Health Insurance is Simply too Expensive

Jeffrey Young, Huffington Post

It seems as if every year, the cost of health premiums is exponentially decreasing and that there is nothing people could do about it. Many blame these rise in costs on the people who come into the country illegally and receive free health care. It does not matter what the reason is, health insurance is slowly becoming unaffordable. It is projected that in 2037, health insurance will cost more than the median income of an American household! This is simply ridiculous since people will die because they can not afford health care in the "most advanced country in the world." Wages nearly stay the same yet health insurance costs are sky rocketing. The costs of health care are increasing so fast, that even with Obama-care,  people will not be able to pay for health care. At this rate, the average American might have the financial means to pay for health care until 2033. After than that, insurance is out of reach. Also, fewer workers are not getting insured from their jobs along with getting cuts on their benefits. President Obama's health reform contains policies designed to slow the progress of rising health care costs by cutting Medicare payments to hospitals and other medical providers and created financial incentives for health insurers, doctors, hospitals, and others to band together to reduce waste, improve care, and save money (Young). This health reform will also impose a tax in 2018 on the most expensive insurance plans in an aim to encourage people to buy cheaper coverage and tax the wealthy who can afford those expensive health premiums. No matter what measure's are taken, this country's health care system is soon bound to collapse and cause an internal economic meltdown. America's future is in danger as all signs lead to "the fall of the American Empire."

Boston Marathon Bombing Hero Receives Over $360,000 In Online Donations

Harry Bradford, Huffington Post

On April 20, 2013 an article was posted by Harry Bradford recognizing Jeff Bauman's accomplishments. Jeff Bauman was a participant of the Boston Marathon who lost both his legs due to the bombing. Thanks to his cooperation with the federal government, the suspects were identified and have been neutralized. People consider him a national hero and wish to return the favor. About 10,000 people have donated to Bucks for Bauman to help him pay for the devastating medical expenses caused by the amputation of both his legs. Approximately $360,000 have been raised so far.His coworkers at Costco have tried to help but there is only so much they could do. According to NBC News, the injuries of all fourteen victims are expected to exceed 9 million dollars. This includes the estimated amount of days victims would stay in intensive care and prosthetic limbs which cost about $50,000 each.  One Fund Boston, a charity set up by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino, has already raised more than $7 million. The costs of health have risen drastically and that is evident as victims strive to receive care due to an act of hatred out of their control.

U.S Postal Service in Danger

Joe Davidson, The Huffington Post

Over the course of many years, many changes to the current postal system of America has changed. Due to advancements made in technology and particularly the internet field, bills are now being paid online, funds are transferred online,  and letters are sent via email. The U.S Postal service has lost most of its revenue from the sale of stamps and has come near the face of bankruptcy for a couple of years now. However, after making many budget cuts and laying off thousands of workers, they are still hemorrhaging twenty-five million dollars a day! Despite the daily loses, The U.S Postal Service lost 1.3 billion dollars in the last quarter of 2012.On Wednesday  Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe blamed the government for preventing the post office from adapting to technological changes in the business world. He said, "Our financial problems are due to the restrictive laws that prevent us from fully responding to changes in consumer behavior," Donahoe said while testifying before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee"... and that "The U.S. Postal Service could become “a significant burden to the taxpayer” if it does not get needed flexibility to change its business operations." According to Donahoe, cutting Saturday delivery will save the company an average of two billion dollars annually and can potentially save the company or at least keep it running for a couple of more years. By doing so, they mailing system will be the same as it was in 1983.It is a shame that a company that was created by one of our founding fathers in 1775 is now near the verge of bankruptcy due to a failure to sustain the current technological needs of the people. 

President Obama Recieves Poison Letters

Huffington Post

On April 15, 2013 a poison tainted letter was sent to Senator Roger Wicker. Luckily, the letter was intercepted. A day later, a letter of the same kind was intercepted. This time, the letter was intended for the President."The letter was intercepted at a facility away from the White House after they had suspected the the letter contained a suspicious substance." said  the Secret Service Spokesman. Chad Pergram from Fox News claims that the sender of both the letters are the same. Tensions have been high in Washington and across the country since the deadly bombings on Monday at the Boston Marathon that killed three people and injured more than 170. Now that the lives of influential government officials have been threatened, Many Americans fear the safety of this nation. Others say that we are under attack by terrorists. Either way, the people are looking for answers and so far, none have been given. The Police say they have a suspect in mind but that has not given the American people they are looking for. It is time for the President to brief the people on the current situation since everyone looks up to him and need to be comforted.

