Too Easy to Get Guns

All over the world people are mourning the loss of 26 lives, 20 of which were under seven years old, from Sandy Hook School in Newton Connecticut. The Sandy Hook shooting is the second most deadly shooting in U.S history, behind the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007.







On this blog post, I would like to look at how easy it is to get guns in the United States because many lives would be saved if there were stricter laws on owning guns. According to ABC News, "Right now if you don't have a criminal record and you have not been adjudicated as mentally incompetent, you can buy guns".To read more CLICK HERE. There are so many people in this country that do not have a criminal record and not considered "mentally incompetent". It is so easy to buy guns that in just November of this year, two million guns were bought. I think firearms should be illegal for all citizens besides law enforcement and the military. Since 2006 over 47,000 U.S lives have been lost due firearms--That is about 21 people per day.

What do you think? Should there be tighter laws on owning guns?

Why is Taylor Swift Endorsing Walgreens?

Picture I took at the entrance of Walgreens

Last Thursday I hit up Walgreens just to buy some gum and pencils. Right when I walked in the door, a six-foot cut out of Taylor Swift greeted me. In fact, if you look very closely, at the top right corner of the picture, there is a sign that says: Taylor Swift Store at Walgreens.

I was quite confused why she had a "store within a store". I looked at the products and found T-shirts, Perfume, guitar picks, and many other random items. So why is there a "Taylor Swift Store" at Walgreens?

Well, there are many reasons why stores all over the country are using celebrity endorsements, but one in particular really caught my eye. According to Chilli Breeze, an online website for writers and bloggers, one prominent reason that celebrities are used for advertising different products is that "Celebrities ensure attention of the target group by breaking the clutter of advertisements and making the ad and the brand more noticeable." In this instance when they say target, they most nearly mean the group of people that want to buy the product. These "targets" could be any group ranging from the elderly to little children. In this case,  their "targets" are young middle school girls. A young singer  that sings songs about boys and is often on the "top ten" list on iTunes has to have a lot of young fans. Personally, I am not a fan of these endorsed products because  I don't think they belong at a drugstore--they seem out of place. But, to young girls shopping with their mom at Walgreens, the products must seem very enticing because, otherwise, there would be no reason to pay someone millions of dollars to have their face on a piece of cardboard.

Have you seen any celebrities endorsing products?  

Where Are Your Christmas Presents Really Coming From?

      With Christmas only two weeks away, any store you go into will be packed with customers searching for the perfect gifts for friends and family. Apple, Nike, Abercrombie & Fitch, and WalMart are some of the most popular stores in the country where millions of citizens will go to buy presents. However, maybe you should think twice before buying from the stores above as they are among the hundreds of companies that use sweatshops to produce their products. 
      I'de like to focus on the conditions of sweatshop labor, so maybe you'll think twice about what presents you're placing under the tree. A sweatshop is a negatively connoted term for working conditions that are dangerous, unacceptable, or difficult. Some examples of these conditions, according to The Moderate Voice, are "There is no organized representation for most of the workers in sweatshops. Most workers earn $8.50 to $12.50 for a 48 hour work week, with mandatory overtime that can push them to as many as 80 hours. They receive two or three days off in a month." To read more click here.  When lacing up those $100+ nikes, maybe you'll think twice about the slave like labor that went in to making them.

Will you think differently next time you go shopping? 

To find good tips on how to buy "sweatshop free", click here.

Emotionless Obama. Emotionless Man.

 Recently, news about a tearful speech Obama made after being reelected has been circulating all over the web. Why did this speech gain so much coverage? According to USC Annenberg News, Obama shed tears by saying, "What you guys have done means what I have done means what I'm doing is important, and I'm really proud of you. I'm really proud of you."To read more click here Why did Obama receive so much attention about a speech where a tear was shed? 

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    Throughout our history it has been looked down upon and a sign of weakness for men to "cry or show emotion". In our society we have adopted this idea of men and these ideas are not only ridiculous, but also should be a concern to us. Our nation has come to define strength as being cold and disconnected, both of which are characteristics a President should not display. The president needs to be connected and approachable. I think by crying, Obama can be seen more as a human-being, rather than an emotionless-being. 

 What do you think? Do you think president Obama should show more emotion? In general do we have a skewed view on how we see men and emotions? 

Goodbye Hostess

  If you walk into any grocery store in the country, you'll find frantic costumers stripping the shelves of all hostess products. Five days ago Hostess announced that they would be filing for bankruptcy after they laid off 18,500 workers and closed 33 bakeries nationwide. In response to bakers union strikes from employees across the country, Hostess had no choice but to file for bankruptcy as they had no options to solve the strike. CEO Gregory Rayburn said, "We deeply regret the necessity of today's decision, but we do not have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike". 

