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?