5/21/12

I don't think it is right that the president can accuse anyone of being a terrorist without proof or trial. It just isn't fair, because if you really are not a terrorist then you will be in jail for life for no reason at all. That is something that I would consider cruel and unusual punishment. The president should most definatly have to have proof that the person he is accusing in in fact a terrorist. Everyone has rights. I know that people might be scared of suspected terrorists, but murderers aren't the nicest people either, and they get their rights? The constitution is what we follow, and that goes for every person who lives in our country. If they are guilty, they will be found guilty, but they should get the fair trial. It may start out a supposed terrorists getting their rights taken away, but sooner or later it will move on to the general public, and we will get our rights stripped from us.

5/11/12

According to the results of a recent poll Obama is going to be reelected. Global investors choose Obama, but domestic investors choose Romney. According to the survey Obama is winning 49%-38%. The survey was given to 1,253 Bloomberg customers. US investors choose Romney with a total of 2 to 1, while investors outside of the US choose Obama with a total of 3 to 1. I think Obama's going to get reelected.

5/10/12

Keith Russell Judd, Obama's opponent in the election, recieved over 40% of the votes. Judd is an inmate at the Beaumont Federal Correctional Institution. He is serving time for extortion and threats made against a university in New Mexico in 1999. The Obama campaign says that Judd will not revieve any delegates. They are trying to claim that people voted for Judd because we are racist.

5/7/12

I believe that they should not havgotten fired for "liking" another persons page. That is just ignorant. I think it is their constitutional right as a citizen to "like" or even write on other peoples page, whether it is an oponent or what not. That is just childish to take someones job for that. It's just facebook, who really cares! Some peoples whole life is facebook and I think that is a little crazy. Facebook is not as big a deal as people make it.

5/7/12 Mr. Benner-Perry

What I learned with Mr. Benner-Perry:

• How to manage a check book
• Learned all the environmental issues
• Learned our constitutional rights and made a video out of it
• A lot of financial things
• Outsourcing
• Picked a Country we would like to visit and made a video about it
• Finished our surveys and counted up the polls

He taught us a lot of things that all went together. I learned multiple things from him and he found ways to make us remember them.

5/2/12

I think it's a good thing that the father or the 10 year old boy put a recording device on the boy because it allowed him to see what was going on at school and I personally think the teachers got what was coming.

5/1/12

This is an awful situation I would have hated to see this wreck happen. I wouldn't know what to do if i saw this happen. I would try my best to help all the people get out of the car but in this case it looks like there was not a thing that you could do for them. I don't think that people really understand what the family of these people are going through. I wish that there was something that someone could have done for these poor people. I would love to have been able to be there and been able to help all the people.

4/30/12

This is defiantly a situation that needs to be talked about because people really get this confused. I don't understand why people think that because you are defending yourself that is still considered to be murder. I understand that some people do use self defense as an excuse when they shouldn't because i mean people think they can just kill people for no reason and i don't think that it is right at all.

4/27/12 Saving Money Questions!

1.) What does it mean to you to save money?
It means alot to me to save money, because you can have some extra cash when you want something, or just need a little exra cash.

2.) Are you good at saving money? Why or Why not?
Yes, I am normally good at saving money, because I always like to keep my money for soemthing i need instead of want.

3.) What are some ways for you to get better at saving money?
Stop buying everything you want and just save it up.
4) Why is it good to put money in the bank?
So you can have it when you need it instead of needing it and not having it. It can also gain interest and you can have more money then you started with.

5.)Do you think it is important to save your money ?
Yes, I think it is very important, because if you don't save your money then you will have no money and you won't have no extra cash to do what you want with.

4/27/12

Some soldiers will be transferred out of Japan. Some of the soldiers will be tranferred to Guam, in preparation for a miltatry buildup. Some will also be sent to Ha waii and Australia. Japan's foreign minister agrees with this action, and says it is satisfactory. The pressure to leave Okinawa started in 1995 when three U.S personell raped a 12 year old Japanese girl

4/26/12

Arizona immigration laws have changed, causing one man's business to plummet. He sells tortillas for a living. Even though there is a recession going on, the new immigrant laws have had more of an impact on it than that. The new law has torn apart families and communities,and the people claim there are way more important issues than immigration. But not everybody disagrees with the law. You can still immigrate legally, but it specifically calls out illegal immigrants.

4/25/12

Kurt Mix is facing a maximum penalty of 21 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 dollars for each count if found guilty. He deleted text messages that authorities had requested about a huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. They attempted to stop the oil flow by a "Top Kill" but it did not work because the oil flow was too much. BP was telling the public that it was way less, though.Mix is in big trouble beause of this.

4/24/12 Questions!

1.) What are five things you have learned about environmental abuses during this project?
-It takes a million years for plastic to decompose.
-Only 15% of garbage is recycled
-You can be fined $1000 for littering
-Deforestation is destroying animals homes
-People get sick from polluting the environment

2.) Is this abuse one of the most important problems facing the world today?
            Yes, people litter all the time and all the garbage is going into the ground and it is killing the earth.
         