Stereotypes

Stereotypes are everywhere, but does that accurately reflect reality?  Racial remarks, sexual remarks, and gender remarks are the biggest stereotypes. The actions of a small group of people are assumed to be the actions and habits of all the members of a group. That is how stereotypes are generated. Stereotyping is not fair since people who do not possess the poor traits of a few people who belong in their group receive credit for them anyway. Now the question, "What factors contribute to such prejudice and how?" comes into the equation. There are many sources of stereotypes in society. One major source is jealousy against a race, gender, religion, because their success. Often times we hear members of society go on about how Asians take up all the space in the universities. However, they fail to equate the effort and time they have expended to reach these goals.Another question that might be worth asking about stereotypes is, "Is it possible to grow to adulthood without harboring at least some prejudice toward certain groups. It is not possible to not have at least one stereotype hidden in the subconscious. Especially with the extensive role the media plays in people's lives, it is very difficult to reject the stereotypical information given to you the the brainwashing methods of the media. Unfortunately, there is no such world without discrimination and prejudice. People are judged like a book with a poor cover. Again, people do not stop and give the book a chance in case they might like it. They judge and move on with their next book. A stereotype is only successful if all members of society collectively join in on what they think is a harmless joke. People do not stop to think about how stereotyping can lead to genocide, the worst crime against humanity. Evidently, it happened with the Armenians, Jews, and many other people we probably do not know about.

Facebook Likes Reveal Secrets

Alexis Kleinman, Huffington Post.

On Huffington Post, Alexis Kleinman wrote an article called "Your Facebook 'Likes' Can Reveal If Your Gay, How You Vote: Study" on March 11, 2013. In this article, the dangers of Facebook like were revealed. One might think it is extremely harmless but those likes reveal more about an individual than they realize. The National academy of Sciences analyzed the Facebook accounts of more than 58,000 users who have volunteered access to their likes.. Researchers make guesses about their personalities and behavior, and even whether they drank, smoked, or used drugs. Facebook had released the like button in 2009 and since then, about 2.7 billion people use the like button everyday. All the surveyors took a personality test. After the guessing was over, the answers given on the test and the guesses made about the likes were very similar. It was also then made clear that some like were more revealing than others. Many linkages were also made during this time for example, " Men who liked TV song-and- dance sensation 'Glee' were more likely to be gay than those who watch professional wrestling. All this information is put willingly by Facebook users not realizing how a simple Facebook like could reveal their entire personality to a certain extent. People should start proceeding with caution while they use Facebook because one day, the information users willingly make available to everyone could be used against them.

Job Applicants Test Positive for Drugs at HIghest Rate

Caroline Fairchild, Huffington Post

On March 7, 2013 Caroline Fairchild wrote an article called "U.S. Job Seekers Test Positive For Drugs At Highest Rate Since 2007, Study Finds" in the Huffington post. Job applicants are testing positively for drugs at rates not seen since 2007. According to a medical lab research company, job applicants are having a hard time passing their pre-employment urine tests. The rate of which job applicants have failed their drug tests has increased by 5.7% since 2011. The most common drug used by American job seekers is marijuana. This suggests that maybe, Marijuana should be legalized. Last year, Colorado and Washington legalized marijuana restricting it to permitted use by adults over twenty-one. As time progresses and more propositions are voted for, Americans seem to even more supportive of the legalization of this product. It seems that Americans cannot keep themselves away from Marijuana and it is costing them their job. Employers are having trouble finding employees that pass their drug tests. The way America is heading, employers might have to look at their policies, and decide if they want drug testing or not.It is quite frightening to see the people's dependence on drugs and how they compromise their future and financial stability in order to indulge in illegal drugs.

