News outlets to consider:
- Any major TV news outlet (Yes, I will accept The Daily Show and The Colbert Report)
- Any major international, national, regional, or local newspaper
- Any major internet news service
- Any major radio news outlet
- Any of these podcasts (you're not limited to these, but it's definitely a start if you're not familiar with podcasts)
- Any of these YouTube channels (again, not an exhaustive list, just a place to get started)
In a podcast of Freakonomics Radio titled, "Outsiders by Design" they discuss a man by the name of Gary Becker. Gary Becker was born in December 2, 1930 in Pennsylvania. When growing he was given the option between joining the math team or joining the school handball team (which he was better at than math). However, he reluctantly joined the math club,which sparked his interest and that spark kept burning long into college when he was faced with the decision of his major. Gary chose economics rather than what he thought to be more relevant in the real world (sociology). He continued his major in economics and wrote many papers about the topic. These papers include; Evolutionary Efficiency and Mean Reversion in Happiness, The Economics Theory of Illegal Goods: The case of Drugs, and Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach. Gary Becker studied economics from every standpoint you could possibly think of. I believe that this showed his intelligence and ability to deal with adversity in complex situations. However, others didn't share the same opinion. He was heavily ridiculed in the economics and sociology community for doing this, but that didn't stop him and he continued his work until his death on May 3, 2014.
ReplyDeleteI think Gary Becker sounds like a very smart person who is entitled to whatever he wants to do with his life. I don’t think he should be ridiculed for majoring in economics. Economics is all about wealth and resources, how we produce, consume, and transfer it. Without economics the economy wouldn’t function properly. I agree with you when you say that what he does shows intelligence and that he can deal with complex situations. He was right to keep going and study economics till death because it is what he believed in and he didn’t want to stop it.
DeleteGary Becker should be set as an example for young people in today's society. He decided to go beyond his comfort zone and choose something besides handball, and ironically enough was good at math too. I feel him being ridiculed for his personal decisions was a little much. People are afraid of what they don't know, and obviously the people ridiculing him must of failed math multiple times. Gary Becker had every right to keep doing what he was doing, and he kept doing it proficiently which makes him 20x better. I say kudos to him for doing what he had a passion for, and never stopping due to someone else's opinion.
DeleteNewsela- Reading other people's feelings by looking, not texting
ReplyDeleteA research has shown that you can read other people's facial expressions much faster without using your electronic device for only a certain amount of time. They took 50 sixth-graders and took them all on a camping trip. The campers were not allowed to use any of their devices. They went there for five days and gave them two test to read social clues. In one of the test the students had to look at 48 pictures of people making faces. They were told to guess the facial expression. In the second test they watched a video with no sound and had to guess the characters feelings. They made the students retake the test five days later. At first the students made 14 mistakes but, the second time they only made 9 mistakes. Then they tested 44 sixth-grade students who did not go to camp and attended the same school the first 50 went to. They gave them the same two test. On the first test the students only made 12 mistakes but five days later they only had nine mistakes. The article states that the two groups started at different levels before they ended up with the same score. In the end the group who attended camp showed more improvement. Dr. Patricia Green says that "It is important for kids to spend time away from screens". She also says " But,that does not mean that screen-time is all that bad". Uhls said " Its always good to have a balance". I agree that we should have a balance. Computers, TV, and cellphones are fun but, its always good to have face-to-face socializing.
I think it is very interesting how technology has allowed us to decipher people’s facial expressions slower than without it. I don’t think, though, that technology is necessarily a bad thing in today’s society but I can see now, through research, that it has made us more unsociable and has basically consumed our lives. I think it was compelling reading this research because socializing is apart of human nature; we communicate to learn more about each other. Now with the Internet, a lot of people would prefer communicating through a computer instead of face- to- face.
DeleteI agree that students should take some time away from their screens. The more kids see nature and get away from modern technology the healthier they get.
DeleteCNN- Emma Watson Feminism
ReplyDeleteIn this story on CNN, posted September 22, 2014, is all about feminism. Feminism is the supporting of woman’s rights. Celebrity Emma Watson took it upon herself to give notice to gender issues. She spoke at a launch for the HeForShe campaign, which is particularly targeted at men to help them stop the violence against woman themselves. I believe it is better to target men instead of woman because they are the ones who create the violence against woman and have political/ social “power” over them. Watson is a goodwill ambassador for U.N. I would consider myself a feminist and agree with Watson on these gender issues. I do, though, know that a lot has changed between woman in the past and now. We are able to vote and speak our minds when it was once totally forbidden. Also, violence against woman has slowly, but maturely decreased through time. Some people, though, say that feminism is a problem because certain people think it is “male bashing”. Another well-known actress, Shailene Woodley, has been asked if she was a feminist (on May 5th by TIME). When asked she said: “No, because I love men, and I think the idea of ‘raise women to power, take the men away from the power’ is never going to work out because you need a balance”. I believe this is totally ridiculous. Feminism is not the movement of taking men’s power away but for men and woman to have equality. To many people think that us woman want to have power over men when that is not it at all; we want equality. There will never be a balance if the genders are constantly seeking power over the other; feminism is reaching that equilibrium. Before celebrities say something about feminists being “male bashing”, they need to know what feminism is first.
I totally agree with everything. I feel man are the one who create the violence, and make women feel like sexual crimes are our fault. I would also consider myself a feminist after hardcore judging everything is this blog. Feminism defiantly isn't about taking mens power away, it's more about making men and women equal and it should also be about teaching men about treating women with respect and dignity. For example, at our school we have the unnecessary rule where they don't want our shoulders showing. Like are my shoulders sexual provoking you to the point where you can't learn? This is an example of what feminist need to target when teaching men. I just find it astonishing that Shailene Woodley opinion was the way it was. I feel that is where more feminist education needs to come in because her comment was unintelligent. If we teach men and women to treat each other equal, and respectful, the world won't have as many problem's as it currently does.
