Japan, advanced? Nah....

In Japan, McDonald’s customers can already point their cellphones at the wrapping on their hamburgers and get nutrition information on their screens. Users there can also point their phones at magazine ads to receive insurance quotes, and board airplanes using their phones rather than paper tickets. And film promoters can send their movie trailers from billboards.


Advertisers say they are interested in offering similar capabilities in the United States, but cellphones in the States do not come with the necessary software. For now, consumers have to download the technology themselves.

Technology is jumping leaps and bounds. Reminds me of the telegraph....

Iranian Hostage Crisis, Take Two

Iran Turns Up Volume in Face-Off Over Captured Britons

The confrontation concerning the captured British soldiers in Iran has entered its second week. The fifteen soldiers that are being held in captivity at an undisclosed location in Iran were accused of illegally entering the waters of Iran while being stationed in Iraq. A video of one of the prisoners claiming to be deeply remorseful was released and a third letter from a female prisoner was also circulated. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, entering the final months of his career at the head of the government, has expressed disgust at the treatment of the soldiers and the handling of the situation. He is working hard to achieve the release of the prisoners before his retirement.

The Iranian Hostage Crisis between 1979 and 1981 was a political dispute under President Jimmy Carter. Iranians held fifty-three American hostage and demanded the return of the exiled shah in the U.S. Iranian militants then broadcasted coverage of American symbols being desecrated. Carter made a rescue attempt in 1980, but it was aborted after a failure of helicopters. He put economic and political pressure on the Iranians in order to expedite the coming of the end to the conflict. After 444 days of imprisonment, the hostages were released after Carter supplied the kidnappers with billions of dollars in ransom money. Only after Ronald Reagan took office were all of the captives released.

Big Brother Rolls Back Prices

Bare-Knuckle Enforcement for Wal-Mart’s Rules

Wal-Mart, one of the most hated corporations in America, continues to baffle us with its method of conducting business. It has assembled a team of former officials of the FBI, CIA, and Justice Department to head its investigative department. Searches and intensive investigations are conducted that delve into their personal lives and private business operations of employees; regardless of the position they hold. The team, which belongs exclusively to the largest private employer in the country, policies and enforces the Wal-Mart law over the nearly two million employees. Many former employees have filed charges against the retailer, claiming they were subjected to an unlawful termination of their contract.

During the late 1940’s and 1950’s, there was a great suspicion of Communists in the United States. Deemed “McCarthyism,” this period is named for U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, who accused many people inside the federal government of being sympathizers with communism and the Soviets. Americans developed a genuine fear of communists, which was reflected by the wide popular support of the country. J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI director of the time, led federal agents in conducting illegal searches in pursuit of information on Communists. The only two spies ever to be executed for their espionage were Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, following the infamous Rosenberg trials.

another immigration post???

In Miami, on Hallendale Beach, a small wooden sailboat ran ashore, releasing over 100 Hatian refugees who had been floating on the ocean, by one account, for 22 days. One person died on the voyage, while others are being treated for dehydration. The small boat was stated to have been grossly overcrowded and conditions sub-par. the refugees will be detained in a facility while their fate is decided. In reality most of them most likely be deported back to Haiti.
Since the Cuban revolution took place, refugees from cuba have often attempted to reach U.S shorelines in small boats or rafts. The refugees who arrive from Cuba are allowed to stay in the country, without being detained, while decisions are made concerning them. In the 1980's a large influx of Cubans reached the shores of Florida and were allowed to stay, and still today we see this policy. Many think it is unfair that Cubanrefugees are allowed this privelage while the refugees from Haiti have virtually already been sent back to their country.

they don't all hop a fence

In the last decade the number of immigrants opting to become naturalized American citizens had increased to historic values. In the 2005 census it was found that the number of naturalized citizens is the U.S is a record 12.8 million. This number makes up 52 percent of legal immigrants in the U.S. Also, for the first time, European immigrants were not the largest group that chose to become citizens, instead immigrnats from Latin America and Asia have become the largest group choosing to become citizens. The number of naturalized citizens has grown by 73 percent, in addition to the number of legal immigrants which rose by 30 percent.
The U.S has seen several time periods where the number of legal immigrants in the nation spiked, most notably in the late 19 and early 20th centuries. Immigrants poured into the nation from all over the world giving the U.S a reputation as a "melting pot". Though an immigration system as we know it today was not yet established, the majority of immigrants were entering the country legally by those day's standards.

Wal-Mart's gloves are down

In recent years Wal-Mart has been taking large steps in cracking down on violators of company policies. Employing investigators with impressive, and even intimidating, backgrounds to build cases against suspected violators, Wal-Mart maintains that all employees are treated equally when it comes to investigations. The company has employed in their security departments, investigators with CIA and FBI backgorunds who are quite good at what they do. Violations to be investigated can include high ranking executives mis-using company funds, all the way down to promiscuity among lower employees. However some claims have been made that the Big Brother-like watch employees are kept under and the lengths taken to cath violators is a scare tactic being utilized by Wal-Mart to keep employees on track, and even to keep some from speaking out. One man, fired for fraternizing with a lower level employee, made the claim that the investigators singled him out for speaking out against working conditions in several central american factories he had visited.
In the late 19th century, during what is known as the Gilded Age, huge impersonal corporations flourished. During this age of industry workers rights and freedoms were severly limited. Unions were only begining to form and were ineffective. Anti-company thinking and actions, such as strikes, were quickly put down by whateveer means nessesary. the company policies were upheld strictly however workers had virtually no other options other than to follow them and keep their jobs,it being the only thing supporting them.

Cell phones for 'tweens?

As years go by, cellular phones have become must-haves for adults and teenagers, as well as young children now. The reason for this is because cell phones make children and teenagers feel grown-up, and supposedly look cool to have. Also, parents give their children cell phones for emergency purposes, so that they can keep in touch. Phones such as the Firefly, a cell phone that has only five keys for speed-dialing parents, allow young children to call no more than twenty-two numbers. By the end of 2006, over six million children in America between the ages of eight and twelve years old have had cell phones. The Yankee Group, a technology consulting firm in Boston estimates that by 2010, over ten million preteens will have a cell phone. Over the past four years, the number of children at the age of eight who have cell phones has more than doubled. The number of nine-year-olds went from 500,000 to over one million.

In 1981, the first cell phone network began in Saudi Arabia. In 1983, the first cell phone became commercially available. This was the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. In the eighties, mobile phones were larger than ones used now. They were first designed to be installations in cars, and were first called “car phones.” The name for car phone models was “Nationales Autotelefone” in Switzerland, and “Natel,” the abbreviation of it, is the designation for mobile phones. These later converted to transportable phones, which were about the size of a briefcase. The first company to introduce an actual portable phone was Motorola.

I Died and Came Back

(Blog 4)
In Texas a sixteen year old boy Levi Draner appeared before high school students and stated “I died and came back.” This is in fact what happened to Levi. Last October 28th, he played the choking game and nearly killed himself. In case you are unfamiliar with this game, it is asphyxiation which deprives the person’s brain of oxygen. The result of this game is the feeling of being high, unconsciousness and sometimes death. This year alone there have been forty deaths and five serious injuries due to this choking game. The numbers may be even larger because many deaths that were recorded as suicides may have actually been caused by this game. In 2004, the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 779 children between the ages of ten and nineteen had committed suicide by suffocation. Oftentimes this is blamed on teenagers feeling invincible but recent research has blamed the choices on another quality: rational thinking. Teenagers nowadays think things out rationally rather than go with their gut feeling of what is the correct decision.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was founded in 1946 and is now a major part of the Department of Heath and Human Services (HHS). It was initially founded to control malaria but has since grown to incorporate prevention and control of injuries, workplace hazards, disabilities and environmental health threats. The CDC is known worldwide for its research and active approach to health. IT is helpful in disease emergencies and is helpful in acquiring statistics such as the ones presented about teen suicide here. It’s goals can be found here.