3.) Is the solution proposed a practical solution to the problem? Why?
           Yes, it is practical to stop cutting down trees, although there is more solutions to deforestations then just stop cutting them down.

4.) What in your opinion is the most important environmental abuse facing our world today? why?
          The world is getting polluted by all types of garbage, and if it doesnt stop then our world is going to take a turn for the worse.

4/24/12

I think this guy is just looking for an excuse to get out of killing all of those people. It happens all of the time. People go and do something stupid, and then they regret doing it, so they blame they're killing spree on violent video games. It happened with all of the GTA series of games. This excuse almost never works in court, many people have tried using it. He didn't kill all of those people because of Modern Warfare, and the judge is going to realize that and give him a life sentence in prison, or possibly more.

4/19/12

I really don't care about what i've recently done on facebook. I think it's kind of creepy that they collect data on us and use it to give us ads we might be interested in, and that is how they make all of their money. I believe that if you want, all of your data should be deleted

4/18/12

Paul Sammut, 25 years old, invented an alarm clock that keeps going off until you get out of bed. It has no snooze button, and if it is unplugged a battery takes over. Once it goes off, to stop it, you have to actually get out of bed and go into the kitchen or bathroom and type in the days date into a keyboard. He invented it because he needed something to force him out of bed on time. This is a good idea for someone who needs to wakeup on time, but I personally wouldn't buy it.

4/17/12

I just think this guy is completely insane. How can you possibly kill 77 people by just defending yourself in just one month? That is completely impossible. He should go to prison, but should also get  psychiatric care! You can not murder that many people and just brush it under the table by putting him in psychiatric care, he needs to be in prison, and not just for 21 years! He needs life in prison. Let him rot!

4/16/12

Bullying is a major issue in the world today. There is bullying all around us, sometimes we just don't open up our eyes and see it. There are kids everyday getting bullied to the point where they want to kill theirselves, and some of them do. That is not how it should be. No one person should have the right to physically and/or emotionally scar someone. You would have to be bullied for a long time to actually get to the point of suicide. Think about what you do before you do it, you never know what you could do to someone without even knowing!

4/13/12

A man was beaten and robbed in Baltimore. A man is just standing there when he gets robbed. He pursues the thief and gets punched and knocked down. He then got stripped and all people did was laugh at him. I think that it's really sad the world has come to this. The Baltimore police have identified one man included in the crime, and they are attempting to identify the rest. "This behavior will not be tollerated." states Detective Nicole Monroe.

4/12/12

I believe if you are legally married, no matter where you got married at, you should be allowed to be divorced wherever you please. I don't believe that you should be allowed to get married if you are the same sex, but if you do take your time and get married where it is legal then you should be able to get divorced no matter what state you are in. If it's legal then you should be have the same rights as others.

4/11/12

Yesterday we talked about the Miami Markins baseball team. They used to be the Florida Marlins, but they decided to change it to try and get more Cubans to come to their games, although their manager decided to say some choice words that many didnt agree with, so he got suspended for 5 games.

4/10/12

Facebook is becoming extremely lame. I think that they need to stay out of every other sites/apps business. I hate facebook accessing crap that they have no business in. It is cool that you can post photos onto facebook and other social networks. That is what makes people want to actually be a part of instagram. But actually linking facebook and instagram will not be a good idea.

3/29/12

A four year old boy from Arkansas was found in a river dead. He was at a boy scouts camp when he asked if he might be able to catch up with the rest of the group, 300 yards away. No foul play was expected.
How awful it would have been if he drowned. I know I sure wouldn't want to die that way. I want quick and painless, not slow and torturous.

3/27/12

People are deciding how much power congress will have. It is kind of a competition against the state and federal government. There are some main issues; Constitutionality of the individual mandate. Whether the individual mandate is a "tax", Whether other parts of the law can survive if the mandate is struck down, Federal vs. state conflict over expansion of the cooperative Medicaid program

3/26/12

People in Syria are protesting against regime's. The leaders of the United States and Turkey are trying to help the cause. There were 70 people killed while these protests were going on. Obama and the Turkish Prime Minister got together to figure out how to aid the anti-regime people.

3/23/12 ipad

There is a newer version of the ipad out. It has a clearer screen and has 4g's. Some people say that the new ipad was not improved and updated enough to actually be called a "new" version of ipad. A lot of people agree that the new ipad is great, because they might be into photographer or downloading movies onto the ipad, and it has better screen resolution and memory.It will be the same price as the ipad 2, ranging depending on the wi-fi capability and memory usage.
Friday at 8a.m was the release of this new ipad. It also went on sale Friday in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

3/23 Kermit

Kermit the frog is up to date with new technology, even though he is now 55 years old! He has a twitter, and a facebook, but can't use a cell phone because there is bad service in the swamp. It's pretty funny, actually. You're not cool if you don't have a twitter or facebook

3/23 facebook passwords

There was a case where an employer asked the job applicant to hand over their facebook email and passowrd. This did not go over very well, so now all they have to do is open they're facebook page while on the interview. I believe what people post publicly should be allowed to be evaluated, but the private stuff like messages definitely should not.