DeleteI personally do not feel that a woman should take all power and be the supreme beings as this article suggests by its content and tone. Please notice how I said not all meaning as Shailene Woodley said, a balance. Yes women have the right to vote, own property, get a job, and now serve in the military. However, as a personal traditionalist I feel that Alex's allegations of "I feel man are the one who create the violence, and make women feel like sexual crimes are our fault," is absolutely false. Many police forces have a Special Victims Unit which is employed by many men in all positions. I would also like to know how exactly a balance which is what women such as Susan B. Anthony fought for is now being hijacked by the fact of overkill in the so called issue. Men have been called sexist pigs for hundreds of years however now women want to take away men's rights and want roles reversed which is truly what is happening however, men are supposed to just sit there and let it happen in fear of persecution for standing up for their beliefs.
DeleteTo address you're comment Mr. Di Cerbo, I'm still standing by my statement. Frankly, I purple elephant could work in the Special Victim Unit, just because men of all position work there does not mean anything. Men are the one's who rape women, beat women, and it some cases kill women/there families. I'm not saying all men are sexist pigs, but the one's that are should be educated so they aren't one of those sexist animals. Instead of men freaking out because their elaged "rights" are being stolen, they could EDUCATE themselves on what feminist are, and what they do, so maybe they can realize what kind of man they are in this society, a sexist one, or maybe a good person. It's all about the man and his morals on how woman are treated and how respect should be applied.
DeleteVery interesting as men are also raped, beaten, and killed on a daily basis, and you must know that rape is not a one way street as many women also rape. To go on with your belittling comment on special victims unit, those MEN AND WOMEN that work there are the ones that put the men and women who commit those hanis crimes.
DeleteSo Brendan, how often do you hear about women raping men? Granted, women can hit men, just like men hit us, and women can murder, just like men do. But, in your previous comment you ONLY addressed "men" in the special victims unit workplace. Yes, the crimes are hanks, and yes, men do not cause all the problems in this world with women. But if men didn't do these things, we wouldn't have feminism.
DeleteStatistical analysis has nothing to do with the issue, furthermore my statement above clearly noted the dedicated works of BOTH men AND women in the SVU. According to debate.org, 51% of people believe feminism is no longer necessary as women now have equal rights.
DeleteP.S.: Alex, you have put up a terrific argument and it was fun. I want to let everyone know that my opinions were not to offend anyone, as I was having a civil debate with Alex. If I have offended anyone, I am truly sorry. Micayla, thank you for placing the post for Alex and I to debate over.
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DeleteI agree that men often times are the ones to start the violence but the women needs to take it in her hands to get herself out of the situation she is in. While she is saying that feminism is not taking any on the men’s power where are they getting it from they are taking the power that the men have that should have been theirs all along that what feminism is. I believe that some men still think that women cant do what they can do we still have never had a female president.
DeleteI am on the fence on this one. I feel man can create the violence, and make women feel like sexual crimes are our fault. Although on the other hand personally do not feel that a woman should take all power and be the supreme beings as this article suggests by its content. I feel that there are two side to this topic such as our discussion on abortion, there will be no one definitive side.
DeleteA new guideline has been instituted to allow referees to stop games for up to 3 minutes so that an injured player can be examined by a team doctor. FIFA has faced a lot of criticism with handling head injuries. This new policy will ensure the safety of players on the field. During the 2014 World Cup, several players continued to play with serious head injuries due to concussions. In the final World Cup game, Christoph Kramer of Germany was knocked unconscious in a collision but he remained on the field for 14 minutes before being substituted. Concussions can be deadly if they are not treated the right way. Kramer had been disoriented after his collision and when he got up, he asked the referee whether he was playing in the World Cup final. The referee then told the captain of Germany, Philipp Lahm, and he had told the coaches to replace Kramer. This is a small step in the direction of safety of an old issue, but at least FIFA is trying to do something. Head injuries are a serious problem in all sports and they need to be taken more seriously. In another article I read, a former Brazilian soccer player just died because of a brain trauma that he got from playing years of soccer. This might have been caused from multiple collisions or repeated headers while playing. I think that there needs to be more precautions and and guidelines that need to be followed to prevent these injuries. This is not just a problem in soccer, concussions and head injuries happen all the time in different sports (like football) and a lot of coaches do not know to deal with these injuries. I think all sports should have their own guidelines that will make children and adults safer. Head injuries do not just happen to adults in professional sports, they can also happen to young children. Head injuries may cause a person to never play again or they can cause permanent brain damage. These are serious problems that need to be taken more seriously.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on everything that you have said, you are 100% right. I believe that whenever a player gets hit in the head and that it can possibly hurt them, they need to get substituted. If that player keeps playing after the concussion, it can then lead to way worse things. I think that every player would rather be substituted for one game then to be substituted for the rest of his or her life.
DeleteWhenever a player gets a blow to the head during a game, even if they say they are alright, I think they still should be taken out of the game to be examined, you never know what could be going on, concussions don't always act right when you get hit.
DeleteI would like to know how often a soccer player sustains head injures? Does it happen every game, every other game, or seldom? A players health is way more important than any single game, so I agree with the new FIFA guideline. What are the chances that one of these athletes having such bad head injure?
DeleteThe New York times - Fighting to Honor a Father's Last Wish: To Die at Home.
ReplyDeleteIn this article, a young women is trying to fulfill her father's last wish, which is to die in the comfort of his own home. After numerous hospital stay, rehabilitation centers, and nursing homes, he's been through some many he can't even count the bills. But every time him or his daughter ask to take him home, so he can be with family and be comfortable in his final days, they tell him no. In my opinion this is just another way for hospitals and such to make more money off of people when in reality they are just deteriorating day by day. In the article it stated that records would show that her father’s case let the nursing home collect $682.48 a day from Medicare, about five times the cost of a day of home care. If I was in the position and my mother or father was being bounced by hospital to hospital, I would want to fight the healthcare system on the issue, but then again it'd wouldn't be worth the time I didn't get to spend with my parents. This issue should be fought though, they are in no position to tell somewhere they can and cannot die. Doctors and nurses can see how sick a patient is, and tell them they aren't going to make it, but that gives them no right to make them stay in a hospital room with white walls and a small television with 2 channels for their last days on earth. It was heartbreaking to read that this poor man was then forced to septically died in a hospital bed with only his daughter by his side. It's truly sad to think that all hospital care about is the income they are receiving, by keeping people in order to die
Bringing her dad home to die shouldn't be a problem for the hospitals unless, like you said, the hospitals are only doing it for the money. I'm sad that the man had to die in the hospital, but hopefully in the future people will be able to die where they like.
