Last Blog

As the semester comes to an end, this is my last post. I just wanted to discuss some highlights and general information about the past few months. Even though I am extremely happy to be done with another semester, I do think this class was a good learning experience. Ending the semester with the group projects/presentations was a good choice. We got a break from reading and was allowed to hear and input our own ideas into a whole class dedicated to each of our own groups. I think that one of my favorite things about this class was the blogging. Though it may have been tedious at times, having to remember to post and comment every week, it was still a good exercise. It allowed each one of us to discuss different topics, whether it was something we did in class or what we thought was interesting outside of the class. I just hope that people found this class as helpful and interesting as I did. Granted I did know what free speech is, but I did not know all the factors that came along with the term. This gave me an insight about free speech and all the positives and negatives. Hopefully, I will be able to greater my knowledge of this and allow others to be informed.

Still in the race?

When I was browsing the internet today, I came across an article that was about the presidential race. It was about Hillary Clinton and her abilities to win the democratic candidacy. The headline read, "Why is this woman still smiling?" I was just wondering if any of you could answer this question. I am a supporter of Obama and think that she should just drop out now. The longer she stays in, the battle between the two of them, the longer this drags on. The article stated that his delegate count is rising, so why doesn't she just drop out? She obviously is not going to catch up in the month or so left of the country's primaries, so there is really no reason for her to be wasting her time and money. Hopefully she will soon come to her senses and realize there is no way she will catch up.

For the Women...

This is mainly directed for informative reasons towards females. However, that does not discourage the males to read this as well.

While in one of my earlier class, my friend brought my attention to the dangers of a supposedly "helpful" vaccine that is meant for women. The HPV vaccine, also known as Gardasil, may do more than prevent HPV in the young teenagers who are meant to get it. There is an article on NaturalNews.com, that discusses the dangerous side effects that could occur from getting this vaccine. The first part that stuck out in my mind was the story of a twelve year old girl who got the vaccine. She was always considered athletic and then after she got Gardasil, her legs became weak leading her to collapse. Now she suffers with disease that inflames the brain and has left her having to rely on aides and a cane in order to successfully walk.

The article continues to talk about everything related the HPV vaccine and I believe this is something everyone should be informed about. From the commercials and maybe doctors make it seem like a life saver, but there might be things the FDA is holding back from the general public. They maybe making money off of the vaccine, but it may be causing others to suffer.

Media and the War

After yesterday's class and the movie "Buying the War," I think that there is a certain opinion I hold on the media. For instance, whether the journalists should cover things more emotional or critical, I think it really depends on the situation. Like in the circumstance of 9/11, I think that they covered the tragedy in a good amount. I think they played plenty of emotion because from what I remember the media covered 9/11 for many weeks. I do not think that people wanted to know somewhat what was going on with the attacks, but if that is all we plastered on the television was the faces of the terrorists and the weapons they used or whatever, that might just cause a disturbance further than what it was.

While watching the movie, there was one thing that really bothered me. The scene where there was talk about how Bush has a list of people he called in on that press conference. Not only that one, I am sure that still happens. I just think that is not the way those press junkets should be run. He shouldn't be allowed to prepare the answers for the questions he knows will be asked. Part of being the president is to answer those questions that are difficult to answer. Even now, the presidential candidates are not being told what questions to answer.

This also got my seminar group to thinking about Bush will be remembered in the future. The majority of us thought that he would be remembered as one of the worst presidents, whether he is forgotten or not. While discussing this in our seminar, Dave came around and informed our group of this website that had historians rank how Bush would be remembered. Even though I never found this part of the website, I did come across numerous comics about Bush and his administration. Some of them were hilarious and others were kind of disturbing, so much to the point that they were true. Look for future posts, since I do not remember the exact website.

Today's Class

When we were in class today, and watching the video, I was extremely taken aback. In the past I have watched Fox News, but have not always relied on them. I have known got myself thinking about if I ever payed attention to how conservative Fox News was. I know that I always thought all those news channels had the same news, but never saw how they were supportive of the conservative view point. Also, there was one quote that stuck out in my mind about how "Fox News is a 24 hour political ad supporting the GOP." Now that I look at the clips presented in the movie and watch the station, I have noticed how right on that quote is.

Another thing that made me angry was the O'Reily conversation with the son who lost his father in the 9/11 attacks. I just could not believe how Bill O'Reily could be so verbally abusive to someone who had lost their father. Part of being a talk show host, or whatever his title is, is to let people speak their own thoughts, but in his case he thought it was ok to cut him off at any chance and also personally attack him as well as his family. Watching his insensitivity reminded me of the radio personality in the little town in Montana. Both men have their followings and they are completely out of line in to what they say.