Gatsby Party

One can make good use out of $100,000 for a party, but the more the merrier.  I would spend $30,000 to rent out a giant yacht for the night, with a water slide going around the yacht which leads to a pool within the yacht. I would invite all my friends and relatives to come enjoy this great party. They will be shuttled in with limousines which would cost about $15,000. As for the entertainment, $10,000 will be spent to book Rick Ross who will bring the life to the party with his cool music and fine hunnies.  There will be Bacardi 151, Blue Label, and Tequila everywhere with small finger foods on the side which will require around $15,000. The water slide will be fueled with cognac imported from Armenia which will cost around $5,000. Overall, the party will be crawling with women who will be large in all the right places,  great music, and a nice vibe. In my opinion a modern day Gatsby party will be exactly how I envisioned it. As for all the leftover money, it will be raining with buckets all over the guests as the party is at its climax.

http://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/disney-dream-slide.jpg
http://www.empowernetwork.com/teamgetmoney/files/2013/01/Rick-Ross.jpg

Mokhtar Belmokhtar Killed in Mali

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/02/mokhtar-belmokhtar-killed-dead-dies-chad_n_2798138.html?utm_hp_ref=world

Today, Dany Padire wrote an article on the Huffington Post about the alleged death of Al Quida member Mokhtar Belmokhtar. Last month, Belmokhtar attacked a natural gas plant in Algeria which resulted in the death of many people. Even though Belmokhtar is not a leader of Al Quida, he is known as the money maker, because of his trade in the cocaine business that brings revenue to the terrorist group. After this attack, Belmokhtar apparently escaped from Algeria and hid in a jihadist base in Northern Mali. Since the initial attack in Belmokhtar, the French military has been trying to capture or kill Belmokhtar , who was traced in Mali, but they had never found him. Luckily, the Chadian military, who had troops deployed in the area, had spotted Belmokhtar in a jihadist base. The base was destroyed with Belmokhtar becoming a casualty. Not only does the Chadian military take pride and credit for the death of Belmokhtar, but also for the death of Abou Zeid , an Al Quida leader who was also in the area, a day earlier. The French military cannot confirm either death until further investigations take place, but at this point it is suspected that both Belmokhtar and Zeid have been definitely killed.

The Prohibition of Alcohol

The Prohibition of Alcohol was a national ban on the sale, consumption, and transportation of alcohol. This act was carried out from 1920-1933. The ban was first carried out when the 18th amendment was repealed in 1920. This period was a tough time for many Americans whose history had incorporated the use of alcohol. All of a sudden that tradition was discontinued, in theory at least. Even though alcohol was banned by law, people still found a way to import alcohol illegally. The fact that this product was illegal increased its demand. Alcohol had become out of reach to the average American. The rich upper-class however thought they could simply buy their way around the law and pay top dollar for black market alcohol.This product used to have a place in every American household but now became a luxury whose ownership simplely defined the socioeconomic class one belongs to. That was the case for Jay Gatsby. A party was not thrown without alcohol. That is the reason why he represented only a small percentage of the Americans who were millionaires who thought they were invincible because of their strong financial backbone.

Credit Report Error

Associative Press, Huffington Post

Earlier today, a government study revealed some shocking news.According to a research study conducted by The Federal Trade Commission, one in every five people have error's in their credit score. Out of those with credit score errors, 5% have ended up paying more money to mortgages, auto loans, and other financial products. The faulty credit score has come from three major agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The Commission hired researchers to help consumers identify potential errors. Some might say it is too late. Thousands of Americans had faced problems and were denied loans because of the credit score they now find to be mistaken. The Federal Trade Commission has also now stressed the importance of often checking the credit score and reporting any issue they might encounter or realize. To be fair, many complain that they should receive compensation for their credit score errors and protest to receive the money that they should not have paid in the first place.  The problem does not end right here. In the end, the government is affected by this financial problem. Based on the high interest rates consumer's were paying, the government has given tax breaks to many individuals who had loans to pay. This credit plague must be taken care of immediately in order to restore the unbiased balance implemented in the financial world.