Questionable trials

(March 26 Blog 3)

An Australian man, David Hicks, pleaded guilty to helping the terrorist group Al Qaeda. In a training camp he learned civilian warfare and kidnapping techniques. In 2002 the president issued military tribunals without Congress’s authorization. Congress made a new law to create military tribunals. However the tribunals they set up do not afford defendants the same protections as a civil court would. For example evidence received by coercion is legal in such courts. Hicks is the first man to be tried under these new tribunal laws. At the start, two of his lawyers were disqualified from the case due to rule infractions. The impartiality of the judge and his proceedings were in question by the military lawyer and prosecutor.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, United States’ citizens were members of the communist party. Together, they gave military secrets to the Soviets. Along with Sgt. David Greenglass, Ethel’s brother, and Harry Gold, they were arrested. Greenglass and Gold received prison terms whereas the Rosenberg’s were sentenced to death. In Sing Sing prison in 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg became the only U.S. citizens executed for espionage. It is largely believed that the Rosenberg trial was unfair and has been likened to witch hunts in Salem.

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Giuliani Says Wife Could Go to Cabinet Meetings
Rudolf W. Giuliani says that if he were president, his wife would be permitted to attend cabinet meetings and advise him on federal policy, an unusually overt role in government decision-making for a first lady. Mr. Giuliani hopes that his wife will be as much of a part of his campaign as she desires. He also goes on to say that he could not have a better adviser. However he does recognize that this responsibility is ultimately his own.
This husband wife team is a reflection of other first ladies who have influenced their husbands in office, such as Abigail Adams and Eleanor Roosevelt. Both these significant women of the past were there as a support system to their husbands along the way and helped to alleviate much of the political pressure by establishing their own united front against the media. These intellectuals were displayed as equals to their husbands which is a theme that Americans still struggle with today.

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Disuse of System Is Cited in Gaps in Soldier Care
Lapses in using a digital medical record system for tracking wounded soldiers have led to medical mistakes and delays in care, and have kept thousands of troops from getting beneficial care that is sodesperatelyy needed. These wounded individuals mentioned have been forced to endure long waits for treatment, while other are being exposed to mindless treatments. The system was designed to make seamless transitions for soldiers who have been wounded in Iraq to movestatisticse. The inability to transfer records and issues of that nature are blossoming problems within the system.
The failure to track to the records and medical citations of the wounded soldiers in Iraq can be correlated to the inability of the early American historical war death tolls. These numbers were often estimated as there was never any system by which to identify the soldiers. Currently, even though the US clearly has established a technologically advanced system the manner in which it is being carried out suggests that the US has reverted back to previous wars in which soldiers were easily left unaccounted for.

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A Rail System (and Patience) Are Stretched in Chicago
In Chicago, it is apparent that the century-old railroad system is becoming increasingly dilapidated. The deteriorating tracks and financial shortcomings are falling upon a region that is extremely dependent on the rail service of the El. With its 190 rail cars and 222 miles of track, it is the rail component of the transit authority, the second-largest public transit system in the country after New York’s. It immensely accounted for 195 rides last year. The C.T.A. needs 5.8 billion to bring its system, including buses, into a sufficient state of repair .
This situation is similar to the railroad circumstances back in the times of J.P. Morgan and how the railroads were too overbuilt and to expensive to upkeep. The Northern Pacific, was the first northern continental railroad. Inevitably the Northern Pacific slipped into bankruptcy on June 30, 1875 when critics realized that it was too overbuilt for its upkeep and maintenance. Even though both instances have occurred centuries later it is still apparent that there are flaws within the transportation system and also within the financial outbreaks of massive structures. One would presume that a nation that is as technologically advanced as the United States would strive to abandon old habits, however the charm and authenticity is a factor in both situations that is apparently timeless.

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Citigroup Plans to Shed Thousands of Jobs
As of March Citigroup is planning to shed thousands of American employers jobs in order to sharpen its influence on nations outside North America. The bank is interested in advancing their international affairs. The reconstruction plan includes the relocation of as many as 15,000 high cost jobs. The job cuts are part of a company wide review sparked by the mind of Robert Drunskin. With the employment of 325,000 people globally, 1 billion dollars is expected to be conserved with the cut.
The employment cuts from Citigroup can be paralleled to the event occurring between the miners in the 1900’s and immigrants. Immigrants wishing to work in the field of mining easily replaced the original American workers as they were willing to work for less money and more hours. The events of Citigroup are similar to those of the miners because in both cases the original employees were replaced for immigrants and international purposes.

Family Values

Blog #4 - 3rd Quarter
Life in the spotlight presents many hassles, for some trying to sustain the image of perfection is important while others will do just about anything to stay in the spotlight. For political candidates, how important is it to have idealized lives and family values? It seems as divorce rates have raised, the approval of divorced politicians has as well, however it still seems to have some impact. Rudolph Giuliani career will probably be effected by his divorce because of its other elements (it resulted in estrangement form his son Andrew and daughter Caroline). With his children (now 21 and 17) absent form campaign, the family values could be questioned. While Stephanie Coontz, of the Council on Contemporary Families, believes that people will disapprove of dishonest dynamics, political consultant David Garth believes that the more trouble the country is in, the less focus is on some of the personal things. On the other hand, more applied to the job than the voting tendencies, Larry Sabato political scientist at the University of Virginia said that a messy personal life raises questions of stability, judgment, and ability to govern.
Previous presidents have managed to succeed despite personal conflicts. President Ronald Reagan became president in 1981, about thirty years after divorcing Jane Wyman and marrying Nancy Davis.

Growin' The Ganja

In Coldwater Creek, Georgia, police raided an ordinary-looking home only to find 680 marijuana plants under bright lights. They had broken in on yet another marijuana-growing operation. Investigators have been seeing more of these grow houses in the South and in New England, as opposed to their more common locations in California and Canada. In Georgia, the latest busts averaged about 200 plants per house. With each plant yielding $4,000 on average per harvest, that works out to about $3.2 million per year, considering the plants can be harvested every three months. More than 400,000 plants with a potential annual value of $6.4 billion were seized from grow houses in the U.S. just last year. This number increased from about 270,000 the year before. That is less than 10 percent of the marijuana plant seizures in the U.S.; most pot is grown outdoors on farms and in ditches, backyards and gardens.
Some might think this to be a strange topic, but we should be reminded that citizens today are not the first ones to grow marijuana, for one reason or another. Back when the Native Americans were residents on their land, they grew pounds of marijuana, for medicinal reasons and for fun. They, however, grew theirs in the outdoors, for they did not have the technology and resources we have available today.

