (another geek reference). Jokes aside, can anyone tell me the down side of the treaty, I would like to know. And what do you think of the way our fair government is doing and handling the treaty?

- a G.U. from the King of Spirals

Smartphones and Cars

According to Telenor Connexion, the Nissan Leaf will soon be getting the ability to turn on the air conditioner from within the car. Sadly, this only applies to the European version, but it is progress. The Chevy Volt already has this feature, but it is the first time a car is getting this option for free. Recently automakers have started to increase the connection between the car and the smart phone creating new branches of inter-connectivity. Smartphones currently have the ability to unlock cars and some even go so far as to start the engine. Other car manufacturers are providing driver manuals in digital format hoping to reduce paper. Will smartphones eventually also be able to drive cars? Thoughts? Will this help contribute to lesser use of the air conditioner? What is the future of technology?

On a slightly different topic, any thoughts regarding these new sort of "plug-in cars" with the Nissan Leaf and the "plug-in hybrid" of the Chevy Volt and eventually Toyota Prius? Any thoughts? Feasibility of the new electric cars?

Regulating the Internet?

The article is about how the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), made up of five members, is trying to vote on a plan to regulate the Internet. They are warned however that by doing so, it will further hurt our economy by hurting industry investment. Law makers say that they prefer Congress to make laws on regulating the Internet instead of President Obama but even though they say this, the FCC (which is one of Obama's commissions) is still pushing in regulating the Internet. The scary thing about this is that the governement wil be able to have tighter control of the content the public gets to view. The article later goes on to talk about how this will lead to dispute between Congress and Obama's agencies, which I think is extremely pointless because all it would lead to is not being able to pass laws and acts we need. The plan however has something I like, which is have a net-neutrality plan that will it illegal for Internet providers to discriminate against certain websites to mess with the access to certain websites.
There article also goes on about how critics say that the plan would do the opposite of making it fair for Internet providers because they believe that this unfair kind of system Internet providers do does not exist. It also goes into greater on the risk it has towards our economy and how we can't risk hurting our economy even further. Anoter big detail critics say about this plan is that Congress has the power to control the Internet "not the Commission."
I believe that Commisions do not have the right to get into the duties of Congress, it's illegal! Even though it has the possibility of either hurting or helping our economy, I believe that we still shouldn't do it because it's Congress' job to make plans like these. Plus, the plans' critics have very strong arguments against this, saying how much our economy will be hurt from this plan. Do you believe that we should take the risk with this plan, even if the risk will hurt our ecnomy? Do you believe that this will lead to further dispute between the Presidency and Congress? Isn't it illegal?

"Don't ask, Don't tell" don't exist anymore

I'm surprised this hasn't been posted about but here you go: If you live in your own little world like me, you may have not noticed that the "Don't ask, Don't tell" ban has been lifted by the Senate. It was passed by 65-31, with some moderate Republicans joining the Democrats. President Obama is expected to sign it into law. Finally the debate is over, at least for now.

If you are gay, kudos to you, you now can serve in the military. If you are a coward, like me, that is one less way to worm your way out of military service.

I'm just amazed how long the US managed to prevent gays from serving openly. I mean, the ancient Greeks were pretty known for their homosexuality in the military. And what is worse, gay men serving, or women serving with straight men? We also don't have to worry too much about gays raping women and girls.

So what does everyone think about the lifting of the ban and what effects do you think it will have on the military?

-a G.U. from the Spiral King

"South Korea Holds Yeonpyeong Artillery Drill"

This morning to late afternoon, residents at Yeonpyeong Island had a practice drill. In this drill, the residents were told to take the shelter, similar to the nuclear bomb drills in the United States during the Cold War. Meanwhile, the artillery guns were fired in "self defense" as preparations for a potential increase in international tensions along the Korean peninsula.

The United States and their allies were fairly receptive to the live-fire drill, but Russia and China warned the South against performing such actions. This effectively divides the P-5 once again, as it did for the later half of the Cold War. Knowing what we know about North Korea through Wikileaks, does this change anything?

I think the South Korea has every right to hold a practice drill as their citizens were killed in the first attack. After all, these drills were fairly effective in informing the citizens on the island what to do in an emergency. I do feel that North Korea has been a little aggressive since they sunk the South Korean destroyer "Cheonan", but now it seems South Korea is the only one who is being aggressive in the peninsula.