Colbert Vs. Wikipedia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20PlHx_JjEo


     The host of The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert, Satirized Wikipedia for its unreliability. He targeted the website the whole episode and introduced the audience to a new concept which he called, "Wikilobbying". Wikilobbying is the payment given to Wikipedia by large corporations like Microsoft, to edit the articles and make their products seem more desirable. Stephen Colbert wants to drift his audience away from relying on Wikipedia because the information is not accurate. He believes that since Wikipedia gives us relative information that is condensed and easy to access, people tend to agree with the article. During the show, Colbert used different methods to convey his message to the audience. He achieved his satire by using the techniques of irony and innuendo. His use of Irony could be seen when he quotes the founder of Wikipedia and completely satirizes it to show that the morals that the founder claims to have are not applicable to a capitalist society.The audience of the show could also witness the innuendo technique. Stephen Colbert indirectly attacks Microsoft when he claims that people no longer trust Microsoft. The company will then regain the trust of the people by paying Wikipedia to write articles to trust Microsoft. To sum it up, Stephen Colbert wants the people to be aware that their most trusted source is in fact tampered with and unreliable.

Internet Users Demand Less Interactivity

http://www.theonion.com/articles/internet-users-demand-less-interactivity,30920/?ref=auto


On January 26, 2013, an article was published on www.theonion.com. The article talked about the views of many internet users in San Francisco and their dissatisfaction with the quality of internet browsing. Most of these people have expressed their opinions to reporters and  complained that they are tired of being a part of the internet browsing experience and that all they want now is to visit a website with no participation on their part. The majority of users are fed up with the bombarding interaction that takes place in websites through constant requests to share content on social media, leave comments, and generally “join in on the discussion,” The users are overwhelmed with this type of browsing and simply just want to visit a website, stay there and explore for the time they choose to be there, leave and move on with their lives. The lack of motivation to browse the internet could possibly affect businesses whose income primarily relies on users who are interested and click on the suggested link. The internet evolved very quickly and some of the users do not like it. However, it is too late to change since many teens, young adults, students, and business owners have adapted to these new ways. Hopefully, websites could find a balance between the two extremes.

Pentagon Ends Ban on Women in Combat

Shashank Bengali, Los Angeles Times


On January 3,2013 The Defense Secretary,  Leon E. Panetta, ended the ban on women serving in combat. This ban opened up 200,000 new positions on the front lines as well as opportunities in the special forces commando unit. However, this decision does come with restrictions. The Defense officials have given armed services until 2016 to ask for special waivers if they believe any position should still remain closed to women. Many analysts believe that this decision was emerged because of an attempt to stimulate the economy and the Iraqi and Afghan wars. During the tough times when the country was in shortage of troops, women took the roles of men by serving as drivers, medics, and mechanics. It is expected that 14,000 new jobs will be available to women serving in the military  just only in the month of February. These new opportunities also allow women to move up in military rankings allowing them to increase their income potential. This opportunity is a very large step forward for women. They have been fighting for their rights from men since the beginning of our history and here they are today serving this country alongside of them with great pride and integrity.

Observing Nature

With a notebook and a pencil in hand without the disturbance of modern day technology, one can really tune in all their senses. The sun is about to set. The blue sky is is practically nonexistent and all that is left is the light orange and yellow mix. A cool breeze would show up now and then and ease the effect of the heat as the rays of the sun are disappearing. With a deep breath, the smoke from the Sunday barbecue is inhaled as my stomach is making noises, sending me signs to put food in my system. As i get bored, I call my dog Marley who is very responsive to her name and quickly rushes outside. I turn my head and a squirrel is indulging in a lemon from the the tree. The sounds of the squirrel nibbling on the lemon could be heard from the other side of the backyard. Marley soon becomes aware of the uninvited guest and the peaceful nature was all of a sudden replaced by loud barking, shaking trees, and dog tags hitting each other as Marley sprints her way across the backyard and back a couple of times in order to obtain a visual on the escaping squirrel. The sound of the guests inside laughing, making their toasts, and a soccer game on the television blasted at high volume also took over nature's peaceful effect.The sprinklers are activated. The pollination of the bees is terminated and the maladjusted sprinkler was aimed right at my location. I was hit with a cool burst of water and therefore decided to conclude my observation. I stood up and made my way inside until halfway there I turn around and realize that Marley, my Labrador dog, has made a visit to Raging Waters and is playing with the water from the sprinkler. She was soaking wet and thought the towel I was throwing at her was part of a game. She jumped at me and spoiled all my clothes which led to my immediate decision to go inside freshen up.