DeleteIt is unfortunate to say that most institutions such as hospitals and colleges are all for profit with stockholders and are out for the patients money. I am not saying the above is wrong but they should not turn down a patients last request. I also question a large hospitals cleanliness and overall accountability as many people die from becoming septic in a hospital because of hospital neglect. It is a sad and unfortunate story.
DeleteThe rights of an American citizen should be held to their last day, this is such an outrageous occurrence that I didn't think it would happen in our country where we are promised certain unalienable rights. This near death person's family should be able to remove the patient from the hospital as it's their right to choose where their loved one dies. I hope everything this family goes through is solved for the peace of the family.
DeleteCNN- Dolphins killed in Taiji's controversial hunting season
ReplyDeleteIn Japan, dolphins are being killed for money and meat. The Japanese say it’s cultural, but other people don’t care, they want it to stop. Some people believe the way the dolphins are killed is barbaric. The hunters penetrate the dolphins’ spinal cord with metal leaving the dolphin to bleed out and eventually die hours later. Wakayama residents argue that the hunting of dolphins is important for their town’s economic survival. Then, the Wakayama residents turned on the activists, comparing dolphin hunting to the killing of livestock. The activists argued that dolphins are self-aware and display intelligence whereas other animals don’t, therefore hunting dolphins is wrong. But, I think that the amount of intelligence an animal has doesn’t determine the cruelties you can do to them. Killing dolphins is just as wrong as killing livestock. Don’t get me wrong though, I do agree that what is happening here is terrible. At the very least the hunters could hunt the dolphins in a more humane way. The hunters say selling the dolphins live to aquariums gets them more money than selling their meat. If that is the case than why are the majority of dolphins killed and sold as meat? Last season, 850 dolphins were killed while only 160 where taken into captivity.
This is a topic that everyone should care about. This is very wrong, I can barely understand that they are killing the dolphins, but at least do it in a less severe way. They are putting these animals in such pain and that is not right, somebody needs to do something about this. Those people that think "oh it doesn't matter it is just an animal" are very stupid and should be yelled at for that. Animals feel just as much pain as humans so I think this is very important.
DeletePart of the reason why more dolphins are being killed than taken into captivity might be because the people who live in that area need food so they eat and sell the meat (dolphin). I agree with you when you say that they could hunt the dolphins in a more humane way; killing them in a quick and easy manner instead of penetrating the dolphins’ spinal cord with metal and leaving the dolphin to bleed out and eventually die hours later.
DeleteI believe that killing the dolphins because of cultural reasons is very inhumane and it should be stopped as soon as possible. The way they kill the dolphins is horrific and could as least kill them in a more painless way rather than letting them bleed out. Dolphins are one of the smartest creatures on earth and display intelligence much like humans. We should try to preserve our dolphins and stop this cruel cultural tradition.
DeleteThere is no excuse at all to kill dolphins. I am not a vegetarian because I am an athlete and it is unhealthy to be a vegetarian and constantly work out and run, but killing animals is not something i agree with. Animals are like people, they do have a beating heart and breathing lungs. They do have a life and no matter how different their lives are from ours, there is no excuse to kill helpless dolphins.
DeleteKilling dolphins and other animals is wrong. They were not created to be killed by humans. And, their intelligence level doesn't matter, humans kill elephant for their skin and they are smart. But it is wrong to kill any living animal without their consent.
DeleteI am on the fence about this situation. Guess I feel it’s wrong to be killing dolphins for their meat, but at the same time they had a point when they turned on the activists, just like killing cows for their meat is a part of our culture, dolphin meat may be a part of their culture. Do I feel it’s wrong, yes, but is no different then how we kill our livestock to benefit us.
DeleteHumanity Break An Ominous Record - The SciShow
ReplyDeleteObviously, we all know the industrial age we are currently living in today has harmful effects against the atmosphere. Studies by the Global Carbon Budget this week show that by the end of 2014, the world will have more carbon dioxide in the air than ever before. They believe that fossil fuel admissions are going to be increased by 2.5% this year compared to last year. That's about 40,000 billion metric tons in one year. That's 10^13 kilograms. Scientists have found out that the planet's average temperature has increased 2 degrees Celsius since the Industrial Age. This presents itself as a threat to climate and agriculture. Studies show that CO2 emissions cannot pass 1,200 billion metric tons or it will be a very harmful and dangerous situation for the climate. If the world even maintains it's regular progression pattern as it is now, it's going to reach that limit within just 30 years. Although, two solutions were found. One is to leave the Earth's fossil fuels alone and keep them underground, which, in my opinion, won't help everyone else because we're dependent on them. The other is to find effective Carbon Dioxide Removal techniques such as something simple like planting more plants that consume carbon dioxide or build devices that absorb carbon dioxide and are placed underground as a process called, Carbon Sequestration. Although, that would be very expensive. Hank Green, the commentator, mentioned that if we're smart enough to have gotten the technology to get into this situation, then with some leadership, we can figure a way out of it.
I think we should do one of the Carbon Dioxide Removal techniques. I think money shouldn't be a problem since our planet is a little more important than money. I agree with what Hank said, if we got ourselves into this situation we should be able to get out.
DeleteI feel that at the expense of our world, Carbon Dioxide Removal is necessary because, to continue with our agricultural methods we need a solution. This process will have to be a rapid one, due to the limited time allotted to amend the Global Carbon Budget.
DeleteHonestly, I feel like we should start now to ween the world off of fossil fuels in case we can't find a Carbon Dioxide Removal method that is available to us. It is a well known fact that we can't just stop using fossil fuels overnight, but that doesn't mean that we cant start cutting down. If we gradually cut down every few months or so, then I feel like we can easily introduce other fuel methods and decrease on fossil fuels without any problems occurring.
DeleteWorld Cup goalline technology: how does it work?
ReplyDeleteI believe that this will help soccer flourish and become more popular throughout the world. In the 2010 World Cup, Lampard's goal against Germany was disallowed because they said that the ball had never crossed the line. On the replay that they displayed showed us that the ball had obviously went in. This is such an important topic because if they had allowed Lampard's goal, England could have went on to winning the World Cup. Goal Line technology is a system that tells us whenever the ball has crossed the line completely. It is such an advanced and a very expensive technology. German-produced GoalControl, it is the system currently in use at the World Cup in Brazil. It uses 14 high-speed cameras mounted around the stadium – seven pointed at each goal – to track the flight of the ball and detect whether it has cross the goal line or not. Hawk-Eye is already used in cricket, tennis and snooker, and like GoalControl employs high-speed video cameras dotted around the pitch to triangulate and track the position and flight of the ball. There are many more things that this technology uses to track the ball to see if it entered the goal, I believe that all the money put into it makes it worth it.