3/21 boy shot in florida

A boy in Florida was shot by a neighborhood watch man. He was an African-American 17 year old male. Zimmerman was not arrested because he claimed that it was self defense. There are phone call records taht say otherwise, though,. There is outrage in the town, and against the police. There has been a petition started to land Zimmerman in jail. It is thought to be an act of racism, but Zimmerman's family claims that he is far from racist. The records say he is white, but he is actually hispanic.

3/20 in vitro

In vitro babies are not considered American citizens. A woman tried to get citizenship for her in vitro children and they said that unless she could prove the father was a U.S citizen that they were not. I think it is absolutely ridiculous. I believe if you were born in America, you are an American citizen, an American woman gave birth, so why isn't her baby American?

3/19 art and video games

Video games should definitely be considered a type of art form. Games don't just come from nowhere, there is actually a reason and story behind them. Video games can move people, and do move people. It is a type of art, visually and emotionally. There is a wide varity of games. It is just like movies and films and those are considered art forms.

3/15

There will be a new social game, mainly aimed at women. This game is being created by Self magazine. It will be about fitness, beauty, fashion, and wellness.Some sponsors will be facebook and skype. The game was inspired by watching the community and things they do. They say that a lot of women are spending a lot of their time gaming, especially on facebook. It is named after the event called "Self Workout in the Park."

3/14

I think that social media networks have a huge effect on campaigns and who people decide to vote for. I'm not skeptical about whether we can predict who is going to win by looking on twitter, facebook, etc. Most people around the U.S voice their opinions on networks such as these. Politial campaigners now have facebook pages specifically for them, and they can see when people are talking about them. Romney is predicted to win by seven states on Super Tuesday

3/14/12 Can social media predict election outcomes?

Social media is a good way for a candidate to get out there in the communities quickly. Almost everyone has an account on Twitter, or Facebook these days, so it just makes sense to use them to their advantage. If people get out in the community then they can possibly help people make their choice too.

3/12/12 Fantasy Politics

I don't even know what fantasy sports are. I think fantasy polotics could teach you a lot about real polotics, though. It is kind of retarded, though. Don't people have anything better to do with their time than sit around and play pretend real life?

3/13/12 Teen Tobacco Epidemic

If teens are already hooked on smokeless tobacco, or cigarrettes, marketing isn't what's going to keep them smoking, or chewing. Most of them start because of influence from there freinds, not because of what the tobacco companies put in advertisements. The people that use tobacco don't care what the companies are doing, they just care about getting their nicotine fix.

3/9/12 Number One Password

The study in the article says that the number one password employed by business user is, "Password1". They say it's most commonly used because it's easy to remember, and it meets the criteria for the basic password requirements, meaning it has a capital letter, the right amount of characters, and a number. This is bad, because it means that hackers can easily get into business files.

BE IT ENACTED BY STUDENT CONGRESS ASSEMBLED THAT:

We help reduce the chances of child abuse by making it a greater crime if you abuse your children.

If youare caught hitting, kicking, slapping, burning, starving, neglecting, or emotionally and mentally

harming your children, it will be considered a federal crime and will be taken to high court.

You will have to be approved before you are allowed a child. There will be a backround check, and a
home examination before your child is born.

There will be a required class for all woman preparing to have children.

They will need to pass this class, and be approved before the birth of their child.

There will be more child abuse centers accessable to the public.

Five children die a day from child abuse.

In 1999, an estimated 3,244,00 were reported to CPS.

Since then the number has gone up more than 50,000.

A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds.

In 2005, 899,000 children were victims of child abuse, maltreatment, and neglect.

If any person fails to report the sighting of child abuse, that person shall recieve a fine of up to $2,000.

This includes the striking of a child in public, unattendance of a child, or unrational anger towards

their child.

Childhood victims of abuse are 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile.

Therefore; without child abuse there would be a great deal less crime.

One-third of all parents who were abused as a child typically abuse their children.

About 80% of 21 year olds that were abused as children met the criteria for at least one psychological

disorder.

Abused children are 25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy, which ultimately leads to even

more child abuse.

These order will be forced to be obeyed by the state of West Virginia.

3/8/12 Impatient Wed Users

I think it would be a good thing to make web browsing faster. If it is so fast you don't even have to blink then that would be pretty cool. Although some people would probably stick their nose in a computer or phone even more since they can do things faster. Most people are just very impatient when it comes to waiting on things. If people are constantly online or on their phone they are never going to have time to exercise and get active, so I think making it faster can be a good thing and it could also make a lot of people even lazier.

3/7/12 Smartphones

I think the research is accurate, because if you pay attention most people are using smartphones now. Even though most people are wasting their money because they don't even use their phone to the full extent. So in reality people are wasting money that they can use for something of more use to them. Even the elderly have smartphones now, and some of them can barely text on them, let alone surf the internet or take videos. Some people just get smartphones because they think they are popular when they can't even operate them.