Recalling Struggle for Civil Rights, Democrats Battle for Black Votes

Blog #3 - 3rd Quarter
Representative John Lewis hoped that one day he would be able to vote for the first black president of the US, but he is now faced with a difficult decision of choosing between Senator Barack Obama, and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, whom he’d once said was “the future of the Democratic Party.”
The 2008 Democratic presidential contest has shown Clinton, Obama, and former North Carolina senator John Edwards competing for black supporters, and it seems it is the most competitive scramble since the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965.
In South Carolina 50% of primary voters are black while in Alabama 60% of primary voters are black.
While in Selma, Alabama the candidates will have the opportunity to connect the civil rights movement to today’s politics, while keeping the spotlight on themselves.
Clinton realizes that she is at a deficit as Mr. Obama is a black candidate looking for support from black voters.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 followed the 14th Amendment which recognized the black population as citizens of the United States. When an unprovoked attack on peaceful voting rights activists occurred on March 7, 1965, President Johnson and Congress were persuaded to overcome the Southern legislators’ resistance to effective voting rights legislation. Hearings soon began on a bill that would come to be called the Voting Rights Act. Section two of the act closely follows the language of the 15th Amendment. The Act also provided enforcement for those parts of the country where discrimination was considered strongest.

Stepford Sorority

Blog #2 - 3rd Quarter
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana is facing the issues of looks and biases in sororities. While one is described as a group of “daddy’s little princesses,” another group is described as hippies. The Delta Zeta sorority was seen as socially awkward, before they began reorganization.
Delta Zeta’s membership was declining and in November the 35 members were tested on their commitment, of which 23 were seen as unsatisfactory. The black, Korean, Vietnamese, and overweight were asked to vacate the sorority house. Of the dozen conventionally pretty girls who were allowed to stay, half left after seeing the discrimination that had occurred. Those who withdrew of their own will felt that the reorganization, which removed the chapter president and secretary, was unfair. Members of the sorority who had done good things while there were asked to leave while those who had done almost nothing for the chapter since joining stayed. Dr. Hershberger, chairman of the modern languages department, said “We were especially troubled that the women they expelled were less about image and more about academic achievement and social service.”
The members were shocked when they were asked to stay upstairs while freshmen were welcomed by the plastic members and women from the Indiana University chapter of the sorority. While the goal of the reorganization is supposed to increase membership by 2009, it seems to have created more negative than positive attention.
The DePauw Greek system has faced criticisms before. In 1982 a great deal of attention was brought to the Delta Zeta chapter when they wouldn’t allow a black student join. In 2006, a letter was sent to the school newspaper commenting on the poor leadership of the sorority.

Thomas Paine Day...to be or not to be?

Blog #1 - 3rd quarter
In Arkansas, the designation of January 29 as Thomas Paine Day failed after Paine’s criticism of religion was brought up for debate by one member of the House of Representatives. The bill will be brought to the floor again, and when it does it will need only five more votes than it received in the recent vote. The bill, which was intended as official recognition of Paine’s contribution during the American Revolution, would not make the day an official state holiday.
Representative Sid Rosenbaum was among those voting against Paine day, sharing his opinion that Paine’s 18th century “Age of Reason” was “anti-Christian and anti-Jewish.” Rosenbaum, who recognized Paine’s preference for reason rather than religion, did agree that Paine “did some good for the nation,” however he thinks more time was necessary to consider the bill.
Democrat Lindsley Price, who presented the legislation to the House, was surprised that the bill sparked controversy. Smith said “I think if Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were standing here today, they would give you the same presentation.” Price believes that Paine “should be respected and honored.”
Thomas Paine was very influential in America’s fight for independence from England. One of his best known works is Common Sense, published in 1776. Although he did not have any personal success as a soldier, Paine was able to inspire many in the army with The Crisis. While imprisoned in France, he wrote the anti-church work The Age of Reason. Paine died June 8, 1809 in New York City.

Homless then, Homeless now.

Taxed to the breaking point on many fronts, the city of New Orleans has a homeless population that is now approximately twice of what it was before Hurricane Katrina, in a city half its previous size. Residents are faced with a severe shortage of housing. The population includes thousands that have come to help the city, along with citizens and relatives. Most of whom cannot find a place to live. The places they do find to live are often unclean and outside.
This homelessness was prevalent in earlier history in such shantytowns as Hooverville in New York, during the Great Depression. These shantytowns housed people who lost their jobs and homes, and were forced to live in these unhealthy conditions, whether it be inside a box or on top of a car.

No More Plastic ?

In San Fransico, it was decided by a board that there was to be a ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags in its large grocery stores and pharmacies. This decision was made on Tuesday March 27, 2007 to help put an end to global warming. The plastic bags are made from polyethylene, which is derived from oil, which is needed for gasoline. They feel that if they use less plastic bags, then some of the demand for oil will decrease, making gasoline cheaper. Plastic bags can not be recycled and San Fransico is very involved in recylcing to benefit the enviroment. The residents of San Fransico are expected to either bring their own canvas and cloth bags from home and use paper. This will eventually lead to job losses and layoffs if this trend spreads through Californa and then throughout the country.

Global Warming has been an on-going issue since the late 1800s and early 1900s. Scientists can prove that the solar activity had arose just as the temperature did. The invention of the car had only sped up the process because of all the pollution. Global Warming in inevitable and can not be avoided. Pollution and poor air is not the only reason for Global Warming, but rather the cycle of life.

I thought it was obvious that violence leads to deaths

Blog#3 Third Quarter
In the UK they have just discovered that violence leads to deaths..... Brilliant, right? It may not be as trivial as you may think. Doctors have now identified that the reason for so many unnecessary deaths in the United Kingdom comes from hospitals inability to treat minor knife and gunshot wounds. The doctors overseas have overlooked simple procedures such as removing bullets and stitching wounds, due to a lack of study in those areas. If the UK devoted more time to training their medical elite more thoroughly then the number of casualties would drastically lower.
During the American Revolution, new weapons were created that allowed troops to fight with guns instead of swords. The new technology for the military far exceeded the medical knowledge of the time. As a result many lives were lost because no one knew the procedure to remove a bullet or to sew up wounds. If medicine had been farther advanced more lives could have been saved and the war may have been won sooner.

Cell Phones: They're totally rad (and helpful!)

Cell Phones for Soldiers is a non-profit organization that was begun by two teenagers who wanted to make a difference. Robbie and Brittany Bergquist witnessed their cousins departure from home to an overseas location in the military, and realized from then on that communication to a soldiers family was both difficult and expensive. They have been organizing this cell phone drop for about three years now, and it continues to progressively grow. Even larger companies like Cingular and AT&T have begun to involve themselves.

During World War One, It was near impossible for the soldiers to communicate with their loved ones across the ocean. This was even a problem for Woodrow Wilson while he was aiding the countries in finding peace with each other. Communication has brought society forward a great deal, and when people volunteer their time to aid a person in communication it is obvious that they care and have not been caught up too terribly in society.

Apes have human rights?

Blog #2 Third Term
Apes have long been known to share many character traits with human beings. Now people are speculating that apes are not treated as equal to humans, but they should be. Many movements have been made to place the primates on the same level as humans in respect to ownership and adoption of apes. If an ape is just an animal then it can be owned and sold. However, if an ape assumes its role as an equal to a human it can only be adoption with consent and things become complicated. The lack of definition of an "intelligent being" has now led the world to seek out moral obligations for some species that we coexist with. Since we share 98% of our DNA with these creatures do we also share 98% of our rights with them?
Although it may not seem familiar, this question of rights was raised in America just about four hundred years ago. The moral situation back then was slavery. African Americans were brought to our country, sold, bought and passed along as possessions. Similarly to apes Americans questioned the rights of the black race and did so without regards to how much DNA we shared. The inferiority of the black race was determined by ignorance, not scientific fact. Thankfully, the white race realized the error of their ways and outlawed slavery with the 13th Amendment.