Does this accomplish a different purpose than the earlier naval drills with the USS George Washington? Are we still in the middle of Cold War tensions with the Korean peninsula? What about China and Russia? What position should the United States take? Other thoughts?

Recent Update: An interesting development: North Korea seems to have allowed inspectors to visit their nuclear facilities and is showing a fairly weak response compared to the USS George Washington incident earlier this year.

The Dream Act is a Bust

This article is about how the DREAM Act, which was a proposed immigration bill that would give hundreds of  thousands of uncodumented students citizenship. The bill was passed in the House but not in the senate, being 5 votes short for them to pass. The main reason it didn't pass was because of the Senate Republicans, who opposed what the Democrats wanted which also means that hispanic activists were also hurt. What the article later talks about is how the Democrats are constantly fighting with the Republicans in Senate, and how they are trying to take back control in the House while also gaining more seats in the Senate. It further goes into detail explaining that the fight for this bill is not over and that there are pleanty more fights for other bills in Congress. It also says how even though the bill was not passed, the steps in arresting illegal immigrants will not change. They say how they will not take extraordinarily big steps in the arrest of illegal immigrants.
I believe it is incredibly idiotic that laws aren't being passed because of different parties. I believe that if a law is beneficial to the country, we should have it passed without hesitation and not have to worry about it not getting passed because a different parry proposed it. I can see why Republicans would deny it so that the Democrats to not get too powerful, but I believe that if something will help the country we should pass it. Should laws be prevented because two groups dont like each other? Even if it is beneficial to the country? Give your opinion, I would like to know about what you think about this.

Reunited once again

The baseball league was stunned to learn that Monday night, one of the most powerful and solid left-handed pitcher's in the league, Cliff Lee, accepted a $120 million offer from the Philadelphia Phillies. Lee was also sought by the prestigious New York Yankees who offered him a $150 million offer for 7 years but were stumped when he turned down the offer. In addition, the Texas Rangers, the team which Lee left, wanted him to stay on the team for a longer time but he declined. Based on this decision, Lee was not after the money, but was after the team that won the World Series in 2008 and relive the memories. With him on the Phillies, their starting rotation may seem unstoppable with a lineup of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and Cliff Lee. All in all, was Lee's decision a wise one? Do the Phillies seem like the "Dream Team" of baseball? Is this a new era of pitching for the MLB?

Ice Volcano Found on Titan

The probe Cassini has spotted a 1,500m-high mountain with a deep pit on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. Scientists have identified it as a volcano because of the material flowing out from the top. After further research, the scientists have come to a conclusion that the material is probably water, or very close to water. Because of the extremely low temperatures on Titan, about -180 degrees Celsius, the water then freezes, hence the ice volcano. Also thanks to Cassini, other volcanoes have been discovered on Titan, as well as sand dunes, and other organic material.

Since living things need water to survive and that has been discovered, could there possibly have been life on this moon? Organic material has also been found in the atmosphere, which is a sure sign of life. Could this be a giant lead into our solar system's history?

Update: Child Nutrition Bill Becomes Law

It's official. Yesterday, President Obama signed off on the The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. This $4.5 billion measure provides more money to subsidize free meals for more students and will allow the federal government more control over what schools can sell on school grounds (i.e. vending machines and fundraisers). To help offset the higher cost of more fruits and vegetables, the law also increases the reimbursement rate for school lunches.

Opponents of the law largely opposed it because it would take away money from the federal food stamp program. Over the summer, Congress also took money from the food stamp program to help fund legislation that would give more money to cash strapped states in order to avoid more teacher layoffs.

The first lady, Michelle Obama, has made it a primary goal as part of her "Let's Move" initiative to get this bill passed, stating "...in the end, nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our children. Nothing." Before signing the bill, Mr. Obama joked "Had I not been able to get this bill passed, I would be sleeping on the couch." To which Michelle Obama said "We won't go into. Let's just say it got done. Don't have to go down that road."

Do you think the Obamas made the right choice in signing the bill in? And ultimately, will it be worth cutting so much from our food stamp program?