  The closing of this company will take a toll on the country as thousands of jobs are lost and according to CNN Money, "Hostess had annual sales of about $2.5 billion". 
  As products are limited across the country, many people have started to sell Hostess products on Ebay for up to $3000, which I think is crazy. I was never a Hostess fan, so I will not be upset with their departure. What do you think? Are you sad Hostess is going out of business? 

Dogs Violating Fourth Amendment?

     Recently, there has been many class discussions about civil liberties. A recent controversy has sparked much debate if dogs are violating the 4th amendment of rightful searches and seizures. Many DEA and police officers walk around with dogs trained to detect drugs. The U.S. Supreme Court has faced two cases in the state of Florida involving police sniffing dogs. According to the New American, "Each dealt with the question of whether the use of drug-detecting canines to obtain probable cause for a subsequent search is itself an unreasonable search and a violation of the Fourth Amendment".To Read More, Click Here.  

      If a dog smells drugs, wouldn't that create probable cause to search someone's house, car, or suitcase? What do you think? Do drug enforcing canines violate the fourth amendment? 

Legalizing Marijuana: Good or Bad?

   As many Americans anxiously watched the news to see who would be the new President elect, another topic sprang to subject. For the first time ever, two states, Colorado and Washington, legalized Marijuana. Marijuana (for the few that don't know) is a dry shredded green and brown mix of flowers, seeds and stems derived from the Cannabis plant. 

   While this new law has been set in place for only two states, many others will probably follow as they see the benefits that legalizing marijuana could have. Colorado and Washington could bring in up to 21 million dollars annually. Also, Marijuana "sales will require a license from the state department of revenue and will be taxed to fund school construction, at a rate of up to 15%", Time Magazine reports. To read more click here.  
   Only time will tell to see how this controversial drug will change these two states, but for now do you think marijuana should be legalized? 

Hurricane Sandy: Menacing Monster

Hundreds of thousands of people have started to evacuate the East Coast as Hurricane Sandy is moments away from approaching some of the most densely populated cities in the country. According to the National Hurricane Center, "We’re going to have a lot of impact, starting with the storm surge; Think, ‘Big’ ”. Winds are reaching 75 miles per hour and are being sustained for long periods of time. 60 people in the caribbean have lost their lives from the Hurricane. 1.1 million New York students are not going to school tomorrow and 70 public schools are being used as hurricane shelters. 

    Many of New York public transportations systems will not being running and the New York Stock exchange is closing the floor--For the first time in almost three decades. To read more, click here.  Before Hurricane Sandy strikes, I pose two question, do you think they are taking protective measures too far and how do you think this will compare to Hurricane Katrina?  All comments are welcome. 

4th Time's a Charm?

    As the third presidential debate came to an end last night, Candy Crowley followed the paths of Martha Raddatz and Jim Lehrer. All three moderators have had trouble keeping the candidates in line as they debate their way to presidency. The first debate was moderated by Jim Lehrer and many were upset with him for not intervening and letting the Governor and President "run" the debate. Conservatives were upset with Martha Raddatz as she has had previous connections with Obama and last night, According to the Washington Post, "Republicans pilloried moderator Candy Crowley for her attempted litigation of who was right and who was wrong when it came to how and when the White House had labeled the Benghazi attack in its immediate aftermath."To read more, click here. 

   Why is it that all three moderators have had issues on controlling the debate? Some say it is virtually impossible to be a moderator. When I was watching the debates I noticed that the candidates would answer the questions they wanted to answer, and not the questions that they were asked. Also, they ignored the alloted time they were given and spoke on their own terms. Do you think that people should be focusing so much on how the moderators do? Or should we just focus on what the candidates say and ignore the moderators performances? 

Case Closed: Lance Armstrong Doped

Armstrong holding up seven fingers to mark his seventh
 Tour de France victory.

     A man with cancer that spread to the lungs and brain, beat all odds and won seven consecutive Tour de France titles. A cancer foundation founder raising millions for cancer research. Many have looked up to him as a hero beating all life obstacles. This man is Lance Armstrong. Recently, however, Armstrong was accused of "doping" and has been stripped of all titles and banned from professional cycling. According to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Armstrong had the most “the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen".
     26 people confirmed his drug use and testified. The report included financial payments, e-mails, scientific data and laboratory test results. According to the Washington Post there was “conclusive and undeniable proof” that Armstrong, used, possessed and distributed performance-enhancing drugs. To read more, click here.

