Friday, May 22, 2009
Here is to the class of 09!
Ok, so I know that I am suppose to be blogging about politics and current events, so on… but this is something that is really on my mind, I am writing this for all the seniors out there because I think a ton of you are all feeling the same way. I think that everybody knows what that is to, GRADUATION is just a couple days away and I think that we (as seniors) are freaked out, we have to say our goodbyes, which to some will be forever. The last 12 years of school have been dreaded until now. We can all say that one time or another we hated so and so or we love him or her. We have grown so close with friends and lost so many friends throughout the year. Most of the promises will be broken of staying in touch. But it is finally here the, place that we have all been working so hard to get to, it is finally here and it is just hitting some of us, this is it. This is our new beginning, most of us are going off to colleges that some of us have never heard of. Al the school dances and the parties, its all over for us for now. This fall we are all going to experience new things and make new friends, everything we have been preparing for is here, we have been waiting for this piece of paper ( the diploma) for 12 years, and we are getting in an a week. It is crazy to think that there were a handful of us were not able to celebrate this day with us, weather hey have past on, dropped out or something else, we are all still together, there are going to be memories that last forever of the last 4 years of our life.. It really is true that this was the fastest 4 years of my life, it seems like yesterday that I was a freshmen and now I am pushing graduation. Senior year really is the best and I wouldn’t change anything if I could… live laugh love… those really are the words that describe high school, there is so many different people and yet when we are all together we all share the same feeling. I am looking forward to seeing everybody at class reunions. Good Luck to everyone next year! Class of 09!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Prom
As a senior I am having trouble staying on the topic of politics when there is so much other things I want to write about, so here it goes… This past weekend was Prom, which was amazing by the way, My class officers decided to have the theme be casino night, it looked gorgeous. It was at a country club and everything was lit up perfectly. I think that post prom was a blast as well, everybody changed from their beautiful dresses into comfy clothes to go bowling at wee hours in the night. After that the school had hired a hypnotist to come and hypnotize a bunch of students, it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. The hypnotist had them dancing, acting, and all this other stuff that was hilarious. I had a great time at prom, the only thing about it is that that means that the end of our high school experience is coming to an end. I don’t understand why some of the seniors don’t go to their own prom, it is one of those things that you have to go to to get the whole experience of being a senior, same as the football games up in the front row. Prom was great, thanks for everything to everybody that was apart of it and made it such a beautiful evening!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The Swine Flu??
So, the swine flu is getting closer, six cases of the flu where recently discovered in Marshalltown Iowa. It is said that if one child from the school gets the swine flu, they have to shut down the school for two weeks at least, however if another child gets the flu in another school in that area, the school board has to shut down the whole school district for six weeks.
This being such a big issue, a couple of classes of mine have been discussing how we would act if the swine flu hit home, and they had to shut down our school for two weeks..... Being a senior in high school I can not even describe how bad that would be to have graduation post pone, because of the flu, I have waiting for this since I walked in the doors of high school. As well as cancelling prom, that would be a senior’s girl’s worst nightmare. Given that this post is about the swine flu I feel that I should probably give you some information regarding the flu, such as the symptoms and how to avoid getting the illness.
Swine Flu is a form of influenza. Although swine flu is normally virulent only in pigs, it is thought to have crossed over to humans in the early part of the 20th century, causing the Spanish Flu pandemic. The death toll from the Swine flu was particularly high among young, healthy adults.
In 1976, a swine flu scare provided the biggest embarrassment of US President Gerald Ford's administration. On February 5 an army recruit at Fort Dix said he felt tired and weak. The next day, he was dead and four of his fellow soldiers were later hospitalized. Two weeks after his death, health officials announced that swine flu was the cause of death.
The vaccine was blamed for 25 deaths (more people died from the vaccine than died from the "swine flu" itself) and a small, but statistically significant, rise in the incidence of a rare illness called Guillain-Barré syndrome or GBS.
As most of us know, there has been a number of outbreaks in Mexico, New York and had now reached Iowa.
The safest way to avoid catching the influenza would be the same way as not catching any other flu. Keep you hands clean, away from your mouth, nose and eyes, and cover your mouth when you sneeze to avoid spreading germs.