French Hostages Saved by Police

A strange, yet really scary situation happened yesterday at a preschool in France. A 17 year old man entered the preschool in the morning equipped with a taser and took over 20 children hostage. According to one of the teachers, he did not threaten the kids, he just came in and said "this is a hostage-taking. I want the windows closed and the curtains drawn." The police soon arrived and surrounded the building. They then negotiated with the man, and the children and teachers were freed. The man, who was later arrested, was reported to suffer from depression and psychological problems. The teachers and police said that he was more looking to kill himself rather than the kids.

Not only do I feel bad for the kids and teachers at that school, but also for the 17 year old. He must be struggling through life and can't possibly be happy if he wants his life to end. It's scary to think that something like this could happen anywhere, even at Aragon. I think all school's should be prepared for situations like this, and make sure everyone gets out safely. How can they prepare? Luckily, at this school everyone was safely rescued, but that will not always be the case.

Race to the playoffs!

It's that time of year again, it's way past mid season, and it's now time for the hunt of the NFL playoffs to begin. It truly has been an interesting season for all teams in the league, and there's only a few or possibly even one team that stands out as the dominator. The New England Patriots have definitely proven to be the leader of their division with an impressive 11-2 record and their star quarterback, Tom Brady. Don't forget the dangerous Atlanta Falcons who also have an 11-2 record and leader in their division with a brutal offense and Matt Ryan, one of the league's best quarterbacks. Lastly, and with no surprise, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been marching their way to wins and have won 4 of their last 5 games. It surprises me however, that teams that shined last year such as the Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings have been a mere disappointment so far. Maybe Manning and Favre are just getting old and slowly losing it. I'm also upset that the Bay Area teams have not been living up to high expectations that were expected in the season. Well, it'll be exciting to see what teams will prevail in the end, and in my opinion, I think we will see a Patriots and Steelers Super Bowl in the future. What do you guys predict?

Doctors slash patients' lab-test costs

After watching too many of his patients walk out of his office without taking the proper laboratory tests they needed, Dr. Doug Lefton decided to take the initiative to do something about it. Stating "it's a little heartbreaking when you have someone in your office and they need a blood test and they won't do it because they can't afford it", Dr. Lefton worked with Summit County Medical Society and LabCorp to create an alternative. Lefton struck a deal with these companeies that would lower the cost of these laboratory tests, not only Lefton's patients, but for everyone. The arrangement is simple. Patients living near a LabCorp office simply have to order a test through the Summit County Medical Society website, select the tests they need, give their doctor's fax number, pay with their credit card, and print out their order form. With their order form, they can go to any LabCorp office, take their test, and have their results sent to their doctor within 24 hours. Pretty nifty, huh? Lefton compares this process to "using Amazon.com to buy your lab tests."

A cholesterol test in Lefton's area can go as high as $148 dollars, for an uninsured patient, while the same test is $18 dollars through the website. Even patients already with health insurance are taking advantage of this low cost alternative. Jeff Hughey, a patient, needed a comprehensive metabolic profile, a lipid panel and a hemoglobin test for blood sugar. With health insurance, the 3 tests would have still cost him well over $400. But through this website, his total only came out to $50.45, including the $9.50 service charge.

What do you guys think about this alternative? Are there any possible drawbacks?

Health Care Reform Named Unconstitutional

In a case taken to court by the state of Virginia, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson has ruled that Obama's health care law is unconstitutional. His reasoning was that the government can not require Americans to buy insurance. He continued to say that putting a penalty on people for refusing to buy insurance is not under Congress' power under the Commerce Clause. Under this clause, the government can only regulate issues that relate to interstate commerce, health care not included. "This dispute is not simply about regulating the business of insurance — or crafting a scheme of universal health care coverage — it's about an individual's right to choose to participate," stated Hudson. This case is expected to be taken to the Supreme Court for its final ruling.

I think that this law is somewhat unconstitutional. I have learned from this article that this particular individual mandate section of the law is not fair and violates rights given in the Constitution. However, I do think health care is very important, and a proper reform is needed. Is this law unconstitutional or are people just angry because they will have to pay an extra fee for insurance?

What would happen if the health care reform is ultimately ruled unconstitutional? Would it be a big blow to the Obama administration?

Gifts that Nobody Want

I saw this article and couldn't resist posting it. It goes through 19 unusual gifts that are just ridiculous. I definitely got a good laugh while reading this, they are hilarious. I mean, why are these things even made? It definitely isn't helping our economy making these things that no one is going to buy. Can anyone explain? I just don't get it!