3/6/12 Movie Maker Notes

Teen Pregnancy- 1. 1 in 3 teens will be pregnant by age 19.
                            2. Teen pregnancy cost US tax payers 9 billion dollars a year.
                            3. More than 750,000 will become pregnant this year.

Homelessness- 1.50% of homeless people live in cars.
                         2.30% have been homeless for 2 years
                         3. One in four homeless men are veterans.

Anti-Racism- 1.There are more black men in prison then in college.
                       2. Blacks are less likely to get a callback with a criminal record.
                       3. Whites make more money then blacks.

Poverty- 1. 30 million people die a year of hunger.
               2. 21% of children are living in poverty.
               3. Every 3.6 seconds a person dies of huger.

Underage drinking and tobacco use- 1. Teen drinkers are more than likely going to adult drinkers.
                                                           2. 20% of males are addicted to smoking.
                                                           3. 1 out of 6 teens are regular smokers.


Bully- 1. 1 out of 20 student have been in a school with a gun.
           2. 61% of shooting happen because home abuse.
           3. 100,000 kids carry a gun to school.


Terrorism- 1. 2,918 were killed in the 9/11 terrorist attack.
                  2. 168 people were killed in an Oklahoma bombing.
                  3. Osama Bin laden was killed on May 2nd.


Poverty- 1. 30,000 children die each day of hunger.
               2. 1.7 billion people lack access to clean water.
               3. WV is ranked 4th in poverty.

3/6/12 Twitter

It's a good idea for twitter to sell their users old tweets. I think the users should get credited for them though. If theyre going to hold all the old tweets, they should at least make a little cash off of them.

3/5/12 Zombie App

I think the zombie app that is supposed to help you exercise is pretty stupid. Most people will just use it for playing, not exercising. I don't see how this story relates to civics at all.

read across america Lorax questions March 2, 2012

What was the land of the Lorax like before the Once-ler arrived? Did it seem like someplace you'd like to live? What parts of your own environment would you be sad to see go?

It was colorful and full of life, yes it would be a place I would want to live, It would be sad to see the beautiful trees get cut down.

What kind of person is the Once-ler? Why won't he listen to the Lorax? The Lorax says to the Once-ler, "You are crazy with greed." Why does the Lorax say that? Do you agree or disagree?\

They are selfish and greedy, because he can stop the cutting down of all the trees but he doesn't.

Why does the Lorax speak for the trees? Why is it important to speak up for others? Have you ever spoken up for someone else? Has someone else ever spoken up for you?

\Because they can not speak for themselves.

How does the Once-ler's Thneed business hurt the land of the Lorax? What happens to the Swomee-swans, the Brown Bar-ba-loots, and the Humming-fish? How could things have been different if the Once-ler listened to the Lorax?

 It takes away homes, and food for some of them.

What do you think the boy hearing the story will do with the Truffula seed that the Once-ler tosses to him? What would you do if you were the boy?

I think he is going to plant them, because thats what I would do.

Do you think the Lorax and his friends will come back if new Truffula Trees grow? Where do you think they have been?

Yes, I think they will come back to try and make a difference, and keep them from cutting these ones down, I think they went somewhere else to try and stop the same thing.

The Once-ler says, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." What does the Once-ler mean? Can one person make a difference? Can you? What are some things you can do to better your own environment?

He meant that if he stops cutting down all the trees, then maybe other people will to. Yes, one person can make a difference, yes I can, you can make protest and things like that.

How does the Once-ler feel about what his Thneed business did to the Lorax and friends?

He feels bad, but he isn't going to stop, because his business is getting bigger.

Dr. Seuss used bright colors on some pages of the book and dull colors on others. Did you notice this? Why do you think he did that?
Yes, I noticed the colors, and I think he did that to get peoples attention, and show them that the Once-lers were draining the life out of the town.

Why is The Lorax called a cautionary tale?

It cautions at what may happen.

3/2/12 Braille Touch App

I think the Braille Touch App is a good thing, it can let people who can not see or have eye problems text. Also it can help in so many ways if you do not want to let somebody see you texting, such as if you are kidnapped and someone is constantly watching you. It can also be a bad thing for school systems, because kids can get away with texting easier and are not paying attention in class. But in the long run, I believe it can be a good thing for the texting community.

3/1/12 Pope Tweets

I think the Pope tweeting is very interesting. If we can get the Pope to tweet, then you never know what the world can do. Internet and technology is going far in world. I believe that before long, almost everything you do wil involove technology.

2/29/12 World of Warcraft

What the study was about, was to see if having adults (age 60 to 77) play world of warcraft had a positive effect on their focus and spacial abilities. I think it's pretty cool in that it actually helped the people who scored low on their baseline tests.

2/28/12 Social Issues

Ezik Norris- I believe more people should have better morals. Most people these days do not have morals at all, and they need to be taught.

Emily Tusing- I agree that everyone as a child should have some form of discipline, or else they could think they can do whatever they want, whenever they want and get away with it. There should be boundaries to child discipline, but kids have to learn somehow.