    In response to riders coming forward with information, Travis Tygart, CEO of USADA said, “in some part, it would have been easier for them if it all would just go away, however, they love the sport, and they want to help young athletes have hope that they are not put in the position they were: To face the reality that in order to climb to the heights of their sport they had to sink to the depths of dangerous cheating.”
    Armstrong used EPO, testosterone, and blood transfusions throughout is momentous career. For now Lance Armstrong is seen as a liar and cheater in the eyes of America, but in ten years or so, do you think he will be remembered as the man who doped or the man, against all odds, beat cancer and won seven tour de france titles? All comments are welcome.

Mitt Romney: In it to Win it

    I am not one to get into politics much. On Wednesday night I was flipping through channels and turned the debate on because some of my favorite comedy sitcoms were not on. Immediately, I was intrigued and watched the whole debate. In the past Romney hasn't had the best rep for public speeches. A lightbulb switch went off on Wednesday as Romney spoke with confidence and power. He stood his ground the whole night, as Obama took a more "cautious" approach, which wasn't the best game plan.
     After the debate, a CBS poll of 523 uncommitted voters were in favor of Romney  with 46% to Obama with 22%. (The rest thought it was a tie). To read more click hereThis debate could be a game changer for the Romney campaign as elections come closer and closer. What do you think? Did Obama do a good job at the debate? Did Romney do better? All comments are appreciated and welcomed. Watch the video to see highlights of the debate.

How Biracial Americans Choose Their Identity

  After having an "online" discussion on An American Studies post by Mr. Bolos, a comment that Mr. O'Connor posted really got me thinking: how do biracial americans identify?" In 2010 A woman named Nikki Khana did a study that answered this exact question. In the study 40 people were asked, which race (black or white) they identified with--the results were quite surprising. 
    Khana said that, "we [found] that biracial respondents pass as black to fit in with black peers in adolescence (especially since many claim that whites reject them), to avoid a white stigmatized identity, and, in the post–civil rights era of affirmative action, to obtain advantages and opportunities sometimes available to them if they are black (e.g., educational and employment opportunities, college financial aid/scholarships)". To read more, click here. 

     A very prominent example of Khana's findings is president Barack Obama. He is biracial and identifies as black. Obama is the nation's first black president, which has been used greatly to his advantage, especially in his campaign. Many African Americans wanted to identify with a man of color. When many people think of Obama, they think of a "black" president. But why not also a white president? He is indeed as much white as black. To read more about Obama and race, click here. 
      If I were to guess about which is more commonly the identified race, I would have thought biracial americans would identify white. America has been faced with civil rights and segregation, so I would want to identify as white because there are still some racial stereotypes out there. One Yale research study concluded that, "Media have divided the working class and stereotyped young African-American males as gangsters or drug dealers." As a result, the media has crushed youths' prospects for future employment and advancement. The media has focused on the negative aspects of the black community. Some examples are,  engaging in drug use, criminal activity and welfare abuse. 
     What do you think? If you were biracial, who would you identify with? All comments are welcome

Don't Touch Me

    Why is it okay for two heterosexual men to hold hands in Saudi Arabia, but not America? Why is it that when Americans hold up two fingers to signify peace, it means,"go to hell" in Greece.  For many years these different meanings have held true to unique cultures in different countries. As time proceeds on, many cultures are loosing their unique authenticity with their body language and are becoming more "americanized". As USA television and movies have become more and more popular world wide, younger generations are picking up on our body language.

    If a British woman in her 60's saw a kid holding up two fingers, she would take it as an extreme insult. On the other hand, if a British teen sees two fingers up, they just think of the number two as one would think in America.
     Greeting people is also very different for different countries. If an American were to shake a German's hand, they would think the German was distant with their brief handshake, while the German would think the American is going overboard with shaking hands up and down repeatedly 5-7 times. 
      Have you ever been in a situation where you have seen body language that doesn't mean what you think it does? 
      To read a truly fascinating article about body language in different countries, click here.

Mice Helping to Finding a Cure, but at What Cost?

     We know that many animals are used as "guinea pigs" for tests with new drugs, treatments, and experiments.  While some animals, such as mice, live in the comforts of a nice habitat in people's homes, others aren't so lucky. Because mice are mammals, easy to work with, and have large litters, they are the perfect test subject to do experiments on.