My personal favorites:
1. Dog Mustache Toy ($10): A chew toy for dogs, that when the toy is in the dog's mouth, it looks like he has a mustache.
2. Banana Guard ($10): A carrying case for your banana. Made out of plastic and paintedbright yellow, this is for you if you're tired of eating a bruised banana.
3. Pet Petter ($8): Shows just how lazy people are getting. This contraption pets your pet for you.
4. Peekaru ($80): It looks just like a Snuggie, except there is a whole in the chest area for your babies head to fit through. It will keep you and your baby warm at the same time!
5. LifeGem Memorial Diamonds ($2,699-$24,999): This is by far the weirdest one. It cremates your pet deceased pet and then uses the carbon to make a gem. They then can put the gem on a ring, bracelet, or necklace.
6. Fiber Optic Holiday Sweater ($30): A typical holiday sweater taken to the next level by adding lights! Nothing gets better than that.
7. Butter Warmer ($50): For the people too lazy to simply use a microwave. You plug it in, put your butter in, and wait for it to warm up. Just plain ridiculous.
8. Spray on Hair ($15): Doesn't stroking your hand through spray paint just sound delightful? Just shake up the can and spray on the bald spots on your head.
9. How to Avoid Huge Ships Manual ($82): The stupidest one of them all. Not small, not big, not large, but huge ships. An entire hardcover book all about how to avoid them. How hard can it be?

Los Angeles Seeking to Eradicate Homelessness in 5 years

As kind of a follow up post to Chris's post on homelessness in L.A., it was reported today that the Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles is trying to implement a plan they call "Home for Good." The proposal proposes to build housing for 12,000 of the chronically unemployed in Los Angeles for about $235 million dollars a year. This proposal was based on several other plans that were successfully implemented in other cities like San Francisco, New York, and Atlanta. Currently, it is estimated that there are 48,000 people that are homeless in LA plus 6,000 homeless veterans. In fact, almost a quarter of all homeless people are in fact veterans.

Part of the incentive in enforcing this plan, are the business and political communities who are concerned the homeless epidemic will tarnish L.A.'s national image and tourism campaign.

In terms of implementing the plan, the drafters of the plan claim that no new money will be needed to finance it. Richard Bloom, mayor of Santa Monica, is so confident in the plan that he believes "it’s not going to require a tremendous amount of political will to make it happen”, claiming he's "seen what happens in other cities, like New York City, Denver and Boston.”

Do you guys think this plan will work out? Five years is an awfully small amount of time to fix such large problem. Also, kind of as a side note, what do you think should be done about the large population of homeless veterans? A large reason why many are homeless is because they don't receive proper treatment for mental and physical injuries they get in war.

32 lives too late

Everyone remembers the tragedy at the Virgina Tech University three years ago when a gunman killed 32 students and staff and goes down as one of the worst campus massacres in history. However, most don't know how slow the school reacted to the shooting. The U.S. Department of Education reported that Virgina Tech did not inform the students about the situation until about 2 hours after it happened. The school had also violated the Clery Act in which universities and colleges must inform their students about crimes that occur at or near their campuses. After this and the Columbine High School massacre, stricter rules and policies should be enforced for colleges and universities for the safety of the students. We definitely don't want to see any more of these tragedies occur, so the U.S. Department of Education should act quick and do something about it.

Egg House

Dai Haifei, a 24-year-old architect in Beijing, China, has created a house that allows him to live rent free. He has built a tiny egg shaped house, that can fit on the sidewalk. The house is made of bamboo strips, wood chippings, sand bags, and grass seed which is expected to sprout in the spring. The house is equipped with solar panels, which power the lamp that is inside. Besides the lamp, all that really fits inside is a bed and a small table. The house cost about $1,000 to make, and that is the only expense he will have to pay if he continues to live in this mobile egg house.

Dai Haifei has taken living to whole new level. Especially living in China where there are 1.3 billion other people, this idea is very smart. The article says this type of housing could be a breakthrough. I think in China it really could be, and maybe some other poor countries. It is definitely the definition of cheap living. The only apparent set back: where do you shower?