Ride a Bike for Work ? Well You're Protected

In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently signed a law that would protect workers who were required to ride bikes as part of their job. The law is specifically targeted at the safety of the delivery workers in the city. These new laws that were passed at the beginning of the month would be in effect on July 26. Under these laws, businesses are required to provide helmets to employees who use bicycles as part of their work as part of the bussiness' budget, and these employees are require that workers wear them. They also require that each employee's bike has safety features and properly working brakes. Another part of this law states that there must be signs for the workers to read about traffic safety in every language spoken within their company.

During the Great Depression, Labor Unions formed to protect the employees of a company. The AFL, American Federation of Labor, formed and is still active today. The unions in the early 1900s protected workers and their rights. Safety was a very important issue for the unions and equal rights. They created workmen's comp, which states if a worker is injured on the job, then they have the rights to recieve their salary. Safetly was a key issue in the early 1900s and still is today.

Modern day Rockefeller?

An oil man, Steven Jordan, was determined to find oil in his yard. He had made his money investing in oil, and in the summer of 05, he built an oil rig in his front yard. Recently, he had struck oil after digging under his house, his pool, and underneath a river past his backyard. Everyday this oil rig pumps out 20 barrels of oil and even more natural gas. This output will triple his fortune and possibly make him one of the most sought out men in America amidst the battle for oil around the world. On the subject of"OPEC" he says "i dont like those guys, and they dont like us, so buy this".

Could Steven Jordan of Louisiana be the next Rockefeller? America is not the leading exporter of oil, and with oil prices at an all time high, he could possibly control the business in America with such high ambitions. Rockefeller had once ruled the oil trust in th United States. Standard Oil wiped out 95% of its competitors in 7 years by wiping out the middle man and working with what is called "vertical integration". If Steven Jordan is smart enough, he will have the american government begging for the tons of oil that are in his very own backyard.

The Rich Get Richer

Income Gap is Widening, Data Shows

An analysis of American incomes was recently conducted by two college economics professors, one at the University of California, Berkeley and the other from the Paris School of Economics. The study showed the inequality that is ever growing between the high-income and low-income American households. Data from 2005, the most recent available numbers, was used to look at the growing difference between the rich and the poor that has widened. The total income in the United States rose nine percent in 2005, with most of the wealth going to the top ten percent. While income rose by such a factor, the rest of the ninety percent of the country’s income dropped six-tenths of a percent. Also, the top 300,000 Americans make as much money as the bottom 150 million. A person in the top range received 440 times as much as a person of the lower range. While staggering figures, some say that they are a direct result of the Bush administration’s policy towards the rich and poor. Others pass it off as simply the technological advances that by nature benefit the richer people. However, tax breaks for the wealthy have allowed them to grow, while the less fortunate suffer, all under the watch of a man who’s six-figure salary will put him in the top one percent of his beloved American people.

The top ten percent of Americans control nearly half (48.5%) of the wealth. The number has not been that high since the pre-Depression era. While we look at the lack of distribution of wealth now and see an issue, it was much worse in the Gilded Age. Then, the top ten percent controlled around ninety percent of the nation’s wealth. Also back then, the government supported the economic boom that sugarcoated the actual gap between the rich and the not so rich. Reasons behind that period of economic growth were similar to the growth of the rich today. Technology made it easier for jobs to be completed, and advanced the capacity for work done. Also, the genius of some men has not only moved them to the top of the income charts, but also has allowed them to create whole new industries that further the economic benefit, sometimes of all.

The Ultimate Showdown- Corn vs. Ethanol!

Ethanol has recently brought the farming economy to a new height. It has improved the financial standings of farmers and towns alike. In some places, the economy has grown so much that new schools, police stations, and recreational buildings have recently been built. Because of the aid of small investors these ethanol plants have recently been built, and all of the jobs have been distributed amongst the locals. However not everyone appreciates the change. Some farmers have to now pay more for feed for their livestock, when realistically they may not be able to afford it. For example, the price to feed hogs has risen about forty percent, this will in turn make the price of pork rise so that it will be profitable. Another problem with the production of ethanol is the fifty four cent tariff on imported ethanol and a fifty one cent per gallon tax credit that has been placed upon it, even though Americans are known for their enjoyment of free trade. The balance between the production of ethanol and corn has to reach an equilibrium in order for it to aid both farmers and ethanol producers.

Before America truly enjoyed the priviliged of free trade, the whiskey rebellion took place during the time of George Washington. A tax of six cents a gallon was placed upon the whiskey. This was entirely unfair because many of the whiskey producers were not in good financial standing and by turning the grain into whiskey they were preventing the waste of perfectly good grain, however it made it more difficult to transfer when it was not in whiskey form. The rebellion that occurred because of this tax does not mirror the current anger of farmers, however the taxing and unfairness does.

Living with Alzheimer's

Living with Alzheimer’s


Mary Blake Carver, an average New Yorker, is one of the five million people in the United States suffering with Alzheimer’s disease. She is only fifty five. Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects short term memory, allows organizational skills to fail, and shortens the attention span. Ms. Carver has been fired from her job, annihilated from conversation by her husband, and is left feeling alone and dull.
About half of the people suffering with Alzheimer’s are in the early stages, where they still can function in “normal”, every-day life. Many of these people have begun to speak out about their experience with the disease. Across the nation there has been a growing want for victims of Alzheimer’s to speak national conventions. Also many support groups have been begun to help not only those directly suffering with the disease, but also to help spouses and family members of people with Alzheimer’s.
“Progressive mental deterioration in old age has been recognized and described throughout history. However, in was not until the early part of the 20th century that a collection of brain cell abnormalities were specifically identified by Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German physician, in 1906. He lectured about a woman who had died after years of experiencing severe memory problems, confusion, and difficulty understanding questions. Upon her death, he performed an autopsy on her brain and described dense deposits outside and around the nerve cells. Inside the nerve cells he noted the presence of twisted bands of fibers.” (2)







http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/29/health/29alzheimers.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://www.ahaf.org/alzdis/about/adhistory.htm

Dress Code: A War Against Originality

Kevin Mahoney

Dress Code: A War Against Originality

As a Catholic School Student with a dress code I can identify with the desire to just throw on some scrubs. But I also know that dress code is one of the many factors that represent us as a school, representing order and unity. Luckily, our school has not taken their dress code standards to new heights.
Earlier this week in San Francisco, Toni Kay Scott, a fourteen year old student, received a dress code violation for having socks that had the cartoon characters Winnie the Pooh and Tigger printed on them. Ms. Scott is not a rookie when it comes to dress code violations, having received twelve dress code violations in the past year. Scott decided that it was time for action, and her and six other students have filed a lawsuit against the school stating that the dress code is “unconstitutionally vague, overbroad and restrictive.” (1). Scott insists her lawsuit is more than just a personal vendetta against the system, but working for all of the students in her school. Ms Scott. Says Scott, “We don’t want anyone to have their rights to freedom of expression limited.” (1)
Dress code violations are often varied in their form of punishment, sometimes just a slap on the wrist, and sometimes much more serious. In 2004, Timothy Gies, a senior at Bay City Central High School in Michigan, was suspended on multiple occasions for wearing shirts and sweat shirts with anarchy symbols, peace signs, upside-down American flags and an anti-war quote from Albert Einstein. Gies eventually took his case to the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan. Gies was successful, and after the ACLU intervened, his school discipline was overturned.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/22/us/22pooh.html?ref=education
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/12/style.rules/