I think that Goal Line technology is a great invention to ensure if the ball actually goes over the line. The Goal Line technology is great for a second look at a goal because the referee might see a goal but others might not have seen it. This technology will prove if a goal is a goal without any arguments. The Goal Line technology is very accurate so people should not fight over it. It will also save time for playing because people won't be arguing all the time.
DeleteI think the goal line technology is one of the best inventions for the game of soccer. You will be able to verify if a goal is really a goal. I know many goals have been close calls where the ref just had to decide whether to call it or not without being 100% sure. But now with the goal line technology there is no argument the ball passed the goal line or not.
Deletehttp://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/09/23/who-forecasts-more-than-20000-ebola-cases-by-november-2/
ReplyDeleteThe World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that there will be over 20,000 people infected with the ebola virus by November. Remember, November is just a short month away! Ebola has become a popular outbreak when the two american medical professionals were diagnosed (Doctor and Nurse), they were both working in the same region of Western Africa when they contracted the Ebola virus. Ebola has become in my opinion the next plague. Currently approximately 2,800 people have died from the ebola virus this year and 3,000 more have survived. Ebola currently has no known cure and is a very painful disease only transmitted via exchange of bodily fluids, it is not an airborne pathogen.
This is very scary to think about because the Ebola virus is a very painful disease, and like the Black Plague, it can kill many people who are not treated properly. That is a lot of people that will be infected by November and knowing that it can spread easily is a scary thought as well. Since Ebola has know cure, those numbers are going to increase, killing a lot more people.
DeleteAn Ebola outbreak in America would be quite frightening, and I have read up about these doctors and I read that they seem to be in stable conditions. They are bringing them back to the U.S. for treatment, so hopefully nothing will break out into the rest of the country.
DeleteI honestly think we're making a big deal out of Ebola, expecting that it will expand largely in the future. Since it's only transferred from bodily fluids, as long as everyone is careful about their hygiene and what they eat and drink, it shouldn't be much of a problem.
DeleteThe Ebola Outbreak is definitely a scary topic, and it should onto be ignored. However, I feel that the likelihood of doctors and scientists combined finding a cure to Ebola, or at least a treatment plan, is extremely high. Personally, I feel that Ebola will not be an issue in the United States for long, with all the intelligence and technology we have in our country.
DeleteI see how someone could be afraid that the ebola virus would take over but in all honesty, this is America. We have the technology to suspect the virus in a patient before it is too late and we have the vaccines and medicines to heal one from the virus. In africa, they do not have what we have and that is most likely the reason why the virus was such a tragedy for them.
DeleteThe Ebola Outbreak is definitely scary. But I feel as though here in America we could contain it if it was to spread. With the technology and the advances in science that we have, I think we could contain it and keep it to a minimum.
DeleteCNN News: Teens escape yet again from Nashville detention center
ReplyDeleteThirteen Tennessee juveniles escaped from the Woodland Hills Youth Development Center on Friday night. According the to the news article this was the same juvenile detention center in Nashville where 32 escaped earlier this month. That's an average of more than 1½ escapes per day. By Saturday morning, 12 of the 13 most recent escapees had been recaptured and brought to a juvenile court detention in Nashville to face additional charges, according a Tennessee Department of Children's Services (TDCS) statement. Two of the 32 teenagers who escaped back on September 1 are still on the lam. According to its website, Woodland Hills is for "delinquent male youth" between the ages of 13 and 19 that have committed at least three felonies. "Since the last set of escapes, the department has been rapidly upgrading security," TDCS said. "Aluminum panels that students were able to kick through have been replaced with steel ... a project to reinforce the perimeter fence with concrete at the base is nearly complete." But TDCS, which operates the Woodland Hills facility, says its guards "have few methods to control the youth ... they do not have weapons or pepper spray." The only thing they do have, according to the TDCS website, is a radio to call for help. Another problem, it would seem, is that the felons in lockup are not actually allowed to be locked up. In my opinion TDCS needs to support the juvenile detention center guards with weapons they could use to stop more of these escapes. I also think that the upgrading of their security is a start to lessening of these escapes, but there is a lot more that can be done like changing rules of how the juvenile detention center runs.
I do agree that security personnel and security in general need to be armed with weapons and improved, respectively. However, I believe that the incentive to escape should be lowered, as part of the reason why the juvenile delinquents escape is to escape a facility that they dislike. Improving the wellbeing of the juveniles and the facility so that they may even enjoy it at best may give less reason to escape.
DeleteI agree on the fact that the security personel should be armed with weapons to prevent more of these breakouts. The teens see the security guards as weakened because of the lack of intimidation, which makes the teens want to break out more. Upgrading the security around this juvenile detention center would definitely lessen these outbreaks and keep them in the facility. If the juveniles actually enjoyed being in the detention center maybe it would not influence them to break out.
DeleteSyria: US dual policy of striking groups while training others is recipe for more violence
ReplyDeleteSyria's foreign minister on Monday blasted the United States' "dual policy" of striking at some militants in Syria while providing money, weapons and training to others, calling it a recipe for more violence and terrorism.
Walid al-Moallem said such behavior creates a "fertile ground" for the continued growth of extremism in countries including Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.
He addressed the annual U.N. General Assembly as U.S.-led coalition airstrikes targeted towns and villages in northern and eastern Syria controlled by the Islamic State group. Washington and Arab allies opened their air assault against the extremist group last week in Syria, going after its military facilities, training camps, heavy weapons and oil installations. The campaign expands upon the airstrikes the United States has been conducting against the militants in Iraq since early August.
The coalition includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan. The U.S. administration has also approved a program to equip and train Syrian rebel factions it describes as moderate.