Magn-easy-um

Magnesium is an important part of a healthy diet and one of the most abundant minerals found in the body. Too much stress can cause magnesium levels to drop, but having a healthy amount helps to regulate blood pressure and prevents heart disease. Eating processed foods and getting too much exercise can reduce magnesium levels. Halibut, leafy greens and supplements can help you have enough magnesium. It's finals week! Don't stress too much!

Mark Madoff found dead in apartment

The U.S. faces yet another tragedy when Mark Madoff, the son of Bernie Madoff, was found dead on Sunday in Manhattan. Authorities said Madoff had committed suicide in his own apartment early in the morning and was found by an own family member before calling the police. Most remembered Mark's father as a dark figure who was responsible for what is called the biggest investor fraud committed by a single individual. Mark took his own life on the second anniversary of his father's arrest. Most people remember the Madoff investment as a scam, but now, some light is being shed for the Madoff's for their terrible loss. I think it's tragic how first Elizabeth Edwards and now Mark Madoff, both beloved ones, have passed away in a short time frame. It definitely makes people thankful and grateful for what they have.

Program teaches autistic kids to talk back to bullies

"Sociable Kidz", is a program designed to help give kids with autism the tools they need to face bullies at school. "A lot of children who are on the (autism) spectrum just tend to take it," she said. "Or they'll fight back, but physically fight back. They just don't have the skills or techniques. They don't know what to do" says Susan Hendler, one of the founders of "Sociable Kidz".

The program primarily instructs students how to prepare for possible bully confrontations through role playing exercises and rehearsing statements. They also have the students practice in front of mirrors, so that the students can see themselves as they're practicing. Michael Cohen, a student of "Sociable Kidz" states that he often faces being -- most of all -- name calling", which typically occurs at recess. Attending the program has taught students, like Michael, to ward off bullies with counterstatements like "I don't really like what you did, so I want you to stop" or "So if you hate me a lot, why don't you leave me alone then?."

Bullying not only takes a toll on the victim, but the victim's family as well. Michael's mother, Eileen Cohen, said "You just want to run and protect them or run to the school and scream at someone." After her son joined the program, Cohen believes that the program has taught her son to "stop and think before he reacts" during confrontations.

I think this is a great program and has definitely helped some students gain the self- confidence and self- esteem they need to stand up to their bullies. Although, I feel that more should be done on the administrative level to punish or reach out to the bullies and their families. Bullying is not something that should be put up with. It's wrong and should be nipped in the bud right when it starts. If students like Michael are being "beaten up", "bullied", and "name called", what is the school doing about it to stop it? In Michael's situation, it doesn't sound like the schools are doing much. In his cause, it also sounds like a recurring situation, which is just not ok... at all!

Now, that I'm done with my mini rant, I want to hear what you guys think! Do you guys think programs like these are really effective or are just temporary problem solvers? What's your take on bullying? What do you think should be done?

E.P.A. Delays Tougher Rules on Emissions

A departure from the past two years, in which the EPA quickly reversed several environmental policies initially set by President Bush, President Obama is now temporarily withdrawing from working on delayed environmental regulations dealing with governing smog and toxic emissions from industrial boilers.

New regulations were set to be in effect within the next several weeks. But with this delay, the EPA claims it needs until "July 2011 to further analyze scientific and health studies of the smog rules and until April 2012 on the boiler regulation."

The White House asserts that President Obama is in no way trying to back out of his original "aggressive environmental agenda." Instead some political analysts claim that he's merely reacting to a new political climate with a stronger Republican Party present in Washington.

It's a sticky situation. Personally, I'm kind of in the middle because I do believe in having more stringent environmental regulations, as the US releases emissions at a rate that is highly disproportionate to the amount of people that actually live here. In fact, we are the largest cumulative emitter of energy related CO2 emissions. Crazy! But on the other hand, environmental regulation costs money to enact and enforce. And in this delicate economy, I don't know if the US financially capable of spend this much money on it and possibly lose jobs along the way.

How do you guys feel about this sticky issue? Do you agree with Obama's position?

Parents Embrace Documentary on Pressures of School

Think about all the things we do on a regular basis. We wake up, get ready to go to school, and then we arrive at school, where we try our best to be attentive and learn. After school, most of us then proceed to play a sport, volunteer, work, etc. Most of us then come home to a pile of homework and are sometimes forced up to stay up way beyond a typical sleep time just to finish all of it. It's a cycle that seemingly never ends. But at what risk do we put ourselves in doing this? And what does this tell us about the way our educational system is structured?