Lee Carpenter- I agree that if you committed murder or rape or something big, you should get the death penalty, although if you commit a petty crime you should not get put to death.

2/28/12 Facebook Study

I think that you can find out what kind of a person someone is by their facebook, but i'm not sure if you can figure out how hard of a worker they are though. Some people you may be able to figure out, but not everyone is that easy to figure out. People are not the same in everything they do, just because someone may not work out everyday or something like that doesn't mean they are not hard workers. It just all depends on your will power. So in conclusion, i don't believe that is completly true.

2/27/12 Facebook Apology

I don't think the man should have to apologize everyday for 30 days to his soon to be ex-wife, everyone posts things on facebook all the time. Just because everything you say isn't positive doesn't mean it is wrong. You should have the freedom of speech no matter where you are. If they make him apologize or even spend time in jail they are violating his right of the first amendment. He should not have to apologize.

2/24/12 Texting Girl Trips

This video was pretty funny, but still I think this bellringer was pointless and it had absolutely nothing to do with civics. I'm in this class to learn about history, not to blog about people that fall while texting.

2/23/12 Tanning Beds

A man was prosecuted for saying that he had earned a medal from serving in the military and sustaining wounds. This law was made in 2006, to keep people from impersonating a soldier. Even when George Washington was president, he punished people who said they were medal winners when they really weren't. I do believe it to be fraud, pretending you are someone you are not. You should respect the people who serve you, not pretend to be a hero like them. The fact that the man announced it publicly, and it was an outright lie, is enough to punish him.

2/22/12 Voter ID Laws

I agree with the laws about having to produce an ID to vote. We need to have actual citizens voting and electing who will lead us. I understand that people without ID's are part of America, too. But if they aren't responsible enough to have an ID, why should they get to vote in something so important? Proof of citizenship is also something that should be required. The people voting for our leaders should definitely live in our country.

2/22/12 High Court Dilemma

I think its terrible that someone would lie and say that they got the medal of honor. If you're that low, and you do something like that just for attention, then you should be in jail. The real heroes that got the medal were out there risking their life to protect their country, you are just some pathetic wortheless, peice of crap person to do something like that.

2/21/12 Stealing a Pumpkin

I think it is a little pathetic to get sent to trial because of a two dollar pumpkin that she didn't even mean to take. If she offered to pay for it, i don't see the problem in taking the money and everything being fine. To make that big of a deal over a two dollar pumpkin is stupid and childish. It's a PUMPKIN!!! They are making it way to big of a deal.

2/17/12 Cleavland Couple

It does not matter if you don't have money, if your child is suffering you should take him to the nearest Emergency Room and they can not refuse treatment. Also you can get help to pay for hospital bills with many different companies. The excuse you don't have the money is no excuse to let you 8 year old son suffer to death. It was pure laziness, and no matter what they say, you could not have loved your child and let or watch him suffer like they did. Cancer is not a thing you can look over, it doesn't go away on its own, if it even goes away with treatment. I believe they should have gotten more time in prison then they did. The pretty much murdered their own son!!! This really irritates me!!!

2/16/12 Sopa Act

Like I said in my last post, the sopa act was out of proportion. It is good that it wasnt passed and whoever came up with it knew nothing about the internet. The punishment was way too unreasonable.

2/15/12 Antipiracy Bills

Online piracy is a huge problem, that is getting worse by the day.Counterfeiting & piracy cost thousands of jobs yearly. I think something needs to be done about it, but not the way these bills said. These bills were overdone. Many innocent people did what these bills said were wrong, and these people would be put in prison. It's good they didn't pass the bill.

2/14/12 Google knows too much!

I think it's not fair that google knows so much about me. I believe it is an invasion of privacy when a computer knows so much about you. Other people should not know so much about you unless you tell them or give someone or something the permission to tell them. Technology is very scary these days because there is no telling what just a computer knows about you, let alone anything else.

Happy Valentine's Day :) <3

Presentations of Bills:

Emily, Justice, and Kyle: I agree with this bill. It can help obesity.


Daniel, Bobby, and Justin: I agree with this bill, it can counter-balance every one's food.



Travis, Benny, and Lee: I agree with this bill, it can taste good, but have less calories.



Antonio, Raven, and Chelsea: I agree with this bill, it can stop people from eating so much fast food.



Justin, and Ezik: I agree with this bill, it can make people eat healthier food along with their junk food.

2/10/12 Ohio Man: 2nd Amendment

I don't know how he could have shot her, when he was 1.5 miles away and shot it in the air. On top of that it was a muzzle-loader, and they shoot scatter shots. If he was really the one who shot her, then it had to of been a freak accident. I wouldn't believe it was him unless they knew for a fact. I still believe he should be able to keep his gun though, something like that doesn't happen everyday. If he shot the girl on purpose that would be different, but it was an accident. Accidents happen everyday, but not a lot of them are as wild as this one. It would be like saying if you get in a car wreck and killed someone, you can't drive anymore, especially if it was an accident.