CNN News: Five more bodies found on Japan’s Mount Ontake after eruption
ReplyDeleteFive more lifeless bodies have been found on the slopes of Japan’s Mount Ontake, bringing the total number of presumed dead in a volcanic eruption Saturday to 36. There is still a total of 24 bodies that still remain on the mountain, while 12 have been recovered, identified, and pronounced dead. The search for more missing hikers has been suspended due to the dangerous conditions at the summit. The volcano in Central Japan unleashed a huge cloud of ash late Saturday morning that billowed down the mountainside and engulfed many hikers in its path. Some of the witnesses of the explosion said it was like hearing a sound of thunder when the eruption had begun. The relatives of the missing gathered near Mount Ontake over the weekend desperately seeking information about what had happened. The Japan Meteorological Agency has raised the Volcanic Alert Level for Ontake from 1 to 3. This means the public is advised to not approach the volcano. The agency warned that another large eruption could take place in the next six days or so. Mount Ontkae, the second tallest volcano in Japan, after Mount Fuji, is a popular destination for hikers, especially in the fall when the rich autumn colors are on great display.
There's so much going on in Hong Kong today, it's ridiculous. Rebellions are everywhere for democracy and now a volcanic eruption has occurred. The area covered by the ash and smoke is enormous and shocking. There are a ton of people who climb that mountain everyday, so it's chilling to think about the amount of dead bodies covered in ash.
DeleteOutsiders by Design: A New Freakonomics Radio Podcast
ReplyDeleteThis podcast had a short biography of three men who change their field. The first of the men is Gary Becker. He changed the study of economics, the science of human beings. An example of his work is this, are criminals really a subhuman species that with a little right-thinking would stop their careers or they made a choice to be a criminal even after being in a state penitentiary for a few years. Which I thought was quite interesting that he could develop ideas about this subject. At the same time he’s coming up with these new ideas there was a lot of rejection towards those thoughts. Most economists thought that their science should only applied to the economic systems of the day not any conceivable subject. They mocked him with papers like the economics of toothpaste or chewing gum. I went ahead and listen to the stories of the other two men, Barry Marshall and his idea for the cause of an ulcer, and William Smith the proto-geologist who created maps of the fossils and minerals of the English Islands. Both of those articles were very good, but personally my favorite was the one about William Smith.
By Simon Krassner
SciShow: The Science of Wildfires
ReplyDeleteThis episode of SciShow discussed the process of forest fires. Forest fires are very good for some natural environments, like grassy plains that allow the fire to cut down on trees and invasive plants or forests that keep down the overgrowth and the top canopy. Fires also leave behind the burned plants that are rich in minerals (like potassium and magnesium) which allows the seeds of the new plants to grow healthy and with enough sunlight. Many plants and animals have adapted to the fire cycle. Although it is great for our ecosystem, many recent fires have been caused accidentally and/or illegally by people. Also, if the fires are too close to civilization and aren't controlled it can cause a lot of property damage and put lives at risk. There are also ways to prevent fires. If you take away one of the three necessities for fire (oxygen, fuel, and heat) it will severely damage the fire or even eliminate it. The best way to control fire is a water compound with a gel-like substance in it so that it will cool down the heat, dampen the fuel, and out smoke and water vapor in the oxygen to eliminate the chances of the fire getting out of control.
Novak are you referring to NPK, macro-nutrient, and micro-nutrient when you said minerals. Where can I get some of this gel-like substance were should I place the gel.Would it just easier to remove all of the low lying kindling and timber. If I am right two steps in the fire cycle are "burning of the forest" and "new growth," are there more steps in this cycle.
DeleteSupreme Court's order expands same-sex marriage
ReplyDelete"WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court expanded same-sex marriage in the United States Monday, effectively making gay marriage legal in 30 states." The U.S has come upo same sex marriage between boys and girls, in 30 states. "The Supreme Court's action did not make same-sex marriage legal across the entire country. Still, those 11 states would bring to 30 the number of states where same-sex marriage is legal. Same-sex marriage is also legal in the District of Columbia." The U.S government has been trying to legalize same sex marriage around the U.S but is found upon the decision of the states. "For the Supreme Court to hear an appeals case, four of the nine justices must vote to take it up. However, for a ruling in a case, a majority of at least five justices out of the nine is needed. It's not known how many justices voted to hear the gay marriage appeals case." The government wants to have a group vote for rights on same sex marriage but Kennedy has disagreed on this type of marriage before and would like to see if the country can change the image on gay marriage.
This fight for same sex marriage has been going on for so long. There are so many views on it some people a pro gay and some aren’t. Phil Roberson one of the duck dynasty stars made a comment in December of last year on being against gays and that it wad against god that comment sent him off and some of his products the market of many stores including Cracker Barrel old country store for about a week. So as you can see it great that they are resolving this issue but hopefully it wont cause a disruption in people like Phil Robertson.
DeleteI believe that same-sex marriage should be legal, because the marriage itself does not bother the majority of the population. People who have taken issue with the debate are notably Christians who have endorsed the prevention of same-sex marriage to follow the word of God, which itself is a vocal minority that is subjecting their ideas on people that have no issues with them. Simply put, the majority of people do not care, so why shouldn't same-sex marriage be legal?
DeleteThis is amazing. I agree with Arthur about the whole fuss over God an whatnot, but this isn't about religion, it can't be about religion or else it violates our constitution. Kennedy on the other had is just one person and this debate on same-sex marriage has been going on for too long. Same-sex marriage should be legalized, just because its legal does not mean you have to marry someone of the same-sex. I feel that this should also apply to medical marijuana, and abortion.
DeleteI think the same-sex marriage should be legal. Who cares if God said a guy and girl were to be together. But, didn't he also want us to be happy, and if you are happy being with a person of the same-sex then go for it. It is ultimately your choice who you want to spend the rest of your life with.
DeleteBig banks face another round of U.S. charges
ReplyDeleteThe justice department is preparing a fresh round of attacks because of evidence mounting that banks plotted to alter the price of foreign currencies. Some banks are still under investigation they are looking to force deutsche bank to plead guilty. The public lust for charges Bank of Americas charges are up to $17 billion. It is unclear how the banks will settle I think that forcing the banks to plea guilty isn’t helping us much because we want to make sure that we know who really manipulated Libor. Banks will earn credit for exposing the misbehaving employees; this is forcing banks to suspend employees even though nobody has been proven guilty yet. Under the feds the banks must set aside enough money to cover a potential settlement. Since the deutsche bank is facing a Libor case and a currency investigation they are fighting to resolve at least one of them. This can affect many Americans who work or us bank of American since their fines are so large. This could go on for years upon years trying to settle who fixed the currencies and who didn’t this could affect many countries sending them in debt.