Vicki Abeles, an independent filmmaker, explores this in her recent documentary,"Race to Nowhere", which investigates the consequences of this so called "resume building." A child psychologist in the film testified, “When success is defined by high grades, test scores, trophies, we know that we end up with unprepared, disengaged, exhausted and ultimately unhealthy kids.” One student in the film even claimed that she would borrow her friend's prescription for Adderal just to remain focused enough to keep up with being "the vice president of [her] class, play on the soccer team and do homework,”

The film argues that this creates a system in which cheating is rampant and students really aren't "learning." It was reported that half of the students attending schools in the University of California system were required to take remedial courses, despite their "stellar grades", because they were merely "spitting back, and not retaining the information” in high school. The film then goes onto to contend that this system "diminishes creativity and independent thinking", which promotes a lack of initiative in students.

To a large degree, I agree with the film. Too often, I find myself getting caught up in participating in extracurriculars and overfocusing on school. But in reality, will doing poorly on one test really matter on in the end? Most likely not... I do also want to say that I appreciate the attention that this film has garnered and the awareness it has promoted. In fact, our school district even screened this film one night to the public.

What do you guys think about this issue? Agree or disagree with the film? Have another take on it?

A Step Towards Healthier Children

The popular brand of kid's cereals, General Mills, is taking a step towards getting children to eat healthier. They are going to slowly cut down the sugar levels of their cereals. They have to slowly lower the sugar levels because, "consumers have a very keen idea of what these cereals ought to taste like and if you change the taste dramatically or suddenly, they'll walk away from the brand," said Jeff Harmening, the president of General Mills. They don't want to drop the sugar levels all of a sudden, because kids would no longer want to eat the cereal. If they lower the sugar in small increments, the kids won't even notice, and continue to tell their parents to buy the cereals. General Mills also sells Progresso soup and Yoplait yogurt and they are planning to do the same for those products as well.

I think this is a really smart idea of General Mills. Sugary cereals definitely contribute to child obesity. This obesity then leads to other health problems such as high cholesterol and diabetes. It is great that big companies like General Mills are starting to make changes and make children healthier. Hopefully other companies will follow their lead and ultimately end up with a healthier population. Can it be done?

"Don't ask Don't Tell" repeal faces setback

Earlier this afternoon, the attempted repeal that would ban gay troops from serving in the US military failed in the Senate where Republicans voted 57-40 against it. However, some Senate Republicans like Susan Collins of Maine and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut said that the repeal should have an extensions for debate and voting. Unfortunately, the Senate majority leader has refused to negotiate for more debating on the repeal. President Obama is disappointed that Republicans will most likely have a filibuster to delay the repeal along with adding amendments. The "Don't ask Don't Tell" policy debate is not over yet, but it looks like it has some obstacles to overcome if wanting to repeal. Do you guys think the topic is still worth debating in the Senate? Will it eventually be repealed or be stuck in the Senate by a wave of filibusters?

Footbowl

I have always loved sports so it was inevitable that I was going to blog on somthing sports related. However, unfortunately for me there is not much big news on baseball and tennis at the moment, but there is news on the bowl predictions for college football. This article talks about the predictions for the bowl games. What they predict is Auburn(1) and Oregon(2) in the BCS Championship game, TCU(3) and Wisconsin(5) in the Rose Bowl, Stanford(4) vs Virginia Tech(13), Ohio State(6) and Arkansas(8) in the Sugar Bowl, and Oklahoma(7) vs Connecticut in the Fiesta Bowl (plus many more but these are the big ones). Personally for me I do find that these games, beside the the Fiesta Bowl, are going to be really good. However, I do feel like the BCS system for picking who gets to play in the BCS bowls prevents some really good teams from playing. For example Boise State(10) and Michigan State (9) who only had one loss are not predicted to play in any BCS bowl game while Connecticut who lost 4 games will be. I personally view that it would be better if they take the top 16 BCS ranked teams and do a playoff system. This would prevent teams like Boise and Michigan State from missing out from on playing on the "big stage". What do you guys think? Do you view the BCS's way which is that "the ten teams selected include the conference champion from each of the six BCS conferences plus four others"? Or the idea of a playoff system?