On another note, I am currently watching the Democratic debate in Pennsylvania and then looked on AOL. Even though that is probably not a good source of news, I saw the headline stating: "Clinton Says Obama Can Beat McCain." The first line of the article said how Clinton actually said that Obama could win the White House in the fall. I just think that if she thinks this, she should just drop out and cut her losses, but that is just me. What do you think?

Different Post

Aside from the normal posts of regular issues, I would just like to post about part of my weekend which was amazing. First of all I got to make my return to the San Jose Earthquakes soccer team which they have been missing for a couple years. Anyway, the game was in Oakland and I went around to a couple stores away from the colisseum and met some people, and they were all extremely nice. It seems that whenever Oakland is talked about, it is in the negative sense of gangs and violence, but so far I have only seen good side.

Next thing is that I got an internship for NBC 11 news station, which is amazing and I am so excited for the summer. Hopefully, I will be an intern for the sports section, but we shall see. Any experience is good experience. I just wanted to share that with everyone and hope they had as good a weekend as I did.

Free Speech in TV

I am always surprised when I am watching television and the factor of free speech shows up. For example, I was watching a show the other night called "Without A Trace." For those of you who don't know, "Without A Trace" is a series based in New York about FBI agents who focus on missing persons; a great show to watch. Anyways, the other night there was an episode about a high school cheerleader who went missing, and the FBI chose to question a boy who used to date her. When they brought him in, they asked him about his blog that verbally abused this cheerleader. When one of the agents asked him about the blog, the boy simply replied, "Haven't you heard of the first ammendment?"
This isn't the first time that I have seen this happen in television. But with this specific circumstance, I ask, would the words written on a blog be able to be grounds for suspicion of a crime such as this?

Crazy People

After watching the movie in Wednesday's class, I was surprised how some people think. Being a small town, like the one in Montana, I did not think they had issues such as the one dealing with environmentalists. Granted I have never heard of this town, but it is odd that once the public is introduced in to it, it is simply because of the supposed "terrorist" problem.
When I was watching, I just sat there thinking how much power the one radio announcer had over the town. His following seemed more like a cult, rather than just the normal society. When they burned the green Nazi symbol and would basically verbally abuse innocent people, I feel that this could be something that could progress, into more violence.
In the violence factor, I do question the environmentalist woman who died by drowning in the shallow lake. I do not know whether to believe that it was an accident or not, but I do think the town needs some limitations to what can be said to jeopardize a person's safety. For example, the lady with the two daughters who received the phone call about killing her piece by piece, which made her teach her daughters how to shoot guns, I think that is something a mother should have to teach her children.
Some people may find this radio broadcast free speech, but I think that once it endangers someone, then it is an entirely different story. When people get on the radio, they should think what they say before they say it and that many people are listening.

Troops in Darfur

As everyone knows, Darfur has been a place that has been suffering for quite sometime. On Yahoo, I read an article that stated how the U.S is urging the U.N to get "3,600 new peacekeepers on the ground where there is conflict in Darfur by June." I just want to put this out there and ask, do you think this will really help? The article continued to say that the U.S wants contingents from Egypt, Ethiopia, and Rwanda.

A few weeks ago, I went to a lecture by Benjamin Ajak and Dr. Ashis Brahma. Benjamin Ajak was one of the Lost Boys of Sudan and Ashis Brahma discussed what is going on in Africa. He really opened my eyes to the terrible things that are going on over there. I just wish things would be able to get better for those people in those conditions, who know the true meaning of sufferage.

Dangerous Cities

Every time I log on to AOL to check my mail, I always find myself looking at the news they put on their site. It seems that a lot of the time, they put up different polls and things like that. Today, I was looking at polls that showed the safest states, unhealthiest states, and dangerous cities. The one that struck my interest was the list of the most dangerous cities. Going through the list, there were three California cities, including Compton, Richmond, and Oakland. Oakland was number four, while Detroit ranked number one.

This news kind of shocked me. I know I have always heard news about all the murders and shootings that take place in Oakland. However, when it ranks number 4 out of all the U.S cities, it is a real eye opener. I have been to Oakland before, more so for sporting events and concerts. In my opinion, those parts I have been to do not "rub me the wrong way". I know there are more parts of Oakland that may be more difficult to live in.

Going back to the polls, AOL presented rankings within different categories. In the assault, motor vehicle theft and murder category, it was ranked number 2. With rape it was number 49. Robbery was number 5 and burglary, number 17.

There are constant news stories in the bay area that focus on tragedies that happen in Oakland, and I just hope that things will be able to change in the future. Even though this city may be one of the most dangerous in the U.S, I will always be a supporter of the Oakland Raiders and Athletics.

