Bell ringer! April 18, 2013

1.) Obama went and gave comfort to those effected by the Boston Marathon bombs and their families. I think this was really nice of the president to take time out of his schedule and go to these people to tell them that he is paying attention and that he does care about them and what happened that probably will effect them for the rest of their lives.
2.) Your zip code says more about you than you think. When linked up with a possible facebook or other social media site, your zip code is the golden key to various tell marketers. When you go to check out mostly anywhere now, the cashier will ask for your zip code. This way, you are now in the system and "they" can match you up to who you really are by, media sites, records, etc. and they can try to sell you stuff. Tell marketing companies take turns selling your name and number back and forth in order to make a profit, but how personal is too personal? people are now questioning if the corporations know too much about your personal life; I think they do.
3.)I definitely think there needs to be a better hold on gun control, especially with all the accidents that our country has seen recently. It seems like that because of glitches and mistakes within the system that anyone can go and buy a gun on any day they choose, and I don't think that's a good thing at all. I know it's not perfect and hopefully they're trying to fix this problem to ensure a better more precise system in the near future.

April, 17 Assignment

Of everything I can find on this it's pretty much the same for both citizen and non-citizens if they commit an act of terror on U.S. land. They would be sentenced to life/a long time in a security prison, or maybe even the death penalty, depending on what state the act was comitted in. Things like this are taken very seriously and are dealt with carefully. Terrorist attacks are becoming more and more popular with today's society, therefore ever since 9-11, these kind of things aren't just looked over, and regardless if you're American or not, you will be treated the same with the same consequences, which can sometimes vary from state to state. I think it follows the Constitution just fine, I think the death penalty needs to be followed more strictly, but I understand why it's not.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/15/explosions-finish-line-boston-marathon/2085193/
This particular website did cover the story, but really focussed on what the citizens thought what was happening and getting different reactions to the explosions.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/15/us/boston-marathon-explosions
this site gives more of a play by play of what happened that day while the bombs were going off. It gives kind of a detailed "game plan" of what all happened during that time and some comments from the citizens.

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/04/photos-of-the-boston-marathon-bombing/100495/
This site gives a main point slideshow of the aftermath of the explosions, such as pictures of the chaos in the streets and the victim's physical harm.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/15/boston-marathon-bombing-photos_n_3087332.html
This site recalls the events of the day through another slideshow technique and adds a short play by play of all the events that took place.

Bell Ringer! Apr. 16, 2013

These past couple days have been unbearable for Boston, as a terrorist attack struck the city and the country. Home made pressure-cooker bombs were planted all along the Boston Marathon route, a route which many people a year come to race on. We don't know  yet if the attack was domestic or international, but police and investigators are on the case. the bombs have killed three people and have left 170 injured. I think this was a domestic attack, because if foreigners were going to try to do this internationally then they would have done it a lot bigger i think. It's a shame this had to happen, and even worse they don't yet know who's responsible, but what's for sure is that those three people will be missed and that this incident will not yet be forgotten for a while.

Bell Ringer! Apr. 15, 2013

The high court is currently deciding on just what to do with the entire gun situation. Now, apart from it just being a big deal about having guns in general, it's not the concern as to whether they can be carried outside or away from the home. I don't know how the court will react to this, because there are people out there who will be deeply upset if this is put into action. people from all over have their gun licence and do carry it with them, if not on them then at least in their cars. I kind of think it's be ok to put this in motion, however, it may also serve as a danger too' not being armed when you may need to be in public. People will be unhappy with this decision if it is put into action, but I think things would be worse if guns were outlawed everywhere at all times.

Bell Ringer! April 12, 2013

This past week, a sheriff was murdered, shot ton death, by a person who was deemed mentally unstable. How did this man get a gun you may ask? well, when he was released from  the mental institution, where he was staying, he went and bought a glock. So the question is, why did the gun seller sell him this weapon when it's the gun sellers responsibility to do a system background check on all customers before selling them a firearm. Clearly, there was a fault in the system. There was a glitch or something wrong with the system, because clearly this crazy man should have been in it, but he wasn't yet registered in it. With this happening, I think we need a completely new system where everything is tighter and EVERYONE is entered that has a mental disability from birth, regardless if you're in an institution or not.

Cartoons!

1.) http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/ddc1d106-21b0-4a4d-8361-59e4e053591e.html

     This particular cartoon features two separate voting tables each with a covering over the front, side by side. Behind the first table you can see the tops of elephant ears poking out with the actual body of an elephant being visible from about the chest down. The second table shows the body of a donkey with his ears poking out around the edges of the voting cover. these tables are side by side, and in between them are two speech bubbles, one from the elephant and one from the donkey. The bubble from the elephant says "jerk", while the bubble from the donkey says "creep." this cartoon just further amplifies the intensity from both parties (elephant-republican, donkey-democrat) when voting and around election time. Grade A

2.) http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/41608c35-f410-46e4-ac3d-f4648738d6f6.html