Wearable Food

Food you can wear? Yes, South Korean artist Sung Yeonju is making this come true with her creations. Unlike Lady Gaga's dress made from meat, Sung Yeonju's creations are stunning. She makes dresses and corsets made from food you see everyday such as tomatoes, bubblegum, and eggplant. They come out beautiful and look like they take hours upon hours to create. Please click the link and see the photos! They are amazing.

Sung Yeonju's message is inspiring. She explains that "this series forces viewers to defy the actual meaning, the functionalities, and the aspects of what clothing signifies in our lives." I love the fact that she is not just an artist using another medium to create works of art, but actually someone with a motive. I know I have never really thought about what a huge role clothes plays on my life. I hope she can reach out with her art and help send this message. I think art like this could potentially really help people in need. I know now I am appreciative of my clothes and I hope that everyone can feel the same and hopefully donate to people who don't have their own. Can art really make a difference on society and their actions?

NATO Service Member Killed

Today, NATO received news of one of it's service members dying in Kabul, Afghanistan. Details have not been released, but it is known that the man was taken hostage and killed during an attack in Kabul. The man had been in Afghanistan, along with other U.S. troops, in order to regain control of the Taliban strongholds that had recently triggered increased fighting. This will be the 13th NATO member killed just this month and will add to the 670 members killed in 2010.

It is really sad to see that so many people are still dying even after all these years. Personally, I think we have lost enough by going into this war, and it is time to be over. These death tolls show that we are still hurting ourselves by going over seas. It is not fair for people to go there with good intentions and get captured, tortured, and then killed like this man was. Things need to change! But what?

Beets!

This article is talking about how a California judge ordered for the removal of genetical manipulated sugar beets. This is because these genetically changed beets are considered bad for the enviorment and can effect other plants around them. However, the counter argument is that without these beets there will be a large jump in imported sugar and a large increase in sugar prices. They stated that there would be a "preliminary injunction against planting the seed will take effect on Dec. 6" (of this year). I am actually really happy that these beets were taken out of the ground for I view that this is a small step in govermental officals becoming more sensitive towards the enviorment. However, it does make my skin crawl a little knowing that the prices are going to have to go up on sugar, but I personally think that it is worth it for we each need to make some sacrifices to make our future better. So what do you guys think? Do you agree with the removal of these beets? Or do you think that they should have been kept? Or whatever other imput that you guys may have.

Does this really matter?

Okay while I was searching for an article to use on this blog I came across this one, and it is about Rachel Ucitel who refused to fly coach while on her way to a "Celebrity Rehab", and then she "...tried to re-book her first flight for one to Vegas." However, I don't want to talk directly about this article but rather how I find it odd that this made National news. This is because personally for me I think that there are many more important things that could be Nationally published rather then this. This makes me feel as if our society has been sucked into a system where we pay attention only to stuff that is entertaining rather then things that have actual substance. Plus I do not understand how this news effects us and why people actually pay thorough attention to this kind of stuff but thats just me. Also there are many terrbile things that happen to citizens around the world, but none of that is published just because they not celebrities. What do you guys fell about this? Do you disagree with me about this news that I personally find unimportant or do you agree with me?

Getting the gang back together (sort of)

The San Francisco Giants and its fans are happy to know that many of its players will be returning to the franchise excluding some players such as Eugenio Velez and most shocking, Juan Uribe who was traded to Los Angeles Dodgers. Fans are relieved that familiar faces such as Cody Ross, Freddy Sanchez, Buster Posey, Andres Torres, and all of its starting pitchers are coming back. The Giants have also resigned Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell but they signed Huff for only 2 years and Burrell for only a year with mediocre pay. In addition, the Giants have acquired a new shortstop, Miguel Tejada, who was traded from the San Diego Padres and new prospects from the Arizona Fall league. Personally, I think the pickup of Tejada was not a great choice and it's horrible how one of the Giants' power hitters have gone to its rival. What do you guys think? Was picking up Tejada the right move for the giants as shortstop? Was Derek Jeter a better candidate at the time? Is resigning Huff and Burrell for 1-2 years even worth it?