New York State Pass Gun Laws

Christopher Mathias, Huffington Post

The state of New York has finally taken initiative and passed gun laws before any other state or even the country as a whole.They enacted the toughest gun restrictions on January 14, 2013. These restrictions are primarily a reaction to the Connecticut school massacre. It expanded assault weapon ban and background checks for buying ammunition which now only come in magazines of seven rounds. In addition to these extensions, an approximated one million people who own legal semi-automatic rifles will be allowed to keep them but have a year to report them to the proper authorities. The sale of any more semi-automatic rifles is now prohibited. New York has lead the way into a path that should have arguably been followed a long time ago. The question whether these laws will actually make people safer, the extremity of the laws, and the infringement on second amendment rights still come up even though the amendment is very carefully protected. The set of restriction are simply for precautionary measure so that more school shootings do not occur in the near future. Any individual who buys large amounts of ammunition will be flagged by the system and immediately reported to the police department. Hopefully the rest of the country will also take these precautions because the last thing we want to witness is another cold blooded school massacre. It is true that if one has decided by free will to go and fire bullets at anyone in their sight, the damage will be devastating no matter how strict the weapon restrictions are, however by passing these laws, we can take precautionary measures and foresee a potential threat as well as limit the casualties to an absolute minimum.

Independent Suggested Reading

     Over the winter vacation, we were assigned to read the autobiography or memoir of our choice from the list provided. After we were responsible to present the piece of literature that we had read and talk about things like themes, main events, and important quotations. All of the stories touched up on the author's life in one way or another however "The Child Called It" by Dave Pelzer stood out out of the rest of the twenty- two pieces of literature. That is the book I am most likely to read in the future because it heavily reaches out and touches your emotions. The events were based on a true story and the fact that such terrible events occurred in someone's childhood is frightening. I receive unconditional love and support from my parents and can not imagine a world without that. This story might even help me appreciate what I take for granted. I would be emotionally affected if one of my friends even wished my death but having your parents wish your death is a completely different issue and it certainly makes a huge impact in that person's social behavior.
     The story I am least likely to read is "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. I think that it was very brave of Frey to realize his problem and go to a rehabilitation center to fix it however, I think that the story has been quite tweaked to make himself look like a brave hero while in reality he was a drug addict with a problem. Whenever he justified selling two thousand pounds of hashish to raise money for college, the irony just got me to assume that he was not very truthful in his reasoning. In the end he became a successful writer and I am very glad someone who had as deep of a problem as he did did not end up behind the bars for a more serious crime and instead became a successful writer who has corrected his problem.

Cutting for Bieber

Christian Piatt, Huffington Post

     Recently, TMZ had revealed photos of the pop sensation at a party smoking what appears to be a cigar. Although there were suspicions of that cigar actually being a marijuana blunt, no one exactly knew what kind of tobacco that wrapping paper actually contained. At least not until Justin Bieber himself admit to the fact that he was actually smoking marijuana. This news traveled at lightning speed and became a very big hit. The obsession with Bieber's indulgence on an illegal item caused chaos in the entertainment world and even caused the death of a paparazzi who got hit by a car while chasing Justin Bieber because he claimed that he saw Bieber smoking weed. After this tragic death, a group of Justin Bieber fans uploaded photos of wounds on their wrists to indirectly make Bieber feel guilty and want to stop smoking marijuana. This movement became more popular as many fans joined the "Cutting for Bieber" bandwagon and slitting their wrists to get Justin to stop. This has truly affected this pop star's reputation and has angered many parents whose children have been hospitalized in attempt to get Bieber to stop smoking. The debate still goes on whether Justin Bieber has a responsibility to his young fans to live a clean life or if he is only being human and indulging in something very tempting. Either way, it is outrageous to see people harming them selves for a choice another human being is making. It should not matter how obsessed you are with that person, harming yourself should not be an answer.