     Recently a new concept has been put into place for cancer patients. If a patient has an operable tumor, Doctors can extract some of the tumor, plant it in mice, and do experiments on the mice to see what combination of drugs wipe out the cancer.
      To get a good test study it takes about four months for there to be enough "cancerous" mice to get a good amount of data before giving the combination of drugs to humans.
     A 60-year-old New Jersey man with lung cancer said that, “you just look at it as a tool for saving yourself. From my perspective, the more that die, the better for me.”  To read more, click here. 
       This attitude could spark some controversy over how these animals are treated. Although this is life saving treatment, thousands of animals are giving their lives to research. The least we could do is give the animals pain medicines or nice habitats to keep them as happy as possible for their short lives on Earth. 
       This also made me think. Why is it that American's have such a huge place in their hearts for animals? For example, a puppy walking down the sidewalk is bound to attract lots of attention from complete strangers. There is nothing cuter than a fluffy dog or a cuddly cat. I pose two questions for anyone reading this article.
         1. do you think animal testing is humane?
         2. Why do you think we have such a strong attachment to animals?

Chicago Teacher's Union Seven Day Strike Finally Over

      Over 400,000 Chicago kids were stuck at home as teachers from across the city went on strike for the first time in 25 years. With 90% of kids living below the poverty line, it is important to have a safe place to go during the day. In the past decade schools have cut down on arts, physical education, music, and libraries and have ignored increasing class sizes and and vanishing social workers and full-time nurses.

     To understand the strike we need to look at and examine what the union proposed.  let's start with the average school day: the union proposed that the school day and length of the school year should be longer. Also, Teachers proposed that they should not be evaluated so highly on how their students do on standardized tests, whereas,  they need to be evaluated on a more personal level. Next, instead of closing struggling schools that are in dire need of repair, fix them and give them so tender, love and care. Finally, teachers need more respect; especially the ones working in rough neighborhoods and difficult environments. To read more about the strike, click here. 

     Although the strike was much needed for the teacher's sake, we need to remember that for seven days straight when kids should be in school, had to stay at home. When we go back to look at the 90% poverty rate, most likely many parents need to go to work to provide an income for their struggling families. What did the parents do for seven days when they should be working while there kids stayed home from school? Do they deserve some kind of compensation for this extra week of "summer"? 

       This strike is a good reminder to people in the US, that when you think you are alone, you're not. If many people come together and fight for what they believe is right, things can change and become better as exemplified in the strike. Do you think the strike was a necessary thing that the teacher's did? If not, do you think they should have done nothing at all? 

14 Year Old Evanston Student Shot and Killed

     Evanston, Illinois-- a place many families, students, and teens go to movies, shop, eat at  restaurants and see entertainment. A maze of purple floods the streets as Northwestern University students walk around in between classes. Although there are some "iffy" areas in Evanston, it is filled with affluent neighborhoods, where one would think there would never be life and death situations. However, on September 20th, 14 year old Dajae Coleman was walking home around 10 pm by Church St. and Davis St. (downtown Evanston) and was shot four times and fatally wounded in the chest. Coleman was prospected to go far in Basketball and his coach said that he was "one of those kids that's always willing to help out in the community". To read more click Here. 
      The news has shocked the community and yesterday students flooded Evanston High School wearing red, as it was Dajae's favorite color. Many people ask themselves, "Why him? Why was he killed?" The police are still investigating with currently no leads. They suspect it was not gang related, so why kill an innocent boy? 

     This tragedy has really made me think. Why is it so easy for Americans to get their hands on a gun? There needs to be stricter laws with gun use to prevent these accidents from happening. Only professionals should be able to own firearms because an unexperienced kid with a gun could potentially not just hurt others, but themselves because of lack of experience. 
      As Evanston family and friends mourn the loss, the school released Coleman's "Belief statement" that he wrote for his humanities class. To read his last piece of writing before his passing Click Here. 

Are Police & New Trier Taking "Inappropriate" Texts Too Far?

     I think that any New Trier high schooler would agree  that the current talk or gossip of the school is the recent "sexting" scandal that was made public to New Trier students and families last friday night. A few students were caught with inappropriate photos on their cellphones and in their emails. Few have been in serious trouble, but all involved will face the consequences of having their most personal item out in public--their bodies.     
         According to the Chicago Tribune,   superintendent, Linda Yonke, released an email to all New Trier families saying that they are doing "Extensive initial interviews and out of respect for student privacy and due to the ongoing police investigation, we cannot share any other details at this time". To read more click here. 
     Although this is considered child pornography because all the students are under 18, I don't think the school should be making this such a big deal because it is kid's private belongings that are being confiscated. If anything it should just be the police involved because it is breaking the law. None of the pictures were taken at New Trier or used on school owned devices, so I don't think they should be as involved as they are. There is still extensive interviewing to be done, but for now, do you think New Trier should be getting so involved?