This being such a big issue, a couple of classes of mine have been discussing how we would act if the swine flu hit home, and they had to shut down our school for two weeks..... Being a senior in high school I can not even describe how bad that would be to have graduation post pone, because of the flu, I have waiting for this since I walked in the doors of high school. As well as cancelling prom, that would be a senior’s girl’s worst nightmare. Given that this post is about the swine flu I feel that I should probably give you some information regarding the flu, such as the symptoms and how to avoid getting the illness.
Swine Flu is a form of influenza. Although swine flu is normally virulent only in pigs, it is thought to have crossed over to humans in the early part of the 20th century, causing the Spanish Flu pandemic. The death toll from the Swine flu was particularly high among young, healthy adults.
In 1976, a swine flu scare provided the biggest embarrassment of US President Gerald Ford's administration. On February 5 an army recruit at Fort Dix said he felt tired and weak. The next day, he was dead and four of his fellow soldiers were later hospitalized. Two weeks after his death, health officials announced that swine flu was the cause of death.
The vaccine was blamed for 25 deaths (more people died from the vaccine than died from the "swine flu" itself) and a small, but statistically significant, rise in the incidence of a rare illness called Guillain-Barré syndrome or GBS.
As most of us know, there has been a number of outbreaks in Mexico, New York and had now reached Iowa.
The safest way to avoid catching the influenza would be the same way as not catching any other flu. Keep you hands clean, away from your mouth, nose and eyes, and cover your mouth when you sneeze to avoid spreading germs.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Capitalism?
America is supposed to be a capitalist country. The definition of capitalism is a free-market system: an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and distribution of goods, characterized by a free competitive market and motivation by profit.
So basically it is a free market system and the government had little say in what we do. However, if you really think about it, the government can control everything that you do. Now, I’m not trying to say that we live in a communist country, because it is very far from that.
But really think about it, the government has an impact on everything you do, everyday. Such as what you eat, the food that you eat more than likely has to be approved by the FDA, which is set up by the government to make sure that it is safe to eat. What you wear to school, well the school has a dress code and the government controls the school.
Even thought the government has a huge impact on everybody’s daily life, I’m glad to live in America, as free as it is. Having the government be apart of everything is mostly for a good reason. Such as, to keep us safe and or to protect us. The government is a good thing. Actually I had a project in one of my classes that had me try to describe our government, breaking it down to be able to describe it to a younger person. Well, while doing thins I realized things that people really don’t think about everyday. Take a minute to think about the “rules” here in America, also known as laws, it is very easy to break them, even though we may not realize it. Example being driving to school or work today, did you go the speed limit the whole time? Not exceeding it once? Chances are your broke the law. So what if there were no laws? Would the country be smart enough not to do anything stupid? If one-person speeds, don’t you think everybody else will as well. If it weren’t for the government the banks would be able to spend our money like they did in the great depression, then the whole country would be mad and probably start rioting. Which would lead to fights breaking out, but the police would not be there to stop it, so how far would it go?
So basically it is a free market system and the government had little say in what we do. However, if you really think about it, the government can control everything that you do. Now, I’m not trying to say that we live in a communist country, because it is very far from that.
But really think about it, the government has an impact on everything you do, everyday. Such as what you eat, the food that you eat more than likely has to be approved by the FDA, which is set up by the government to make sure that it is safe to eat. What you wear to school, well the school has a dress code and the government controls the school.
Even thought the government has a huge impact on everybody’s daily life, I’m glad to live in America, as free as it is. Having the government be apart of everything is mostly for a good reason. Such as, to keep us safe and or to protect us. The government is a good thing. Actually I had a project in one of my classes that had me try to describe our government, breaking it down to be able to describe it to a younger person. Well, while doing thins I realized things that people really don’t think about everyday. Take a minute to think about the “rules” here in America, also known as laws, it is very easy to break them, even though we may not realize it. Example being driving to school or work today, did you go the speed limit the whole time? Not exceeding it once? Chances are your broke the law. So what if there were no laws? Would the country be smart enough not to do anything stupid? If one-person speeds, don’t you think everybody else will as well. If it weren’t for the government the banks would be able to spend our money like they did in the great depression, then the whole country would be mad and probably start rioting. Which would lead to fights breaking out, but the police would not be there to stop it, so how far would it go?