The Weight of Depression

The Weight of Depression
By Kevin Mahoney

“Six-year-old Karlind Dunbar barely touched her dinner, but not for time-honored 6-year-old reasons. The pasta was not the wrong shape. She did not have an urgent date with her dolls.” (1). Dunbar is refusing dinner because in her recent report card she not only found her grades on conduct and counting, but her body mass scale, an 85%. Students in Dunbar’s school whose body mass index that were lower than 5% percent and higher than 80%, parents received letters of warning. Translation on a six year old level: my teacher thinks I’m fat. While the intentions behind these letters are moral, it is debatable that the distributions of the warning are insensitive. Although these warning have been adopted in multiple states, many of the parents at Karlind’s school were outraged when they noticed a change in their eating habits. Many of the students have also noticed an increase in teasing of over or underweight students, not only on an elementary, but junior and high school level. Many of us know that teasing amongst students can sometimes have consequential, if not deadly consequences.
On April 20, 1999 a mass murder at Columbine High School shocked the country. Two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, ran through the halls shooting and killing any students who got in their way, or did not obey their command. Although there were many subjects that sparked the massacre, such as violent video games, school bullying was the true motive of the boys’ rampage. After the mass execution, an increase in school unity was made throughout the nation at hopes that the warfare that happened at Columbine, would never happen again. Although it is impractical to state that body mass reports are the reason for school massacres, this odes not mean the teasing it could result in could have a deadly outcome.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/08/health/08obesity.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=sloginhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre

Can they really do that?

As of last week, there has been a drastic change in the uniform policy of the United States Marine Corps. They are banning tattoos either below the elbow or the knee because of the clean cut image the marines are supposed to portray. To us, this may not be a big deal -- but for those involved it certinally is. Men of uniform see tattoos as a rite of passage, or a permanant way to honor a comrade fallen in battle, and because of this new rule, many marines are thinking about not reenlisting. They feel as if the little things are bogging down on them, they are fighting for their country, but are not allowed to have tattoos?
This makes me recall a rule that has been in place far before my time, and still reigns true today. People are allowed to die for their country at the tender age of eighteen, just entering the threshold of adulthood. There is nothing wrong with that, but that fact that at that age one is allowed to go to war, but if they would like to have a drink...no siree!

End of War in Iraq????

On March 29th the US senate tried to pass a bill saying that most of the US troops would be withdrawn from the Middle East by March 31st of next year. The bill was narrowly approved by the senate by a vote of 51-47. The bill also included a $122 billion spending spree towards the Iraq and Afganistan campaigns. Some of that money will go to domestic spending but not nearly as much as the wars. The bill was vetoed by president Bush because he said he wanted his military commanders to have as much resources as they needed and this required not withdrawing troops out of Iraq. This however was a success for the Democrats because they passsed a bill that was against president Bush.
This situation can be related to the Vietnam War. There was a demand to withdraw troops back then as there is now. The conditions in both there wars are unbearable and are largely unaccepted by the American public. Although it seems as though president Bush will do whatever he can to make sure young soldiers stay in Iraq and lose their lives. President Bush needs to stop being arrogant and if he wants a war so nad why doesn't he go fight it himself with his own money and not with billions of dollars in taxes.

Astronaut Stuck in Space

Recently astronaut Sunita Williams just discovered that she will no longer be coming home early from the NASA space station. She went up to space last December hoping to return this JUly. However due to a hail storm the shuttle the Atlantis' fuel tank was damaged and now it will not be able to go and get her. This has thrown the NASA space schedule out of whack for the whole year. The NASA spokesman have replied by saying shes ok up there she'll be fine. I don't know to many people who like to stay in space by themselves and wait for a billion dollar industry to figure out how to come and take me home. She is expected to break the most continuous time in space by a US astronaut.
This can somewhat be related to what is happening in Iraq today. The government tells us everything is fine in Iraq but can we really trust them. The soldiers tell an opposite story by telling the horrors of the war. The NASA people tell the public she is fine up in space all alone. But for all the public knows the conditions could be worst than they are telling us. She is trained to be able to last up there but does she have adequate supplies and how long can one human go without other human interaction.

Longer School Days?!

In Fall River Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has decided to set aside 6.5 million dollars for eighty four schools that have failed state tests. The schools intend to spend more time on reading and writing. More time can be allotted for individual tutoring. In other states where similar actions have been taken, students are becoming excited about school because they are studying electives such as art drama music and history that were cut previously. In some schools, lateness is decreasing and attendance is rising. Many teachers and parents are not thrilled with this idea. They argue that more time would be taxing on their children who spend enough time in school already. It will cost more money. They argue that children will be walking home in the dark. Teachers further argue that they are already overworked. The controversy is growing but many are certain that these changes will occur.



In 1837, Horace Mann became the first secretary of the State Board of Education for Massachusetts. By 1852, Massachusetts had compulsory education, government funded education that students are required to attend. By 1918, Mississippi became the last state to have compulsion. People believe that public education sole purpose was evil because it taught democracy to the immigrants. This new legislation will further regulate the children’s education requirements.

Chicago needs cash.

In Chicago there is a train system referred to as the El or the L. It contains 1,190 rail cars and 222 miles of track. It is the second largest to New York City. It boasted 195 million riders last year. The system is in a bad state of disrepair and needs money. Unfortunately its finances are under a system that has not changed since 1983. There are delays daily and many people’s travel times are increasing. The railroad system is in need of 15.8 billion dollars to restore the system to good repair.


The situation in Chicago today can be contrasted to the system of railroads in the Gilded Age. The Chicagoans are asking for money from the government for repairs because they are overcrowded and in poor condition. Business giants in the Gilded Age had plenty money to build railroads but they were building too many. The Captains of Industry took advantage of the railroad companies who were going out of business fighting for customers. Today in Chicago railroads are overcrowded and undersupplied.

PAPER OR PAPER??

We use plastic in about everything we use. Bottles, tape, CDs, and mostly to carry many things at an easier rate. So why may you ask that an article described the prospect of having plastic bags banned in San Francisco? Maybe because plastic bags have become an obvious source of litter in San Francisco and may be linked to the problem of global warming. Another important reason for this decision because plastic comes from oil, which we are losing more and more every day and will eventually run out. With about 2 million bags used every day, this is an important issue.

Many countries have already begun the progress of lessening the use of plastic bags. In 2003, Africa had outlawed the use of plastic bags and from Bangladesh. In 2002, Ireland issued a plastic tax that limited the production and in France has already considered the ban of plastic bags at the end of 2007. As we can see, the use of plastic bags have become important issue needed to be discussed, so next time you go to the supermarket ask for paper not plastic!!!

HOW COME I DON'T REMEMBER???

As everyone knows, the older you get the more weak and hearing impaired you are. But how would you feel if you couldn't remember what happened yesterday, last period, or even 5 minutes ago. It's even scarier when you do not even know that you have it, until one day you can't remember anything. Living with Alzheimer's disease is one of the worst diseases to live through. Not remembering your name, where you are, and who people are is not an easy task to live through. In an article titled, "Living With Alzheimer’s Before a Window Closes" describes the symptons and the lonliness one goes through while living with this awful disease. This article also inscribes the statistic that five million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease, and as years go by these numbers go higher.