2/9/12 Police Brutality

I believe police brutality is cruel and if an officer feels the need to beat on innocent people just because he thinks he can do it, shouldn't be in law enforcement anyways. They deserves to be in a mental institution. How can a person get pleasure out of beating someone plum to death for no reason at all? I just don't get it. Just because you have a badge on your shirt doesn't mean you have the right to hurt people whenever you don't like them, or what they are doing. I personally could not hurt someone who has done nothing to me and not get ate alive by my guilt. I just don't understand people these days. I don't see how you can get any pleasure at all hurting another human-being, it's just cruel and anyone who does it should spend at least 10 years in jail, and never be allowed back in the law enforcement department. Everyone has their own opinion about police brutality, but in my personal opinion, it's just simply wrong.

2/8/12 Death Penalty

In my opinion the death penalty is not cruel and unusual punishment in some aspects. People who murder, rape or do bad things to children should get the death penalty. Although things such as robbery and other things that doesn't physically hurt someone should not result in the death penalty. Granted some people who should get the death penalty gets off easy and others who are innocent get put to death, so the death penalty is good in some ways but also bad in some ways. The death penalty also cost a lot of money. It costs more to kill someone through the death penalty then to let them rot in prison. The death penalty is a bad thing when they put an innocent person to death, then later find out they were really innocent. Everyone has their own opinion on the death penalty, but I'm not for it, or against it.

***Obesity Bill***

     Obesity is a major problem in today's society, and there is many things people can do to fix it, they just need the will power. A new scientific study on obesity in young American children has brought more depressing news. It appears we now are starting our children on the path to obesity before they can even eat solid foods. According to the research nearly one-third of 9-month olds are obese or overweight, so are 34 percent of 2-year-olds, the study analyzed a nationally representative sample of children born in 2001. So in conclusion, the children of america are being taught unhealthy eating habits, and they continue to eat that way as they get older.

     To help decrease the obesity rate we should teach the new generations healthy eating habits. In doing so they will be more capable of creating a healthy ratio of healthy foods to junk foods when they are older. In the long run they too will be able to help prevent obesity in the future by teaching these healthy eating skills to their family as well. Therefore creating a cycle of healthy eating passed form generation to generation.

2/7/12

People are making their food full of calories and sugar now a days and people are loving it. Although what they don't realize is that it can cause you to have major health problems, and can cause obesity. West Virginia already is high on the charts for obesity and making all kinds of new fatty foods and selling them is making things worse. Also the kids these days arent as active as they used to be, because of the new technology and television shows. Most of them set around getting fat watching tv or playing videogames thinking it alright, but its not. If they shut down tv and videogames for a period of time then it may lower the obesity rate in the state. All kids need is the motivation, most of them have the energy. If people started selling healthy food that people may like then maybe they would stop buying calorie filled food and eat something  better for their health. If only people could figure out that a little bit of exercise and some healthy food can make you in much better shape and can make you feel better too. We made things how they are today, and we need to fix them.

2/6/12 Assignment

Questions:
1. What are the Federalist Papers?

2. Who wrote the Federalist Papers?
    Who was Publius?

3. Tell about Federalist Paper 10.

4. Tell about Federalist Papers 51.

Answers:
1. The Federalist Papers were written and published during the years 1787 and 1788 in several New York State newspapers to persuade New York voters to ratify the proposed constitution.

2. Alexander Hamilton wrote 52, James Madison wrote 28, and John Jay contributed the remaining 5. They all were Publius!

3. No. 10 addresses the question of how to guard against "factions", or groups of citizens, with interests contrary to the rights of others or the interests of the whole community. In today's discourse the term advocacy group or special interest group often carries the same denotation. Madison argued that a strong, large republic would be a better guard against those dangers than smaller republics for instance, the individual states. Opponents of the Constitution offered counterarguments to his position, which were substantially derived from the commentary of Montesquieu on this subject.

4. The purpose of No. 51 is to "form a more correct judgment of the principles and structure of the government planned by the Constitutional Convention." In the paper, this is done by informing the reader of the safeguards created by the convention to maintain the separate branches of government, and to protect the rights of the people.The Federalist Paper as a foundation text of constitutional interpretation, are frequently cited by American jurists. Of all the essays, No. 51 is the fourth-most cited.

2/6/12

The 5th Amendment:

Pros: 1. NOTHING AT ALL!

Cons: 1. They violated his privacy!
          2. The school staff should not have authorization to such equipment to let that happen.
          3. She could have saw more then just him doing drugs.She could have seen him unclothed or anything.
          4. People could get in a lot of trouble.
          5. He should not have to give him his password because that is not in the search warrant.
         

2/3/12 (extra credit)

Unemployment Dropped to 8.3 Percent in January:

 

http://news.yahoo.com/unemployment-dropped-8-3-percent-january-084228048.html

 

The U.S economy picked up 243,000 jobs in January as the unemployment rate dropped to 8.3%, the Labor Department reported. This is the lowest level of unemployment since February 2009. They say the recent drop was because of jobs being added to the economy, not because of people becoming discouraged and are no longer seeking employment. They expected payrolls to grow by 140,000. They have added 60,000 new jobs in November and December of 2011. They don't expect the unemployment rate to get no higher then 8.5%.