     This cartoon features a merry-go-round with Obama and another respected man who I don't know who he is, but I'm guessing he's important; he's on an elephant, so he must be important :P. Anyway, they're both riding on the merry-go-round, one on an elephant and the other on a donkey. Obama has a speech bubble that says, " Oh good! I think we're getting closer," while the other Republican guy has this disgusted look on his face, because they're not getting anywhere really..be cause they're going around in circles..because someone can't make a decision. Grade A-

3.) http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/e01f8051-b7aa-424c-a95b-135b27957c0b.html

     This cartoon features Mr. Paul Ryan holding papers, probably holing what he believes to be his budget plans. To his left is a speech bubble that reads, "We Republicans, must concentrate on our core values." to his right, the picture is cut and Ryan's skeleton is screen against a black screen in the same position as Ryan is standing on the left side of the photo. The skeleton's ribs/upper lung areas on both sides hold the phrases, "service cuts for the poor," on the left, and "tax cuts for the rich," on the right. I believe this cartoon was meant as an insult to the republican party, by mocking what we believe to be our party's values and what we, so bluntly, focus on. I, however, think that this cartoon can be taken as either an insult, or a compliment depending on how you look at it and if you are happy with such "core values." Grade B

4.) http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/62f80e83-3d62-4e69-9d0f-bab6bb8a3ac0.html

     This cartoon is nothing but true, it features a movie theater (Capitol Hill) and an older couple standing outside of it. The movie theater is advertising an upcoming "movie" entitled The Sequester. the older couple are off to the side and the gentleman says to the lady, "Spielberg and Affleck are facing stiff competition for best drama." this cartoon is true, because we all know the sequester would come through, like it has, and make life miserable for a lot of people including job cuts, salary cuts and ultimately, people could lose their houses and lives pretty much. There already has been a lot of built up drama concerning the sequester, but I think a lot more of it will come in time. Grade A

5.) http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/f616f12b-8f9c-4d04-9980-a24f3e087e5a.html

   This cartoon shows two cliffs with a litle, hanging, wooden bridge connecting them. On one cliff is a donkey in a suit, symbolizing one of Obama's workers, and on the other cliff are two elephants talking to one another. On the bridge., very close to the donkey is Obama with a speech bubble saying, "I'm meeting the Republicans more than half way." While the elephants, clear on the other side of the bridge are saying, " There's more Obama math for you." I think this cartoon is portrayed very well, from a Republican's point of view anyway. Grade A

!!!My personal cartoon can be seen here http://www.funnytimes.com/playground/cartoon.php?id=47561 !!!

Bill Proposal

Complete Ban on Texting and Driving:

Bill Proposal:

 

1.      In a recent survey, it was found that adults, ages 24-35, text the most knowing it’s dangerous.

2.      The act of reading a text while driving takes your eyes off the road for approximately 4.6 seconds, the time it takes to drive the length of a football field at 50mph.

3.      The act of texting makes the risk of a crash increase by 23%.

4.      77% of Americans admit to thinking that they can safely drive and text at the same time.

5.      55% of all young adults believe that it is EASY to text and drive at the same time.

6.      It was found that teens who do text and drive spend approximately 10% of their driving time outside of their lane.

7.      48% of young adults, ages 12-17, have admitted to being in the car while the driver was texting.

8.      1 in 5 drivers have, over time, admitted to searching the web while driving.

9.      10 states, as of now, do have an active ban on using a cell phone while driving.

10.  Even reaching for an electronic device increases the risk of a crash by 1.4%.

11.  Texting while driving is harmful to others as well as yourself.

12.  Many people who text and drive don’t understand the danger that they’ve created.

13.  Most of the crashes that happen are a result of the driver being distracted by an electronic device.

14.  No one has anything as important as living to do on a cell phone.

15.  It should be common sense to only drive when you’re driving.

16.  People think it will never happen to them.

17.  Things can change in literally the blink of an eye.

18.  Carelessness should not be put on the road.

19.  People need to set better examples for upcoming drivers.

20.  People need to be more educated on the risks of texting and driving.

 

Bell Ringer! Apr. 8, 2013

Texting while driving is no doubt a seriously, dangerous thing, but rates for it continue to increase as more and more people admit to texting while driving. A survey bu AT&T taken last year concluded that the majority of texters behind the wheel are adults ages 24-35. Teenagers aren't necessarily the bulk of the problem, it's full grown adults who know it's wrong but continue to do so anyway. Texting in general takes your eyes off of the road for 4.6 seconds (the time it takes to drive a football field at 55mph. It's dangerous not only to yourself but also to those around you, I really believe that no text is that important to risk your life for. Even though it is outlawed, people still continue to do it and probably always will, but at least they know the risks right? I personally have never texted while driving and don't plan to, but is it tempting? of course it is. Texting is something I grew up around and have texted for years now on a daily basis, but there are just some things you can't multi-tasking it with, like driving. Texting was made to be more convenient and easier that making a phone call, therefore you can include it in pretty much anything you do, travel, watch TV, read, at school, at work, it's made and included everywhere. Driving shouldn't be a place for it, it's just common sense.