US Education considered "Average"

Considered a "massive wake up call" by Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the results of an international assessment of students revealed that U.S. students only ranked "average". The U.S. is currently ranked 14th out of 34 OCED countries in this assessment. The assessment, The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment, compared the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds in 70 countries around the world. On a scale of 1,000, the U.S. scored 500 in reading, 487 in math and 502 in science.

George Miller, the House Education and Labor Chairman, stated that he would currently give our country's education system an F. Miller claims "The difference between the countries at the top of these rankings and the U.S. is that the countries who are outperforming us have made developing the best education system in the world a national goal, they've recognized that the strength of their economy will be inextricably tied to the strength of their education system in the 21st century."

The OCED report also claimed that if the U.S. raised 25 pts. in each academic subject, over the next 20 yrs. there would be a net $41 trillion gain for the U.S. economy.

What are you opinions on the OCED results? Do you guys agree with Miller? And, at this point, what type of reforms do you think could be implemented to improve our educational system?

Drug Driving

This article is basically talking about the sever negative effects of driving under the influence of drugs. However this situation is more tricky then I personally anticipated because it is not only the use of illegal drugs that are causing these accidents but also through the abuse of prescription drugs as well. According to the article driving under the influence of drugs accounts for 33% of fatal accidents. Personally I find it difficult to come up with an idea to help prevent these accidents from happening. This is because people can still circumvent the responsibility of driving sober and could also accidentally overdose on a prescription drugs. The only way I see for these accidents to stop occurring is only if people think about their mental state before they get behind the wheel of a car and for the government to enact harsher punishments for those who get caught. What is your opinion on this? Do you think that their is a better way to stop these accidents from occurring?

FIRE! Call 911! No Wait, Get the Butter!

Last year, a stick of butter was purchased from a regular old grocery store in Texas. The University of Texas School of Public Health ran some tests and hey! What do you know? High levels of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBD), a common flame retardant for electronics, were found. Lead researcher Arnold Schecter states, in case you didn't know, that "Flame retardants were not meant to be eaten. They're made to slow down the smoke in fires. They're not a food component."

Little is known about the health effects of PBDs, but they are believed to be linked to liver cancer and neurobehavior. But, apparently 95% of Americans have traces of fire retardant chemicals in their systems. Americans are just so healthy!

What do you think about these facts? Should there be an investigation into the processes involving the manufacture of butter?

Homelessness issue in Los Angeles

What this article is basically talking about is the homeless issues in Los Angeles, and according to the article Los Angeles seven years ago was named "The Homeless Capital of America" with recording over 84,000 people who were homeless. Plus all the ways that tried to solve this problem did not really work all that well. However, now a bunch of faith leaders are trying to help the homeless issue in Los Angeles. What they are trying to do is help thoes who are homeless through a focus on compassion. They are doing this in the hope that it will influence others to help thoes who are homeless. This is becuase for them it is an act of "justice" to home all thoes who have none. So I ask you do you guys think that this is a good approach to this pressing issue? Or do you guys think that there is a better way at approaching this issue? And if so what would you suggest as another issues?

Remembering Pearl Harbor

69 years ago today, Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was attacked by the Japanese. Over 3,000 Americans were killed and over 1,000 were wounded. Dozens of battleships and other smaller ships were completely destroyed. The Japanese incentive? To make sure the United States would keep their fleet away from Japan and not get involved in their affairs. This event caused the United States to enter in World War II.

The slideshow of pictures really hit me hard. Huge explosions and planes getting taken down are followed by young children and their parents watching their houses being destroyed right before their eyes. They portray the horrors of Pearl Harbor perfectly and show how much damage the Japanese caused the United States.

The Japanese certainly made their statement, but was it really worth starting a major war? What if this happened to San Francisco? Can you even imagine the tragedy?

Denver Broncos fire head coach

 Josh McDaniels, the head coach of the Denver Broncos, was fired yesterday after one of his staff members filmed their opponent, the San Francisco 49er's before their match. In addition, McDaniels was fined $50,000 along with each member of the team. However, McDaniels didn't actually view the videotape, and the team along with the league didn't know about it until a month later. To add more humiliation, the Broncos lost to the 49er's last month 10-6. The staff member who videotaped the 49er's did get fired, but I personally think that the treatment McDainels received was unneccesary. The fact that he didn't view the tape should exclude him from punishment. What do you guys think? Did the NFL make the correct move by firing both McDaniels along with the staff member?