 

 

Out of the Valley, Newt Gingrich:

 

http://news.yahoo.com/valley-183446776.html

 

Few presidential candidates have successfully emerged from the dark valley that likely awaits Newt Gingrich after his decisive loss to Mitt Romney in Florida’s primary. Only seven states vote in February and none of them are tilting towards Newt Gingrich. Michigan offers Romney a home-state advantage, and Nevada and Arizona, Romney will benefit because of the large Mormon population. But Gingrich hopes to win over Colorado and Minnesota. Although if he does not win, then Gingrich will not have another vote until March 6 on Super Tuesday.

2/2/12

I think they deserve to be put in jail. They won their position over people who more than likely deserved it. They cheated to win, and in my book winners never cheat, and cheaters never win. The others who lost should take their place. They committed fraud and deserve the time they are going to serve in jail, if not longer. They were wrong on so many levels and should be prosecuted to the full extent. Bowman, Whitten and the third person are a disgrace to their county.

2/1/12

If people does not text and drive, then it can be a lot safer for everyone. When people text and drive, then it takes their concentration off the road and they could swerve and cause a head on collision and take a life. I don't believe in texting and driving. It is unsafe and ignorant.

Pro: 1. People will cause less wrecks.
        2. It will cause less people to die from car accidents.
        3. People will pay more attention to the road and become better drivers.

Cons: 1. People may rebel against it and text anyways.
          2. If there is an emergency and you only have texting on your phone and get pulled over and get an unwanted ticket.

Movie Review (300 words) 1/31/12

There were many things I liked about the movie, but also there were many things I did not like. Some of the things I like were that the president did not let the press and everyone else wrecks his relationship with the actress Sydney Wade. Also that Sydney did not let the press do the same. They proved that no matter who you are, the President of the United States or just a citizen in the United States, you should be able to love who you choose and not who everyone else wants you to choose and/or approves of. I believe that just because you are the President does not mean you can't have a relationship with who you choose. There were many things you could have learned from this production, one thing was that being the president of the United States is hard work and you are constantly fighting for your position and fighting to keep the citizens of your country happy. Being the President has many benefits, but also many risks, such as being killed or injured by crazed citizens. Some of the things i did not care for in this production were that they didn't show his daughter more. She should have been one of his main priorities. Instead he spent more time with Sydney and doing his work rather than spending time with his own blood. Family should always come first. The movie was very well put together and taught a lot of things about what some of the things you have to go through as president or some of the things you have to forfeit in life, such as a private relationship. In the movie it showed how hard it is to get a bill passed and other political things like that.  In the end, it was a very good movie and I believe I would not like to be President, it seems very difficult.

The American President (movie) 1/30-1/31/12

The President falls for a women named Sydney Wade who is not peoples choice, and the press is making a big deal about it. She is getting ambushed by the press. They are trying to make Sydney out to be a bad person by digging up her history and anything in it that would make the president and her seperate. She is falling in love with him, but they are trying to destroy her career. Sydney and the president doesn't agree on a bill he signed and she left him. Then the president stood up for her on t.v and they made up.

1/26/12 assignment

1. Who are the people of the United States? The people of the United States make this country go around and function properly.
2. What is a Union? The Union is all of the states working together to keep America strong.
3. What is Justice? Justice is punishing people for their wrong doing.
4. What is the meaning of "domestic Tranquility"? Everybody in the country gets along with everybody and no violence.
5. What is the "common defense"? Defending yourself against a criminal charge.
6.What is the General Welfare?Something that is mentioned in the Constitution
7. What are the "Blessings of Liberty" and Posterity"?The blessings of liberty refers to all of the benefits that are afforded by having liberty.
8.What is the meaning of Ordain?To invest officially (as by the laying on of hands) with ministerial or priestly authority.

Definitions:
1. Founding Fathers- A member of the convention that drafted the U.S. Constitution in 1787
2. Domestic Tranquility -No man beats a woman
3. Blessings of Liberty- Money
4. Constitution- The act or process of composing, setting up, or establishing.
5. Union-The act of uniting or the state of being united.
6. Posterity-Future generations
7. Bill of Rights - First Ten Amendments
8. Justice -Justice is usually said to be as right, fair, and appropriate.
9. Ordain- To invest officially (as by the laying on of hands) with ministerial or priestly authority.
10. Amendments - correction to the constitution
11. common defense- Defending yourself against a criminal charge.
12. Preamble - Pre-speech
13. General Welfare - Basic War

1/26/12 (education)

Obama's outlook on education is very interesting. He thinks that we should higher our standards, and thinks we should start earlier in skill. I don't totally agree, but everyone has their opinion. He also wants to lower the cost for education, so middle class people can go to college and still maintain a stable home. Many things he appointed on education was good advancements but not everyone would agree.