Monday, April 13, 2009
My favorite amendment
Double Jeopardy
No person shall be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb. The confusion. Double obviously means twice and jeopardy is legally defined as a defendant's risk or danger of conviction when put on trial. Double jeopardy protects a defendant who has already been found not guilty from being tried again for the same crime by the same government. Double jeopardy allows a defendant who has been found not guilty of a crime to begin to rebuild his or her life secure in the knowledge that the government will not prosecute again based on the same facts. A criminal trial is both financially and emotionally expensive and double jeopardy protects a person who is found to be not guilty from reliving that ordeal and it allows that person to begin to pick up the pieces of his or her life that were put on hold
While the Fifth Amendment double jeopardy clause only applies to the federal government, the U.S. Supreme Court found in Benton v. Maryland that double jeopardy is a “fundamental ideal in our constitutional heritage” and therefore applies to state governments, as well as to the federal government, through the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
That said, there are times when a defendant can stand trial again based upon the same set of facts without the government violating the defendant’s Fifth Amendment right to be protected from double jeopardy.
Different governments may try the same defendant for the same crime on the same facts. For example, a defendant could be charged by both the federal and the state government for the same or similar crimes arising from the same events.The U.S. Supreme Court has held that if a jury finds a defendant guilty and the judge overrules that conviction that the prosecution may appeal the judge’s action. This is a limited exception, however. If the judge finds the defendant not guilty prior to the jury’s determination then the decision is not appealable. The government may also decide to retry a defendant if he or she was originally found guilty by a jury or trial judge and that conviction was overturned on the defendant’s appeal.Further, double jeopardy only applies to criminal charges, not civil charges. For example, a defendant could be acquitted of felony murder charges and still have to stand trial for the civil charge of wrongful death even if the charges arise from the same set of facts.Double jeopardy furthers two important objectives. For the prosecution, the prohibition against trying a defendant twice for the same crime means that it must put its best evidence forward and be as thorough as possible in order to get a conviction. For the defendant, it means that there is certainty in acquittal and that the defendant can get back to the business of living once he or she is found not guilty.
Self Incrimination
Self-incrimination shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself.
Due Process
Due process is the idea that law and legal proceedings must be fair.
I like this particular amendment because it gives me rights that the government cannot take from me without fair trial.
Double jeopardy-
Due Process-
Self Incrimination-
Due Process and Taking)
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
No person shall be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb. The confusion. Double obviously means twice and jeopardy is legally defined as a defendant's risk or danger of conviction when put on trial. Double jeopardy protects a defendant who has already been found not guilty from being tried again for the same crime by the same government. Double jeopardy allows a defendant who has been found not guilty of a crime to begin to rebuild his or her life secure in the knowledge that the government will not prosecute again based on the same facts. A criminal trial is both financially and emotionally expensive and double jeopardy protects a person who is found to be not guilty from reliving that ordeal and it allows that person to begin to pick up the pieces of his or her life that were put on hold
While the Fifth Amendment double jeopardy clause only applies to the federal government, the U.S. Supreme Court found in Benton v. Maryland that double jeopardy is a “fundamental ideal in our constitutional heritage” and therefore applies to state governments, as well as to the federal government, through the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
That said, there are times when a defendant can stand trial again based upon the same set of facts without the government violating the defendant’s Fifth Amendment right to be protected from double jeopardy.
Different governments may try the same defendant for the same crime on the same facts. For example, a defendant could be charged by both the federal and the state government for the same or similar crimes arising from the same events.The U.S. Supreme Court has held that if a jury finds a defendant guilty and the judge overrules that conviction that the prosecution may appeal the judge’s action. This is a limited exception, however. If the judge finds the defendant not guilty prior to the jury’s determination then the decision is not appealable. The government may also decide to retry a defendant if he or she was originally found guilty by a jury or trial judge and that conviction was overturned on the defendant’s appeal.Further, double jeopardy only applies to criminal charges, not civil charges. For example, a defendant could be acquitted of felony murder charges and still have to stand trial for the civil charge of wrongful death even if the charges arise from the same set of facts.Double jeopardy furthers two important objectives. For the prosecution, the prohibition against trying a defendant twice for the same crime means that it must put its best evidence forward and be as thorough as possible in order to get a conviction. For the defendant, it means that there is certainty in acquittal and that the defendant can get back to the business of living once he or she is found not guilty.