(Newsela) Student protests in Colorado gathering steam:
ReplyDeleteStudents in the suburban Denver area have been protesting against new standards for history teaching. According to the school board member who came up with the standards Julie Williams, believes school text books are very negative towards America.Conservatives like Williams fear that reading America in such a critical way will effect the way students view the country or diminish their patriotism and could lead to rebellion. Related to that, the same AP test taken around the country has changed to have an equal view on both sides. Students have been able to protest for the past week without stop from authorities. "We're going to allow students to make their concerns heard," district spokeswoman Lynn Setzer stated. Large groups of students protested on Wednesday, and many students left classes on Monday. On the topic of changing on what students learn in history, I feel students deserve to know what truly happened in the past. Whether its a positive or negative view on the country shouldn't matter, it should be the students choice to decide what they want to do with that knowledge. They have the right to know what truly happened in our history. I believe that learning some of the negative of America could actually greaten some students patriotism and encourage them to get more involved and possibly want them to help better the country.
Storify: YouTube star Sam Pepper's butt-grabbing "prank" video slammed by pretty much everyone
ReplyDeleteSam Pepper set up a hidden camera, grab the butts of unsuspecting women, upload the "hilarious" results to YouTube. As the reaction to one such video produced by a 25-year-old YouTube star is demonstrating in spades this week, absolutely everything. Sam Pepper is a popular British YouTuber and former Big Brother U.K. cast member whose comedic uploads regularly garner millions of views. One Friday, Pepper published a new video entitled "Fake Hand Ass Pinch" in which he is seen approaching random women on the street and grabbing their behinds with a hand concealed under his sweater. Not only did he post this one video, after it had been taken down by YouTube, he posted another video doing the same thing, but genders reversed. He later posted a video explaining the purpose for these videos, which was obviously a cover up if anyone has watched any of his other prank videos. When I watched this video for myself, I was absolutely disgusted. Not only is he harassing men and women, but he is getting paid for it. In his final video, he says that this series was to prove a point that sexual harassment is wrong and he has dealt with personal experiences as well. Though this video was most likely just to cover up the fact that everything presented was gross and illegal, I still agree with what he said about the general topic of sexual harassment. I don't think that what he did was the correct way to raise the topic, in the sense that it promoted harassment more than discourage it, but it definitely did get a lot of attention. This proves that it is definitely to start working in our youth to prevent the act in the future of our generation, and to also teach our adult/elder society as well.
I completely agree with his video being taken down. Even if it was meant as a prank or meant to prove a point, it was completely uncalled for. In the world we live in sexual harassment is sadly a common thing. So posting "pranks" like this does nothing but show the younger generations that frequent youtube that harassing strangers on the street is funny and a joke.
DeleteI believe that Sam Pepper new exactly what he doing and he knew the reaction he would receive for his subscribers and the people he decided to fondle. While this should not destroy career as a Youtube sensation it should be a seen as lesson. Removing the video was just a slap on the wrist compared to him being tried in the court of law for sexual harassment. And to be honest you learn in kindergarten to keep your hands to yourself.
DeleteCNN.com reports the third death in a week from playing high school football. CNN reports that Tom Cutinella, a 16-year-old student at Shoreham-Wading River High School, suffered a serious head injury during a game last week. After the play that caused his head injury, he got up and collapsed on the field where he was pronounced dead after immediate surgery. This is the third death to happen in the last week. In Alabama, Demario Harris Jr., of Charles Henderson High School in Alabama died Sunday. Isaiah Langston, a 17-year-old student at Rolesville High School in North Carolina collapsed on the field during warm ups for his game. Both of their deaths are unknown. This shows how dangerous high school football is, as well as football in general. Football in general is a contact sport, whether it is high school, college, or football. Even though they have rules and regulations that help to try and prevent injuries and deaths such as these. There are accidents and even though they may be on accident it is because of human error and somehow they need to find ways to make it safer whether it is not diving into people completely, or just upgrading the padding in helmets.
ReplyDeleteIn light of this horrendous occurrence, I feel precautionary measures should be taken, to ensure that the death of football players is an unfortunate event of the past. Football teams may be required to have an ambulance within a mile of the field initially, until a proper form of security for the football players can be promised.
DeleteFootball is a dangerous sport, but just like in any other sport played there is always a chance of injury. I agree with your statement Yianna, about how these accidents are caused due to human error. Since there has already been 3 death how many more is there going to be before they do something to help protect football players from possible future injuries?
DeleteI think football has become such a big thing in football, it has been taken too serious. Players are so focused on getting scholar ships they forget about their health and well being. Being an athlete i know i forgot about my health all the time and it is not good. Knowing that players are actually dying, we really need to be more careful. Yes i know accidents happen but they can cause death. Football being such a hard hitting sports maybe for high school it isn't a good sport to have.
ReplyDeleteWeek 6 was college football's wildest slate of games yet, with an incredible 11 of the Top 25 teams losing (including five top-10 teams).
ReplyDeleteExpect Oregon, Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas A&M to fall, but who replaces them at the top? Florida State is still undefeated, as are Auburn, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State. Could Notre Dame sneak into the top four after a win over Stanford? What about TCU, sitting at 4-0 after upsetting the Sooners? This is the first time this college football season that there are real questions surrounding the week's new polls.
We'll update this post with all the Top 25 polls as they come out Sunday afternoon, capping it off Monday with our composite ranking, combining all four of the rankings. [Update: everything is here.]