United States Ambassador Killed in Libya

Protestors destroy an American Flag at the US embassy

      September 11th is a day most Americans will associate with the Al-Queda terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. However, yesterday, the eleventh anniversary of  9/11, was shared with tragic news. According to News Day, the U.S ambassador of Libya, Chris Stevens, was killed along with "A group of embassy employees [that] went to the consulate to try to evacuate staff as the building came under attack by a mob firing machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades", To read more click here.
     The attacks were provoked by a youtube video  that ridiculed the prophet of Islam, Muhammad. The video was produced by a California filmmaker who claims he is both American and Israeli. Libyan rioters went to the embassy and burned it down with outrage over how the video depicted the sacred Muhammad. This was shocking news to the US government because there has not been a US ambassador killed since 1979.  Obama has now increased security for diplomatic personal around the world. 
     The same day, Islamic people in Egypt  protested at the US Embassy in Cairo, but nobody was killed. Several Men scaled the walls of the embassy and tore down the American flag with outrage.  CNN reporter reflects on the day's events and said, "One such breach of an embassy or consulate's walls or security on any given day would be tremendous news. ... The fact that two of them happened on the same day that is the 9/11 anniversary where Americans are remembering those that we lost, you have to ask yourself, what are American officials trying to understand about this and whether or not these two are related?"

Would You Like to go to Space?

     When you ask a child what they want to be when they grow up, many shout out,  "Doctor, Policeman, Teacher or Astronaut". To children, these are the most common occupations, but why do they think that? What part of society makes those jobs look so enticing? why do business or engineering seem to be placed on the back burner. Even though four of these occupations are commonly achieved, being an Astronaut is not. While there are almost 700,000 Doctors in the Us alone, there are only 500 Astronauts in the world. 
       For all the millionaires of the world, space travel will soon be an activity one would do with their extra money. According to The New York Times, if you have, lets just say "$50 million, Space Adventures, in Virginia, says its can get you to the International Space Station, a trip seven people have already enjoyed that includes up to 12 days in orbit and, presumably, all the freeze-dried ice cream you can eat". To read more click here. 
      As the average American could never dream of spending $50 million dollars for a 12 day trip of a lifetime, in a few years, commercial space travel will take off and become a billion dollar industry. Well for now, if you had $50 million dollars lying around, would you go to space? 

      

Why Don't More Americans Vote?

       As the 2012 election comes closer, television has been flooded with advertisements to persuade voters to vote for a specific candidate, especially Mitt Romney. According to The New York Post,  some "Nonprofit groups have spent at least $65 million on television advertising, almost all of it against President Obama or in support of Mitt Romney".  A question everybody should be asking themselves is: why should they spend all the money when there is less than a 50% voter turnout? 

        Alexis de Tocqueville, a french political thinker best known for his "Democracy in America" writings, examined the idea of a small voting turnout in America and said,  " [i]t is difficult to force a man out of himself and get him to take an interest in the affairs of the whole state, for he has little understanding of the way in which the fate of the state can influence his own lot". To read more click here The citizens like the one described above need to stop thinking so concretely about their own lives and should consider how they want their country run just like how the determine how they live their lives.  

         The young americans can sway this election dramatically. In 2008, Obama's victory was very much credited to the 18-24 year olds as they voted 67% for Obama and 33% for McCain. This years election could go either way if everyone voted and took the initiative to make a small stand in how they want their country to be run. For all the under 18 year olds out there, would you vote if you could? 

"Craigslist Joe"

        Have you ever been in a dangerous situation because of an ad you responded to on Craigslist? On August 14th the popular advertising website Craigslist was yet again linked to another death of an innocent victim looking for a good deal. Aung Thu Bo, a 19 year old college student, was found dead after trying to purchase an iphone. Click here to read more.
       When I think of Craigslist and the media, I think of the infamous "Craigslist killer" and passed murders due to the website.  Although many Craigslist posters are harmless, the media chooses to focus on all the bad activity rather than the good. So for my post today I wanted to focus on the good things Craigslist has done, rather than the bad.
        A recent documentary called "Craigslist Joe" came to my attention as I was searching for movies to watch. I am a fan of documentaries and this one caught my eye. It documented one man living for one month purely on the goodwill of others and you could probably guess, all the people were average Joe's from Craigslist. To read more about "Craigslist Joe" click here. After watching the documentary, not only did I feel proud to live among such generous people, but it shed light on all the negatives the media was trying to ingrain in our brains. Watch the above video to learn more about "Craigslist Joe"