1/26/12

The State of the Union Address is presented by the President of the United States, in the address the president talks about the problems and whats happening in the United States. He appoints everything and people respond to what he says. This year president, Barack Obama, had many things he appointed like education and bringing some soldiers home, and much more. It was a good turn out for him some people say.

1/25/12

State of the Union Address: Obama had a very interesting speech about taxes and many other good points, although we do not all share the same beliefs. Obama always puts up a great argument and has many interesting ideas for the United States if he gets re elected for a second term. He says he wants to throw out all the old policies and help build a better nation, but i guess we will see what happens,

1/24/12

It is too hard for me to trade and get products from other states. They are taxing our goods and we are taxing theirs, the prices are getting higher and higher. Not only that, but our ships keep getting raided by pirates. None of us want congress to have so much power, though.

Since congress had to have 9 out of 13 states agreeing, they could not change the articles.
They could not tax anything, they could not regulate trade, and they could not raise an army. None of the states really complied with the congress.

1/24/12

The police attached an GPS to a person's car without a warrant or even consent. They're the law, they should know all about the amendments. Especially since they are the law, just because you are the law doesn't give you the right to break it without punishment.

I don't believe it's right to put a tracking system on a persons vehicle without them knowing or giving consent. That person should have been protected from that by his right of the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment protects you from unreasonable searches and seizures. The police was wrong for doing that, and should get in trouble. If he had a warrant it may be a little different, but he didn't.

Articles of Confederation 1/23/12

1. What was it? Founders set forth their ideas in a document known as the Articles of Confederation. A confederation is a form of political organization in which sovereign states delegate power to a central government for specified purposes.

2. Why was it created? To keep the thirteen states at peace.

3. What were it's main features? Gave rights to people in the states, and set taxes.

4. Why did it have these features? So everyone can be at peace, with no confrontation.

5. Identify/Explain weaknesses of articles as a plan of government.

• Congress had no power to tax.
• Congress could make agreements with foreign nations, but it had no power to force state governments to honor these agreements.
• Congress had no power to make laws regulating trade among the states.
• Congress had no power to make laws directly regulating the behavior of citizens.

6. Five most significant of these & explain how they caused the failure of the government under the Articles. (unknown)

1/20/12 events

http://www.dogonews.com/2012/1/13/scientists-discover-first-ever-soldier-bees

     There are new "soldier" bees, that unlike other bees guard the hive to protect the honey for up to three weeks, then they move on.

    It is very interesting how bees can do things like that. They must be very territorial.

1/20/12

1. What do you know about the U.S government?
     There are many branches of government and we have a congress and a president.

2. What do you think about the U.S government's role in society?
     A lot of people hate the government, but they really wouldn't know what to do without it. The government keeps everything in check.

3. What would you like to learn or feel you need to know about our government?
     I feel I should know the importance of the government and the laws that come with it.

Thomas Hobbes

Who: Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher. He was mostly known for his political philosophy. He contributed to history, geometry, the physics of gases, theology, ethics and general physics.

What: He was the founder of modern politcal philosophy. His 1651 book Leviathan established the foundation for most of the western political philosophy from the perspective of the socail contract theory. He developed some of the fundamentals of European liberal thought. He wrote a book called The Elements of Law: Natural and Politic.

When: He was born in England on April 5, 1588. He died on December 4, 1679.

Where: Thomas Hobbes was born in 1588 April 5, in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England. His premature birth was hastened by his mother's fear upon hearing of the approach of the Spanish Armada. His father was vicar of Westport but fled to London after being involved in a brawl outside his own church, leaving Thomas to be raised by a wealthy uncle. Thomas died on December 4, 1679.

Why: Hobbes is known for his development of the social contract theory, which is the method of justifying political parties. He also believed that power should be placed in the hands of one person.

How: He was one of the founders of modern political philosophy. His understanding of humans as being matter and motion, obeying the same physical laws as other matter and motion, remains influential; and his account of human nature as self-interested cooperation, and of political communities as being based upon a "social contract" remains one of the major topics of political philosophy.

1/19/12

I still agree with what I said yesterday. No one should get harassed on the Internet or anywhere else. Just because you have the freedom of speech doesn't mean you can abuse it. The guy does have an opinion and he should be able to state it, but he could have done it in a much proper way. The woman could have avoided it by staying off of twitter, although she also has the right to be on twitter. If he had nothing good to say, then he shouldnt have said anything at all. He is the one who should have stayed off of twitter, not her! Some things are better left unsaid.

1/19/12

I thought that the blackout was ignorant. If people don't want people to pirated movies or videos, then they should not put them on the Internet. Its common sense. I believe you can look up whatever you want on the Internet, then you shouldn't put things on there you don't want other people to have and/or see!

1/18/12

I disagree with the judge. No one should have the right to harass someone, whether it is verbally or physically. Either way it is not right. Yes, everyone does have the freedom of speech, but there should be boundaries! It doesn't matter if it was tweeted or face to face, its not right. The man should have been convicted of at least harassment if not something more. To tell someone they should kill their self should be a felony on some way.