In the 1980s, the social movement of Alzheimer's disease had begun. Many families began to be more aware of the disease and began to attend Congressional meetings. In 1986 Congress passed the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia Act, establishing 28 federally funded AD centers to provide a resource for in-depth evaluation of patients.

The article that I just read talks about a problem of the past that I can link to the current day. What it outlines was the immigration crisis that the US was facing during the period that Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. The problem was that there were up to three million illegals from Mexico alone seeking work in the southwest. It was also estimated that up to one million illegal immigrants were crossing the border every year. Ike did what any good republican would. He expanded the Border Patrol service to 1,075 men and the problem was quickly solved. Sound familiar does it?

Well it is. Today the US border with Mexico is practically an open one. Bush is doing nothing to stop it and the socialist in Democrats clothing, Nancy Pelosi, would like nothing more than to see every one who wants to come to this country in. This is a debate that may are passionate about because of the importance of our borders, language, and culture. As of today we are at a crossroads. One road leads us down the two official language, amalgamation of the south and Mexico. The other is a crackdown on illegal border crossings and taking America back. Hopefully we can learn from the example that Eisenhower set for us.

Potential Strike on Iran

The article that I just read talks of the presence of two US aircraft carrier battle groups along with the French naval strike force carrier, the Charles De Gaulle. Now they are supposedly their to assist NATO in various drills in the region. They are also officially there to run some sorties over Afghanistan. However, the Russian’s claim to have intelligence that the US is planning to attack Iran with these carrier groups on April 6th at 0040 hours(12:40 A.M.). This supposed strike is supposed to be short and aimed solely at the nuclear facilities Iran is working to make capable of producing energy. However, this is very similar to what the US did back prior to the Vietnam war.

You see what we did was place our ships off the shores of Vietnam in hope that we would get a response which would in turn give the US an excuse to go to war. This came to a pinnacle when a Vietnamese patrol boat attacked a US ship in the gulf of Tonkin. This led to the US’s declaration of war against the Vietnamese.

My feeling is that we already have a just cause to attack the Iranian nuclear facilities. We must remember that they took 15 British soldiers from Iraqi waters and are now holding them in Tehran. If this is not enough to show they are a hostile nation then I do not know what is. However, I know that one thing the US must do is not back down. If we do strike Iran we cannot cower if they declare war on us. We must fight a full war to the greatest extent we are capable. In short we cannot make the same mistakes we did in Vietnam.

"ALPO, AW HELL NO"- The Recall on Pet Food

All across America, old women men and children are mourning over the sickness or death that has crept upon their pets. Last week, a Canadian Based pet food company said it would recall 60 million cans of dog and cat food after several dogs and cats died after taste testing. After this, cases all across the country came forward. Cats and Dogs who ate the food with a bad ingredient suffered from kidney failure, nausea and fatigue. As a of this, 40 brands of cat food and 51 brands of dog food were recalled due to contamination. This recall has triggered a panic across the US with pet owners frantically calling vets and figuring out what to feed their pets.

The sudden eruption of contamination in pet food seems such a big shock to us here in the year 2007, however, during the progressive era, or the early 1900s, there were no food regulations. People that worked in the meat packing industry were among the filthiest, lowest paid workers with the worst working conditions. In many cases, fingers and other limbs were cut off in the machines that were usedto make canned meat and such. With UPton Sinclair's "The Jungle", America finally got to read first hand of the horrors that went on in these factories.Consumers started to question the true quality of their food. In Return, The Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection act were passed to ensure quality food was being placed on the market.

Immgrants: YAY OR NAY

In recent times, the subject of immigrants into the U.S. has been a hot discussion in congress, and in local governments. Illegal aliens in the 21st century have proved to be a burden on American economy and society according to staunch oppositionists. On March 22, Violeta Blanco...and Violeta Blanco were found with the same birth date and social Security Number. One is an illegal immigrant from Mexico and the other is a single mother in Caliornia who is struggling with drug addiction. The two women are linked by the illicit trade of identity and were found due to the federal "crackdown" on illegal immigration. The illegal immigrant from Mexico says she used the other woman's identity only to get a job, but she was tried for identity theft and is now in jail on that felony.

Immigrants were once a blessing to this country. They came in large numbers at the turn of the 19th century and helped big businesses on the rise because they worked for little pay, and worked hard. They often came over to the country with a trade, but could not speak english. Therefore, they were segretated and reduced to bad working conditions and were taken advantage of because they could not read the contracts they often signed with employers.

Luck of the Irish

With the crackdwon on illegal immigration, earlier patterns of travel are reversed. This article tells the story of an Irish couple on their way back to Ireland after seven years of illegal stay in the United States. Although they were in the United States for a very long time, they were constantly denied the right to become legal citizens. Therefore, they had no choice but to return to Ireland, where they did not have to worry about the legality of their location.
This is sad because the Irish have been a huge part of America, Boston in particular, for over a century. Then, there was a massive immigration because of the potato famine that wrecked Ireland and starved the people. Now, the process is reversed. People are no longer able to seek refuge in the United States as they once were. Perhaps we should consider the process by which we allow people to become citizens -- because sometimes it just does not add up.

Espionage

This article tells a disturbing story of how there are foreign spies giving information to countries that we are not friendly with. The man that is currently being charged is Chi Mak. He was working as an electrical engineer for the US navy. At the same time he was sending vast amounts of information to the Chinese government. He was not alone and there are four other s that are also being charged with Chi Mak. He was giving away the secrets to a new type of stealth technology that the navy was working on developing.

This reminds me of the famous Rosenbergs’ who gave away vital nuclear secrets to the soviets. The odd thing is that the people who committed both of these crimes were American citizens at the time that they did them. It really makes you think of how a person who has live a large portion or even all of their life in America, and yet, still finds a way to hate it enough to give secrets away to other countries.

War in Iraq = $$$$$$$$

The United States military effort in Iraq is extremely expensive, and will continue to be no matter what happens. It was estimated before the invasion of Iraq that these combat operations would cost approximately fifty billion dollars. This, however, is nothing compared to what the war actually costs. The cost of the war on terror is estimated to be five-hundred billion dollars. Subtract the activities in Afghanistan, and it costs three-hundred bullion dollars for the combat in Iraq. Each soldier costs almost three-hundred thousand dollars. When investments in equipment and facilities are added in, the cost rises to almost four-hundred thousand dollars. This year, the Pentagon is asking for anywhere from one-hundred and twenty billion to one-hundred and sixty billion dollars. This makes it the largest funding request for this global war. In October of this year, Congress permitted seventy billion dollars to pay for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq through the first six months of FY 2007. Thus far, the White House has shown little help to fund Iraq and Afghanistan with the regular budget. However Congress, which will soon be controlled by democrats, will attempt to increase pressure on the White House to desert the density of the emergency bill approach.


Besides World War II, the war on terror has costed the most so far. The Revolutionary War cost over two billion dollars. The costs per person averaged to approximately five-hundred dollars. The War of 1812, which lasted from 1812 until 1815 cost over one billion dollars; one-hundred and twenty-nine dollars per person. It cost almost two billion dollars to fund the Mexican War, which began in 1846 and ended in 1848. This war cost seventy-three dollars per person. The Civil War, lasting from 1861 to 1865, cost the United States sixty-seven billion dollars, averaging to one-thousand eight-hundred dollars per person. The Spanish-American War, fought in 1898, cost ten billion dollars in total, and over one-hundred dollars per person. World War I, which was fought during the years 1917 and 1918 cost two-hundred billion dollars, and almost three-thousand per person. World War I, however, cost much less than World War II, which cost over three-trillion during the years 1941 until 1945. During this war, it cost twenty-two thousand dollars per person. In the early 1950s, the Korean War cost an estimate of three-hundred and sixty billion dollars, and two-thousand four-hundred dollars per person. The eight-year Vietnam War, the longest of all of these wars, cost five-hundred billion dollars, and two-thousand three-hundred dollars per person.