Composite Average AP Coaches F/+ Sagarin
1 Auburn 2.5 1 Florida State Florida State Ole Miss Auburn
2 Ole Miss 2.75 2 Auburn Auburn Mississippi State Oklahoma
3 Mississippi State 4.75 3 Mississippi State (tie) Baylor Oklahoma Ole Miss
4 Alabama 5.5 4 Ole Miss (tie) Ole Miss Alabama Alabama
5 Baylor 5.5 5 Baylor Notre Dame Auburn Baylor
6 Oklahoma 6.25 6 Notre Dame Mississippi State Oregon Texas A&M
7 Florida State 6.75 7 Alabama Alabama TCU TCU
8 Notre Dame 7.75 8 Michigan State Michigan State Stanford Mississippi State
9 TCU 8.75 9 TCU Oklahoma Baylor Notre Dame
10 Oregon 10 10 Arizona Georgia UCLA Georgia
11 Michigan State 11 11 Oklahoma Oregon Notre Dame Oregon
12 Texas A&M 12.5 12 Oregon TCU Florida State UCLA
13 Georgia 13.5 13 Georgia Arizona Ohio State Florida State
14 UCLA 14.25 14 Texas A&M Texas A&M Michigan State Michigan State
15 Ohio State 15 15 Ohio State Ohio State Marshall Stanford
16 Stanford 17.5 16 Oklahoma State Kansas State Texas A&M LSU
17 Arizona 18.25 17 Kansas State UCLA Louisvlle Ohio State
18 Kansas State 21.25 18 UCLA Oklahoma State Virginia Tech Clemson
19 Clemson 22.25 19 East Carolina East Carolina Arizona USC
20 Nebraska 22.5 20 Arizona State Arizona State Clemson Florida
21 LSU 24.25 21 Nebraska Nebraska Georgia Kansas State
22 Louisvlle 25 22 Georgia Tech Stanford USC Arkansas
22 USC 25 23 Missouri Georgia Tech LSU Nebraska
24 Oklahoma State 25.5 24 Utah Missouri California Wisconsin
25 Marshall 26.5 25 Stanford Clemson Nebraska Louisvlle
All of the top 5 college football teams suffered losses recently. This baffles many football fans because you would never expect the best teams to be losers. I am not a big fan of FSU, but they remain undefeated, as well as Auburn. However, why is it that some of the best teams are suffering losses? There could be cheating involved or maybe the players heads aren't fully in the game. Nobody will ever know what is going on with our favorite teams but whatever is happening, they better pull it together before they lose their ranking!
With the 11 of the top 25 teams losing shows how exciting and unpredictable college football is. NFL can gat a little predictable but Alabama who everyone that was easily going to be in the top 4 is now at 7 and falling. Florida state deserves number one because they were able to get a win with their starting quarterback on the sidelines, showing their team is diverse.
DeleteCNN: Enterovirus D68: Parent Anxiety Increasing -
ReplyDeleteSince about a month ago, hundreds of children have been hospitalized and 5 children have died with traces to the virus. The virus causes notable symptoms other than the common cold, such as difficulty in breathing. The parent of a victim notes that it was like seeing their child "like a goldfish gasping for breath." Another found her son 8-year old son paralyzed.
Parents all over are paranoid of their child/children catching the virus and have begin taking otherwise illogical precautions, such as taking their children to the doctor at first sign of illness. However, most parents are not in complete "Panic Mode" because some believe that most children have already contracted the illness, but fail to show symptoms. Others believe the chance of contracting the illness is negligible.
Not only is the virus causing physical suffering for children, but it is also causing psychological warfare for the parents, too. However, I believe that parents should not lose sleep over this, as this mimics the swine flu, which was exaggerated heavily as a problem and has killed more children. The common flu has killed hundreds of children while the EV-D68 virus has only killed a grand total of 5 children.
I feel that parental concern for the well-being for their children is much more important than depicted above. Even though the child is likely to not be diagnosed with the deadly virus, unlikely does not mean impossible. Therefore, parents need to be on high alert and be aware of the child's symptoms, otherwise, the child with the deadly disease could die due to the parent "not loosing sleep". It's better to be aware and prepared for something that never happens, than to be aware and unprepared when it does.
DeleteIf there is only one truth in the world, it is this: women hate watching sports. Baseball? Football? Basketball? Soccer? Nah, all the way around. Seriously, have you ever met a woman that enjoyed watching sports? No. Are you one? Certainly not!
ReplyDeleteNot only is Men's Health is willing to speak truth to power by pointing out, against all evidence, that women don't actually enjoy watching sports, but they're willing to help all of us cool, good dudes with penises out by teaching us the secret that will allow us to talk to women about sports. Are you a bro who, while hanging out with your bros, has seen a woman watching sports and thought, "She looks like she's into sports, but she probably really isn't"? Mens Health has you covered. They can explain what's going on. They've figured out that women aren't into sports, but storylines. That's exactly the sort of thing that my bros and I never would have thought of. This a very sexist thing to say because many women love watching sports. This is also like saying men hate watching cooking or chick flicks with women.
"The American health care system needs to react with greater vigilance when cases do reach this country. It is incredible that doctors in a Dallas hospital reportedly made no effort to ascertain the patient’s travel patterns, and there were delays in cleaning the Dallas apartment where he had been staying, disposing of the medical waste and moving other residents of the apartment to a safer location " says the Editorial Board from nytimes.
ReplyDeleteEverywhere you go in America, there is someone talking about Ebola being in america and how it shouldn't be here. How it will infect everyone and be a disaster. However, the fact is that its extremely unlikely that Ebola will spread around in america. Ebola spread like wild fires in Africa because it is extremely unsanitary there plus they don't have advanced medical treatment there because the area is so poor and underdeveloped.I feel like americans should air drop supplies and medicine for the victims. but, I do, however feel that Amercians' are so scared to get it , then they should stop going over there where it is present. It requires physical touch of a victim which, most likely, you wouldn't come in contact with, but still why would you risk it?
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ReplyDeleteThis week seemed to be a very busy couple of days for President Obama. This past Monday, President Obama began a bombing campaign with members of an international terrorist group ISIS, ISIL, or otherwise known as the Islamic State. He maintained this while continuing airstrikes in northern Iraq. On Wednesday, he laid out his case in the strongest terms for an international action against these extremists. By Thursday, President Obamas anti-ISIS coalition had grown to over 60 members, which included: Saudis, Jordanians, Emiratis and Europeans who flew missions, Bulgarians and Egyptians who wished us well, and to the Irish and Swedes who wrote checks. On Friday, he was back in the White House where he was involved in a conversation that ranged from the American economy to terror networks. A script of an interview between President Obama and Steve Kroft (a journalist) was aired on September 28th, 2014. This script was as the President stated "not an argument, but just presenting the facts."