5 years in Iraq

Spring break has ended and we are back to reality. Over break, I was watching the local news and was informed that it was the fifth year anniversary of the Iraq war. In San Francisco, there was a major protest that took place, including people chaining themselves to buildings, arrests and other situations.

Today when I was on a local news website, I saw that the 4,0000th U.S soldier was killed in Iraq. According the NBC 11, posted link, there were four U.S soldiers that were killed in Baghdad due to a roadside bomb.

With this current statistic, I just want to take the time and have everyone give thanks to those who are over there fighting and those who have lost their lives for the U.S. I am not a supporter of the war and had a friend who went to Iraq, and see first hand what the war does to people. I just hope, that sooner than later, we will be able to withdraw from the war.

Also, over the break, I was able to watch Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama talk with young veterans on MTV. Each presidential candidate sat with about 8 veterans in their twenties and discuss issues with veterans and the war. There was one veteran that stated how after he came back from the war he was homeless. Not only did he have to suffer through having no home, but his drivers license expired. He was told that he could go to the DMV and get it taken care of, free of charge, since he was fighting in the war. However, when he went to the Manhattan DMV, the lady working said he would have to pay forty-five dollars and he said he did not have the money with him. He told the lady that he was in Iraq, fighting the war, hoping this would release him of his payment. Unfortunately, the lady turned to him and said, "I don't care what war you were in. You weren't fighting for me, you were fighting for Bush." He continued to say that not one person in the DMV building, who heard her say this, stuck up for him. I knew that veterans did have problems once they came back to the U.S civilization, but not as crucial as this. I just hope that whoever becomes the next president is not only able to end the war, but also to help those veterans in need.

Newsome for Governor!

There is one thing that I especially love about San Francisco. No it is not the Giants or the 49er's, but the mayor, Gavin Newsome. Not just being appealing in age and looks, which he both has, but also he has done some great things for the bay area city, especially being a major advocate for gay marriage/rights, which I support.

According to SFgate.com, the San Francisco mayor might run for governor of California in the year 2010. If he were to run for governor, I would vote for him in a heartbeat. With California's current situation, I am very much against Arnold Schwarzenegger being our governor. I think he has truly caused problems for our state, especially with all of the budget problems we have been having; we as students in college. Having Newsome as the governor, it would be a nice change and I think that California is definitely in need of some change, starting with the governor position.

Go to the above link and read the article because if people are aware of this early, than it would maybe help people follow it and actually vote in the end.

Hillary's Stike Ends

As Super Tuesday 2 comes to a close, there are some new developments. First off, Senator John McCain obviously grabs the GOP nomination. To me, there is no surprise there since he has been ahead for quite sometime. But since I am, as you may know, a democrat, I would like to focus on that part of the recent preliminaries.

Obama won the preliminary in Vermont, while Clinton won Rhode Island. Since this was a time that Hillary needed in order to stay in the race, she seems to be keeping her foot in the door. With the other two states, Clinton had a lead in Ohio and Obama had took an early lead in Texas. As of now, the precincts are still reporting so the tallies are still unknown completely.

In my life, I have never been one to follow elections so closely. The first president I actually followed his career and praised was Bill Clinton. However, the previous elections never really caught my interest. Of course I had to do reports for some of my classes with the last election between Bush and Kerry. I did know that I did not want Bush to win, but still did not follow too closely.

I do not know exactly what sparked my interest with this election. Whether it was the fact that history was being made with a woman and African American man in the race, but that was just not it. I think it was the fact that Democrats finally have the chance to overpower the political system. There have been sayings that if it were between Clinton and McCain, McCain would easily win. But if it were between Obama and McCain, Obama would win. I truly believe this and hope that it turns out this way. However, with politics you never can tell!

Evolution

Since most of the blogs I have read recently deal with evolution and what we have discussed in class, I thought that I would write my input. Dealing with the debate between evolution and intelligent design (creationism), I think that they are both theories. When I was taught in school about evolution, I was taught that it was a theory. My teacher never said "This is what you should believe." Honestly, the whole fight over which one should be taught is kind of ridiculous. Students are going to chose to believe whatever they want to believe. Evolution seems to have a lesser way of causing trouble, but that is my opinion. Granted there are those religious people who think that creationism is the way to go since God was the one who created man. However, if school systems enforced the teachings of intelligent design, I think that would just cause a whole lot more chaos than with evolution. If parents want their children to learn intelligent design, then they should have them taught that at churches, maybe at youth groups.

So Cal to Las Vegas in 2 hours!