Presidential Newbies?

In the 2008 election, there are many potential “firsts” that may be running for presidency. These include a woman, an African-American, a Hispanic, a Mormon, and a man who would be the oldest person to assume presidency in the United States. The Democrats running are Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Bill Richardson. The Republicans are Mitt Romney and John McCain. When taking a Gallup poll, eleven percent of voters said that they would not vote for a woman. Five percent of voters would not vote for an African-American, and twenty-four percent would not vote for a Mormon. Eighty-seven percent of voters said that they would vote for a Hispanic. Forty-two percent claimed that they would not vote for a man who will be seventy-two when running for president, which McCain will. The number of those willing to vote for a woman candidate has decreased in the past years. In 1999, ninety-two percent of Americans were willing to vote for a woman; Now that number has decreased to eighty-eight percent.
The Gallup poll has been taken since 1937. That year, it took a poll of the willingness to vote for a woman candidate, which turned out to be thirty-three percent. In 1955, it increased to fifty-two percent. In 1958, the Gallup poll took a poll on the willingness of Americans to vote for African-Americans, which turned out to be thirty-seven percent. For years, voters claimed that they would rather vote for a woman than an African-American, but that changed in the late 1960s.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, NO FISH!

The fisherman in Port Clyde, Maine, like most others who operate on the state’s rapidly shrinking working waterfront, do not own the docks they work on. Throughout Maine, fishermen, ferry operators, boat builders and parts suppliers worry that these waterfront workplaces could be sold to the highest bidder in a real estate market with a hot demand for waterfront property. “It’s a crisis in slow motion,” said Jim Connors of the state’s Working Waterfront Access Pilot Program, which awarded its first grants this year. “The access is not being lost all at once. It’s happening incrementally. If you look over the past 20 years at what used to be wharf, it’s now houses. You get a sense over time that it’s intensifying.” Only about 175 miles of Maine’s deceptively long coastline — 5,300 miles, due to the thousands of inlets, coves and islands — provide the shelter and deep water access that a working waterfront requires. Currently only about 20 of those miles are operational waterfront, down from 25 a decade ago.
During the War of 1812, fisherman in Maine and the Northeast were opposed to the war because of the bar on trade between the USA and Britain. By not being able to export their goods, regardless of losing a ship or two, they thought they would lose mass amounts of money and therefore, were opposed to the war.

RIP: WOOF WOOF

Pet owners were rechecking their cabinets and threatening legal action after state officials said rat poison was found in pet food blamed for the deaths of at least 16 cats and dogs. The Food and Drug Administration has said the investigation into the pet deaths was focused on wheat gluten in the food. The gluten itself would not cause kidney failure, but it could have been contaminated, the FDA said. The substance in the food was identified as aminopterin, a cancer drug that once was used to induce abortions in the United States and is still used to kill rats in some other countries, state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said. The pet deaths led to a recall of 60 million cans and pouches of dog and cat food the company produced and sold throughout North America.
During the French and Indian War, Americans gave Indians blankets that had been infected with diseases such as small pox to kill them. This poisoning was purposely used to kill the Indians, however, and the pets were not purposely poisoned.

FOR SALE: ALASKA!

Anderson, a little town in Alaska's interior, has no gas station, no grocery store and no traffic lights, but it does have plenty of woodsy land -- and it's free to anyone willing to build a 1,000 square foot house in two years. The community in Anderson is offering 26 1.3 acre lots for FREE. Folks in Anderson say there are some job opportunities within driving distance, including a coal mine, a utility, major hotels and the air station, a ballistic missile early-warning site. Locals also would like to see entrepreneurs among the newcomers. Among the other advantages of Anderson: no property taxes, state income taxes or sales tax, virtually no crime, and no traffic. There are magnificent summers with temperatures as high as 90 degrees and plenty of wide-open space.

In the 1800’s, there was a homestead movement to the Plains in America, which offered free land to anyone who wanted to build houses and farms on it. The land was, however, filled with trees, just like Anderson.

WHO IS THIS MAN?

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed confessed to being the mastermind behind 28 terror attacks, including events of September 11th. According to a transcript released last Wednesday by the Pentagon, Mohammed confessed to his atrocities during a military hearing at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, two Saturdays ago.
- "I was responsible for the 9/11 operation from A to Z," Mohammed said in a statement read during the session.- His words draw al-Qaida closer to plots of the early 1990s than the group has previously been connected to, including the 1993 World Trade Center truck bombing. - Other plots he said he was responsible for included planned attacks against the Sears Tower in Chicago, the Empire State Building and New York Stock Exchange, the Panama Canal and Big Ben and Heathrow Airport in London- He said he was involved in planning assassination attempts against former Presidents Carter and Clinton, attacks on U.S. nuclear power plants and suspension bridges in New York, the destruction of American and Israeli embassies in Asia and Australia, attacks on American naval vessels and oil tankers around the world, and an attempt to "destroy" an oil company he said was owned by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on Sumatra, Indonesia.- He also claimed he shared responsibility for assassination attempts against Pope John Paul II and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.- The transcripts also lay out evidence against Mohammed, saying that a computer seized during his capture included detailed information about the Sept. 11 plot -ranging from names and photos of the hijackers to photos of hijacker Mohammad Atta's pilot's license and even letters from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
On September 5, 1972 at the Summer Olypics in Germany, Palestinian terrorists from the Black September terrorist group held 9 Israeli athletes hostage and killed 2 other athletes in their apartment. A subsequent siege of the building in the Olympic village lasted for almost 18 hours. During a failed rescue attempt at the military airport of Fürstenfeldbruck all the Israeli hostages were massacred by their captors and all but three of the terrorists were killed. All Olympic events were briefly suspended but Avery Brundage, the International Olympic Committee president, decided that "the Games must go on" and they were continued a day later.

Virginia Vetoes

Virginia Vetoes
By Kevin Mahoney

This week, Virginia State governor, Timothy M. Kaine, vetoed five bills that would have increased the different variations of crime punishable by death in the state. The bills would have greatly expanded the crimes that are punished with capitol punishment, such as murder of judges or witnesses that would influence a judicial outcome. Mr. Kaine, a Democrat, not only opposed those suggestions, but is opposed to the death penalty all together. Kaine wants to reduce the number of criminals who are subjected to capitol punishment, Virginia being only second to Texas for the state with the most number of executions carried out. The Republican dominated General assembly passed five measures with votes to override the vetoes.
Texas is the number one state that exercises capital punishment, first becoming legal in 1819. Since 1819, roughly 1100 people have been legally executed. Texas has exercised multiple variations of capital punishment, from hanging and firing squad to lethal injection and electrocution. Texas has been the most lenient state with utilizing capital punishment as a form of penalty, applying it to cases of treason, piracy, desertion, rape and murder. Currently, he only reason for capital punishment is Texas is for murder with a “malicious aforethought.” In the last twenty years Texas has accounted for one third of the countries executions.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/27/us/27brfs-death.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/27/us/27brfs-death.html

It is just being revealed that the US has suspected that Iran was supplying the insurgents in Iraq with weapons. It states that the British have intelligence that proves that most of the insurgents are being trained in Iran in the same fashion that Hezbollah are. However, even more disturbing is the fact that some of the people that were identified were in fact Iranian revolutionary guards themselves.