ReplyDeleteI am extremely in favor of extensive planning for the unfortunate crisis in Isis. As a nation, we should be prepared to fight and be smart about our endeavors in war. Therefore, our president having meetings to take action against the extremists in Isis, is such a relief and is a clear step in the correct direction for this terrible crisis. Consistently doing the right thing is how to become a stronger nation.
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ReplyDeleteCNN- Did Tweeting Get JetBlue Passenger Kicked Off the Plane?
ReplyDeleteJetBlue Airlines recently received some "face time" on twitter, due to a simple misunderstanding involving a flight delay. CNN reports that "Another passenger joked about wishing for a fully stocked bar on the flight, Carter-Knight told CNN affiliate WPVI. The pilot misunderstood the joke and took it to be an accusation that he had been drinking." In an airport, very few sarcastic jokes are taken lightly. For example, joking that a friend, boarding the pane with you, would “carry a bomb in his/her suitcase” would most definitely be unacceptable and would not be taken light-heartedly, due to the number of lives at stake. As in this case, the sarcasm led to a delay in the flight, because the Pilot was required to undergo a precautionary, sobriety test. Naturally, this caused rebellion from Ms. Carter-Knight. Not only did this passenger vent to Twitter, but she felt it necessary to create a disturbance at the gate proceeding the airplane. She was then asked to deplane or she’d be denied boarding, due to the risk the rages could cause in the air. It’s extremely evident to me that Twitter and other social media sites have become the place to complain about individual lives. This results in rage without purpose and enlarges the problems of society in a way that can easily become destructive, as in this case.
This lady was tweeting to the world about her problems to the world when she could of been taking the test and passing and getting in the air fast. Instead she decided to rage and hold the flight up longer so I'm guessing the other passengers didn't like her. She could have also confronted her problems with the pilot or a flight attendant but instead posted it on social media like a coward.
DeletePatrick,
DeleteThis lady was actually deplaned for aggression outside of social media, I feel that social media is such a great way to stir up anger that was less of an issue before posting. I liked the way you inferred that she probably was an annoyance to everyone, and not just the flight attendants.
Lake County Animal Services director, Jacquelyn Johnston was fired after her administrators found 147 animals were euthanized during her term. But the Sheriff’s Office has been adamant about using euthanasia as a last resort. Her reason for doing so was that they had a “limited space.” The shelter wants to be as close to a no-kill shelter as possible, and said that she did not exhaust all the recourses available to her. Because of this incident the move to fire Jacquelyn was a immediate decision. Also from this incident the shelter plans on building extra kennels and using inmates of nonviolent crimes to do the yard work. Residents say that the county relies too heavily on euthanasia after two other directors resigned in the past two years. The facility has $1.5 million budget, and house about 8,400 cats and dogs each year. Sheriff-run animal shelters are rare in Central Florida. While Polk has run the facility for about a decade, the counties oversee shelters in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Volusia. Sheriff Borders, in a statement, assured the community that his office has “taken swift action to ensure it does not happen again.”
ReplyDeleteRoyals win ALDS!
ReplyDeleteComing into the postseason as a team with no power but with a lot of speed everyone knew they were either going to run the show or go out without a win. ESPN, in their article talked about how speed can’t give you runs but at the same time speed doesn’t go into slumps. Coming into the playoffs the Royals were not heavily favored because they game in as a wild card which means they were the in the bottom 4 of the teams in the playoffs, but now they are in the mix of the final four teams! Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, and “Big Game James” or his real name, James Shields, gave the Royals huge performances. Spending money in baseball on players can be a big help but in this case where the Royals have one of the lowest payrolls came in and beat up one of the highest payrolls in the Los Angeles Angels.
To this point so far the Royals have won 3 extra innings games which is incredible and nearly impossible. It has only been done 5 other times in history and every one of those 5 teams went on the win the World Series… We will see if the Royals can keep up that pattern.
Have you ever done or have seen someone kind of Slack off all trying to do a handshake or sign of gratitude. Will big controversy is happening throughout the media because of Barack Obama, while getting off a plane he gave a army officer a solute while holding his coffee cup. In my opinion this is outlandish, saying this is disrespectful and wrong is completely outrageous. Many people do things while they have things in the hands, many different people multi-task. Just because he saluted and officer was a coffee cup in his hand doesn’t mean he meant any disrespect, if you watch the tape he was buttoning his jacket while holding the cup in the other hand he had no other things to do besides salute with the cup in his hand. Would’ve been more disrespectful if he had not saluted at all. I feel there would have been even worse of issues coming out of this if he decided not to solute what so ever to the on guard officers.
ReplyDelete'Clipboard Man' Without a Hazmat Suit at Ebola Flight Explained
ReplyDeleteThere has been a huge controversy about the ‘Clipboard Man’. This ‘Clipboard Man’ was seen outside the plane that had transported the second nurse infected with the Ebola virus. While everyone else was wearing HAZMAT suits this man was wearing no protective clothing. In defense, he states that he was the medical protocol supervisor, and that he was purposely not wearing protective clothing. A spokesperson from phoenix Air, the airline the infected nurse was flown on, says “Medical professionals in the biohazard suits have limited vision and mobility and it is the protocol supervisor’s job to watch each person carefully and give them verbal directions to ensure no close contact protocols are violated.” This is backed up by the fact that the Ebola virus is only transmitted through touching the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola, such as urine, saliva, feces, vomit and semen. Ebola cannot be transmitted through air, water or food. Therefore this ‘Clipboard Man’ was actually ensuring that everything was done safely by not having a HAZMAT suit.
This week in an armed Iraq veteran jumped a White House fence. According to his son he has PTSD. The man was armed with a knife and made it all the way across the north lawn to the north portico doors where he was stopped. This fence jumpers name is Omar Gonzalez. He jumped the fence with a Spyderco VG-10 folding knife. Omar’s reasoning for jumping the fence was to warn the president of the collapsing of the atmosphere. He is being accused of trespassing with a dangerous weapon.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the Secret Service has to step up their security game. This man ran across the North Lawn for crying out loud. He is either track star if he made it that far or the SS need to get their eyes examined. Gonzalez was not the only one to get a closer view of the White House that weekend; Kevin Carr tried to walk into the White House, at the same entrance that Omar tried to enter. I'm sure this is an everyday thing with SS having to order people to step away from the barriers I don’t understand how a person was able to fling their body over the gate unnoticed and a man walk up to the barriers too.