When looking on the internet for news, I am not one who chooses to read from FoxNews. However, when I was looking on their website, I was inspired to write my blog on an article that struck my interest.

Train from Southern California to Las Vegas

In the above link, it seems that there has been discussion about a "high-speed rail train" that would cross across the desert connecting Las Vegas and Southern California. With research done, showing that people who travel between the two cities, the trip could take five hours or more. There was talk of the "MagLev" which was a train that would travel at a rate of 300 mph from Disneyland to Las Vegas. Instead, also cheaper, there is new talk of the DesertXpress would travel at a rate of 125 mph, and connect Las Vegas to Victorville.

After reading this article, I thought that this is a good idea. Granted it will take a lot of money and time to build, if they decide to, but it is also a good way to make travel time shorter. This is the age of technology and by doing something like this, would prove what people are capable of. Also, it wouldn't be too bad, not to drive!

Britney Spears!

While watching the news, it seems on any network, Britney Spears is on all the time. Whether she is having an emotional breakdown or causing scenes elsewhere, she is on the news. It surprises me that someone like her could be "news" that needs to be broad casted every night.

With plenty of other problems in the world today, I am kind of annoyed by the fact that Britney is the one I am watching when I could be learning about other issues affecting our country.

Even though it seems as though she is the one always on, let's say CNN, the media outlet has broadened its horizons with other stars as well. For example, it surprised me how quickly Heath Ledger's death was put on all the on-going news television stations. Granted it was a loss to Hollywood, but it was on there for several days. I would have expected it to be on a more modern channel, like the E! channel, but not on CNN or Fox News.

I know that stories, like "What will Britney Spears do next?", are what sells, but the media should focus more on what is truly important, not what they think will draw in the younger audiences.

Battle in San Jose

"Litte Saigon"?

Since I am from the Bay Area, San Jose, (as I might have stated before), I try to keep up with their local news even though I am relocated to Monterey at the moment. One news story that has been on-going for quite sometime now is over a developement that is going to be turned into a buisness center.

The reason for the battle is simply because of the name. The developers are trying to name it Little Saigon Buisness Center, while there are many protestors, of Asian descent, that want it to just be called Little Saigon. Today, on the NBC 11 news website, "at least two city council members" are opposing putting the naming of that center on the ballot for the upcoming election. Apparently, it is extremely costly for the "ballot initiative" which would in turn spend money the city does not have, especially during these fiscal times.

In my personal opinion, this whole battle is kind of ridiculous. It is just a name and not everyone is even going to stick to that given name. All in all, people can call it whatever they want, even if it is not the actual title. For example, there are plenty of places that have been renamed over the years and people still call it by either the old names or the new ones, and no one really debates over that. There is the HP Pavilion (in San Jose), which was previously the Compaq Center, and before was known as the Shark Tank (since the San Jose Sharks team plays there). With the changing of the names, I will always refer to it as the Shark Tank and there has been no battle over this, so why start with "Little Saigon"?

Supreme Court taking on Gay Marriage

KTVU News (Bay Area):

Being from San Jose, part of the Bay Area, I am constantly paying attention to the numerous media outlets from that area. Recently, while browsing on one of the websites (KTVU), I came across an article about the Supreme Court and gay marriage.

As a supporter of gay rights/marriage, I decided to read this article. Of course set in the great San Francisco, it is stated that there is a date set in March when arguments over gay marriage will be presented. The Supreme Court will apparently listen to these arguments and then have nintey days to make their decision on the long standing issue. Being opposed by the governer and certain activists, there are "gay marriage opponents" who are looking for signatures in order to qualify to be put on a ballot for upcoming elections that would in turn make gay marriage illegal and even take away the right for same-sex spouses to register as domestic partners.

With just a history, especially in California, gay marriage seems to always be something that ia being debated. In my opinion, I hope that this works out for the better for the same-sex couples. I support them, since I have friends who are gay, and think that everyone should be given this right of marriage, whether one is straight or gay.

Source

1st Blog: Election 2008

While setting up our blog, I was browsing the internet for a topic to write on. I came across information regarding the upcoming election. On AOL, I found an article stating that two candidates dropped out of the race: John Edwards and Rudy Giuliani. Being a registered democrat, I was kind of upset that John Edwards dropped out. In the previous election, I was rooting for John Kerry, for the simple fact that John Edwards was his running mate. Even though I have already voted for another candidate, for the primary on February 5th, I still was glad there was a little diversity, instead of just the two front runners, Clinton and Obama.

Even if everyone is not following the election, I hope that everyone is going to vote in Election 2008!

Test Blog

This is my first blog. Hope it goes well!