This is kind of like the proxy wars that the US fought against the Soviet Union during the fifties and sixties. What would happen is that the Soviets would go into countries in southeast Asia and convert their political system to communism. This is a lot like how the Iranians are going into the Shiite parts of Iraq and funding the insurgents there. However, what I have to say is that we cannot afford to fight the Iraqis in the way that we fought the Koreans and the Vietnamese. We need to crush the Iraqis so that the Iranians are not willing to fund them. Reagan summed it up the best when he said that deterrence is making your enemy come to the realization that in attacking you the negative aspects far outweigh the positive ones.

I Love Goooooold =]

According to a popular Smash Mouth song, All Star, "all that glitters is gold." This theory can, however, be disproven. During the Gilded Age, industrialists such as JP Morgan took control of the fortune that was to be made in America during the late 19th century into the ealy 20th century. JP Morgan controlled banks, mining businesses, insurance companies, communication systems and shipping lines. With his enourmous about of wealth, Morgan lent money to the American Government during the crisis of 1895, and during other finincial droughts in AMerican history. JP Morgan was one of the more intellectual Robber Barrons, unlike Vanderbuilt who prided himself in his inability to read and write, therefore he kept tabs on his finincial whereabouts. Other finicial mongrels could be compared to JP morgan, such as Donald Trump. Usually, these examples are of men, however a prime example is a woman named Brooke Astor.
Her fortune has been approximated at 130.9 million dollars. Her son, Anthony D. Marshall has recently been accused of using his mothers fortune for his own personal gain before he has come upon it himself because he is essentially her finincial advisor. Her legal guardians over her property items is JP Morgan Chase. Mrs. Astor owns stock in at least a dozen companiers, and has owenership over several companies as well. She could easily be considered a new age Robber Barron, or Captain of Industry, whichever you prefer.

You got your audit in my restaurant business!

The Massachusetts board of Public health deemed many of it's officials unlicesnsed as well as many of its "certified" restaurants to be out of regulation. However the root of this problem is that many of the local food departments are vastly understaffed and underfunded. What the Massachusetts board of public heatlh found most disturbing was the unlicesnsed officials lack of the ability to test for and detect food born illnesses. Meaning a large voulnerability for a terrorist attack, or an outbreak of some diesease and the board fears that 24 serious outbreaks of illness in the past years may have been a result from this. This audit also made note that since 2002, most of local health departments in Massachusetts have been understaffed. For this restaurants, nursing homes and even schools have fallen victim. In an effort to change their ways, the Board of Public Health has already committed to a complete overhaul of the training and certification process as well as working with the state government as well as the federal government to recive aid. In the past, Massachusetts has been in the dark ages with leaving it up to local communities to inspect their own facilities, now it may change to a state wide position.
Although this may not be as serious as incidents in Upton Sinclairs, "The Jungle," it may cause some to recall the early days of U.S. food inspection, or the lack there of. In the year of 1906 with reports of humans falling into the grinders at meat packing plants and production still trucking, and ground up pieces of old cattle in canned food, President Theodore Roosevelt pushed congress to pass the Pure Food and Drug Act. The Pure Food and Drug act prompted the nation that all food production plants had to undergo routine inspection. It also forbade the manufacture, sale or transportation of adulterated foods. This act would later clear the path for the Food and Drug Administation (FDA) to take form.

GREENBACKS- WE HATE EM'

At the begining of this month, The United States Treasury has once again introduced a new set of dollar coins on a limited release that will eventually include every American President. This is the fourth time that the government has tried to move america from dollar bills to coins, but only found refuge in coin collectors. The new attempt to move american spenders from dollars to coins is due to the circulation. Coins cost more to make than the dollar, but the coins will be in circulation for 30 years, and a dollar bill only lasts 22 months. Also, canadian and australian dollars are made of metal.
The United states General Accounting Office said that america would save 500 million dollars a year in production costs if we shifted to coins. However, people will have to use them for them to circulated. Many americans refuse to pay in dollar coins, and some businesses refuse to accept them.
The coinage act of 1792 gave the US treasury the power to regulate coinage of american currency. It established a decimal system for the goverment. However during the 19th century, efforts to scrap the greenback were always occuring. During the panic of 1873, the members of the "GreenBack Party" pushed for the opposition of hard money and the issue of paper money to save those in debt, and to save small businesses. It would keep more money in circulation.

Illegal Immigrants Getting Help ?

Even though there are guards and officials watching the Mexican border to the United States, illiegal immigrants are still making thier way into the country. The illegal immigrants are becoming allies with the guards and boarder inspectors, such as Richard Elizalda, who was recently caught smuggling immigrants across the US-Mexican boarder. He would send messages to the immigrants to come through his area, where he would not inspect them and let them pass by while hiding in cars. Elizalda allowed immigrants to pass through for an exchange of $1,000 per immigrant since 2004. When he was caught, the authorities found over $30,000 in cash and many expensive cars in his possession. He was arrested in June and at his trial he pleaded guilty. He recently sentenced to six years in prison after paying a large fine.

From 1949 into the 1950s there were illegal immigrants throughout the United States. There were the same issues with Mexicans illegally crossing the boarder. By 1954, the government had discovered that there had been over one million illegal immigrants living in the United States. There were supervisors and guards at the boarder and it was extremely strict. This issue ended with the United States deporting all illegal immigrants and a method that was soon abandoned.

The road to gay rights

During the 1980s and 90s, many organizations and people began to speak out concerning gay rights all around the world. It was not easy for homosexuals to address their sexuality to the public without being ashamed and shed as outcasts for all the world to see. One great objection to gay rights was religion. Religion was a powerful influence to many people that homosexuality was wrong. The Church made it seem like they did not belong and that in the eyes of God it was appalling. In one article, "For Some Black Pastors, Accepting Gay Members Means Losing Others" it describes the introduction of accepting gay members into the Church, but the seperation of other church members leaving and the attempted prevention of them entering its midst has occured as well. Others have learned to accept it and continue this acceptance. In this article, it is even says that church members have even allowed marriage ceremonies to many homosexual couples.




Back in the mid-60s, with many social movements beginning to start such as woman's suffrage and worker's rights, this began the emergance of the sexual revolution. Many books and articles began to be published about this in newspapers such as Time and Life Magazine. Even in 1965 gay march held in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia and one in California as well. Now with some states beginning to progress in allowing same-sex marriages, we can see the affect that these protests have had on people as well.

Recurring Prejudice

In some parts of the country, black pastors are beginning to accept gay individuals into their church community. This article talks about the plight of Reverend Dennis Meredith and his theory on universal acceptance. This man's beliefs drew homosexuals from all over to his church, simply to hear him talk. Acceptance even saved several lives, many were on the verge of suicide because nobody would accept them into their life. However, some of the regular parishoners were deeply offended that a priest would preach something they considered to be against the bible and backed out of the parish. Meredith's church lost nearly three-hundred members of Sunday School class.
The issues surrounding Prudence Crandall were strikingly similar to this. Her school in Conneticutt was one of the, if not the first schools to accept black female students. The parents of the white students, and the students themselves, rebelled against her belief for education and a devestating percentage of children dropped out of the school. Then, Prudence kept her school open for the black students that wished to learn -- her school would be terrorized and vandalized until she was made to shut it down.