Self Incrimination
Self-incrimination shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself.
Due Process
Due process is the idea that law and legal proceedings must be fair.
I like this particular amendment because it gives me rights that the government cannot take from me without fair trial.
Double jeopardy-
Due Process-
Self Incrimination-
Due Process and Taking)
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
If I CouldChangethe Constitution
The U.S. constitution amendment that I dislike most is the second amendment;
The right to keep and bare arms.
Statistics show that children and teen gun violence is the leading cause of death in America. There are roughly 3012 teens and children that were killed due to gun fire in U.S. every year, that is 1 child every 3 hours, 8 per day and more than 50 per week. Four to five times as many children suffer from non-fatal gunfire injuries.
Sixty six fatal hunting accidents occur per year with 635 non-fatal per year in the U.S.
If people did not have the right to bear arms in the United States there would be over 3080 people that didn’t have to lose their lives due to negligence each year. The right to bear arms gives Americans the right to have a gun as long as they’re in not any known mental status or have a felony history present. Everyday people are given opportunity to knowingly or accidentally take another’s life. Anyone with a gun is a potential killer.
I believe that certain people with adequate and extensive training and knowledge should have the right to bear arms. People with jobs that require the need for a firearm should undergo a series of training courses on proper gun use and safety. Only people requiring the need for an arm should posses them; police officers, correctional officers, ect. With this kind of limitation on firearms there would still be accidents that occur yet there would also be many less lives taken each day.
The right to bear arms affects my life today because at any given time the person sitting next to me could pull out a gun and start shooting. I will always have the thought in the back of my head that anyone could potentially have a gun with them anywhere I go. Anyone with a gun has the option to shoot and possibly kill someone, most people don’t consider killing but the option is still there with a firearm in the home. In 1962 my grandfather’s brother was showing my grandfather his gun when it accidentally went off, the bullet went through his hand and into my grandmother, the bullet was a fraction of an inch from her lungs. My grandmother lived through the experience but has always informed us grandchildren of the dangers of firearms.
This specific amendment could potentially affect my future because I am not safely able to travel to the places I would love to go, such as New York City or Chicago. The reputations of these cities are terrifying. Columbia University in New York City is not an option for me because of the fear Americans embrace upon these places. In 1993 it was estimated that two million illegal guns were in circulation in New York City. Without so many guns being available for people to illegally acquire there would be a much lower gun crime rate all over America. Ninety percent of the illegal guns in New York City that year were purchased in other states.
The right to keep and bare arms.
Statistics show that children and teen gun violence is the leading cause of death in America. There are roughly 3012 teens and children that were killed due to gun fire in U.S. every year, that is 1 child every 3 hours, 8 per day and more than 50 per week. Four to five times as many children suffer from non-fatal gunfire injuries.
Sixty six fatal hunting accidents occur per year with 635 non-fatal per year in the U.S.
If people did not have the right to bear arms in the United States there would be over 3080 people that didn’t have to lose their lives due to negligence each year. The right to bear arms gives Americans the right to have a gun as long as they’re in not any known mental status or have a felony history present. Everyday people are given opportunity to knowingly or accidentally take another’s life. Anyone with a gun is a potential killer.
I believe that certain people with adequate and extensive training and knowledge should have the right to bear arms. People with jobs that require the need for a firearm should undergo a series of training courses on proper gun use and safety. Only people requiring the need for an arm should posses them; police officers, correctional officers, ect. With this kind of limitation on firearms there would still be accidents that occur yet there would also be many less lives taken each day.
The right to bear arms affects my life today because at any given time the person sitting next to me could pull out a gun and start shooting. I will always have the thought in the back of my head that anyone could potentially have a gun with them anywhere I go. Anyone with a gun has the option to shoot and possibly kill someone, most people don’t consider killing but the option is still there with a firearm in the home. In 1962 my grandfather’s brother was showing my grandfather his gun when it accidentally went off, the bullet went through his hand and into my grandmother, the bullet was a fraction of an inch from her lungs. My grandmother lived through the experience but has always informed us grandchildren of the dangers of firearms.
This specific amendment could potentially affect my future because I am not safely able to travel to the places I would love to go, such as New York City or Chicago. The reputations of these cities are terrifying. Columbia University in New York City is not an option for me because of the fear Americans embrace upon these places. In 1993 it was estimated that two million illegal guns were in circulation in New York City. Without so many guns being available for people to illegally acquire there would be a much lower gun crime rate all over America. Ninety percent of the illegal guns in New York City that year were purchased in other states.
Insurance....
So basically, the bottom line is health insurance is very important and curtail to everybody. However, now a days it is hard for a lot of American to receive health insurance, leaving them on their own to find it themselves, which is usually to expensive for most of us to afford. So what were Obama’s views on this? Well he said that everybody should be covered, and that he would make it cheap and affordable to everyone. But what has he done yet? Well nothing.
What makes me even madder is the fact that some health places, such as dentists, doctors, and so on, are receiving money from the insurance, when they are not doing anything to get it. I have a major problem with my dentist I have been to them since November for the pain in my tooth, my first dentist said that he could not see anything, after taking an X-ray and waiting two weeks to hear back, so I switched dentists and the second one said that I would need a crown on the tooth, however, it was still a baby tooth so they had to do a root canal on it before they could even consider the crown. While waiting for the root canal I had an infection under the tooth and I specifically told them that, so they gave me a prescription for an antibiotic, the following week when I returned, they opened my mouth and took a look, did nothing and sent me home telling me that I still had an infection, after 4 weeks of pain killers and different antibiotics, I went back and they proceeded with the root canal. Then they stopped... in the middle of it... and said it was still infected. So the infection got out, and I swallowed it and then got really sick. Two weeks later, I went back for them to finish the root canal and they did, very painfully I might add. Then a week later I was scheduled for Prep for the crown. After getting the crown I saw a doctor because of a lump in my lower jaw, right around where the dentist was messing around, so he ordered a cat scan to rule out cancer, and thought it was just a basest. Turns out I had another problem with my mouth... my wisdom teeth was seen in the cats can and they were on the opposite side of my mouth and not causing me any discomfort, so anyways, my doctor referred me to a oral surgeon to take a look at my wisdom teeth, along with the lump in my jaw. When I visited the oral surgeon, he said that my dentist knew that he could not have saved the tooth, so why did they do ALL of the stuff they did? Each dentist appointment was at least $300 even when they didn’t do anything and sent me home rescheduling, how can you make money off of that? That didn’t seem fair. But that’s insurance for you..... You get insurance so that you won’t have a lot of medical bills if something happens to you... just think, if I didn’t have any insurance than I would probably be in debt for years just because the dentist was stupid...
What makes me even madder is the fact that some health places, such as dentists, doctors, and so on, are receiving money from the insurance, when they are not doing anything to get it. I have a major problem with my dentist I have been to them since November for the pain in my tooth, my first dentist said that he could not see anything, after taking an X-ray and waiting two weeks to hear back, so I switched dentists and the second one said that I would need a crown on the tooth, however, it was still a baby tooth so they had to do a root canal on it before they could even consider the crown. While waiting for the root canal I had an infection under the tooth and I specifically told them that, so they gave me a prescription for an antibiotic, the following week when I returned, they opened my mouth and took a look, did nothing and sent me home telling me that I still had an infection, after 4 weeks of pain killers and different antibiotics, I went back and they proceeded with the root canal. Then they stopped... in the middle of it... and said it was still infected. So the infection got out, and I swallowed it and then got really sick. Two weeks later, I went back for them to finish the root canal and they did, very painfully I might add. Then a week later I was scheduled for Prep for the crown. After getting the crown I saw a doctor because of a lump in my lower jaw, right around where the dentist was messing around, so he ordered a cat scan to rule out cancer, and thought it was just a basest. Turns out I had another problem with my mouth... my wisdom teeth was seen in the cats can and they were on the opposite side of my mouth and not causing me any discomfort, so anyways, my doctor referred me to a oral surgeon to take a look at my wisdom teeth, along with the lump in my jaw. When I visited the oral surgeon, he said that my dentist knew that he could not have saved the tooth, so why did they do ALL of the stuff they did? Each dentist appointment was at least $300 even when they didn’t do anything and sent me home rescheduling, how can you make money off of that? That didn’t seem fair. But that’s insurance for you..... You get insurance so that you won’t have a lot of medical bills if something happens to you... just think, if I didn’t have any insurance than I would probably be in debt for years just because the dentist was stupid...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)