This morning, I read an article and watched a video of President Obama declaring his support for gay marriage throughout the country, even though many people of his party were against it, Obama was also previously opposed to it. One of the reasons he says that he changed his mind was because of all of the homosexual military personal, who are fighting for the entire country's benefit, and his staff members feeling constricted, even though "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is gone.
http://news.yahoo.com/obama-announces-his-support-for-same-sex-marriage.html
I think that this is a huge step for the U.S., and a good one. I believe that same-sex marriage should be legal because if two people love each other and want to get married, they should be allowed to. Their getting married has no effect on anyone else's lives, especially those who have never or will never be in any sort of contact with the couples. People in this country say they want equality for everyone, yet are outright opposed to issues like this for no real reason, other than their religion saying it's wrong or learning that it's wrong from their parents.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Weekly Blog 16
Mensa, a high-IQ society located in Canada, has inducted its second toddler this year. The youngest, and most recent, is Anthony Popa Urria and has an estimated IQ of 154. The article says he can say the alphabet backwards and forwards, count to 1,000, speak 3 languages (English, Spanish, and some Romanian), name all of the planets in the Solar System. The second youngest is Emmelyn Roettger, and is also the youngest U.S. member.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/mensa-welcomes-two-old-ranks-second-toddler-013027542.html
I think that toddlers having this level of intelligence is astounding. The cut-off IQ point for being a certified genius is 140 and above, and most people don't even get to this point. It's amazing that toddlers can have a higher intelligence, relative to their age, than most of the world's adults will ever get in their entire lives. If one of my children were to be inducted into Mensa, I hope would extremely proud, but also intimated, knowing that my toddler is smarter than me, which is pretty weird.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/mensa-welcomes-two-old-ranks-second-toddler-013027542.html
I think that toddlers having this level of intelligence is astounding. The cut-off IQ point for being a certified genius is 140 and above, and most people don't even get to this point. It's amazing that toddlers can have a higher intelligence, relative to their age, than most of the world's adults will ever get in their entire lives. If one of my children were to be inducted into Mensa, I hope would extremely proud, but also intimated, knowing that my toddler is smarter than me, which is pretty weird.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Weekly Blog 15
Japanese analysts, who have been studying 6 photos of North Korea's new missiles, have said that the weapons were very non-convincing fakes. Earlier this month, North Korea made a statement saying that it had the power to defeat the U.S. in a single blow and had the capability to take "special actions" that would take out South Korea's government in a matter of minutes. The analysts say that the new weapons are not really that dangerous, since they appear to be a mix of liquid-fuel and solid-fuel components, metal that was too thin to withstand flight, and that the missiles didn't even fit on the launchers.
http://tinyurl.com/c55sjmb
I think that many people around the world suspected North Korea of doing something like this. I think they did it because they wanted to make up for their failed "satellite" launch as quickly as possible, but still create fear in their enemies at the same time. However, now that everyone knows the missiles are fake, hardly anyone will take them or their threats seriously. On the other hand, these missiles might show the rest of the world what kind of long-range missiles North Korea is developing and working on, and how we might be able to prevent them from reaching us or develop some sort of defense against them. The article also states that the missiles' launcher were designed to carry missiles that are bigger and longer than those revealed last week, which leads experts to think that North Korea would not have made them specifically for these fake missiles, but are/will be used for bigger, actually working missiles.
http://tinyurl.com/c55sjmb
I think that many people around the world suspected North Korea of doing something like this. I think they did it because they wanted to make up for their failed "satellite" launch as quickly as possible, but still create fear in their enemies at the same time. However, now that everyone knows the missiles are fake, hardly anyone will take them or their threats seriously. On the other hand, these missiles might show the rest of the world what kind of long-range missiles North Korea is developing and working on, and how we might be able to prevent them from reaching us or develop some sort of defense against them. The article also states that the missiles' launcher were designed to carry missiles that are bigger and longer than those revealed last week, which leads experts to think that North Korea would not have made them specifically for these fake missiles, but are/will be used for bigger, actually working missiles.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Weekly Blog 14
http://tinyurl.com/cxzwkqe
Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian anti-Islamic fanatic who killed 77 people almost a year ago, has been on trial this past week for those murders. Earlier today, he admitted that, in order to "simulate the police response and the best escape strategy", he spent the majority of his time, an average of 17 hours per day, playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and World of Warcraft on his computer. He claimed that his entire life was eating, sleeping, and playing these games, especially when he moved back in with his mother in 2006. When asked about Call of Duty's aiming system, Breivik responded saying " 'I don't really like those games but it is good if you want to simulate for training purposes." Breivik remains on trial and pleads not guilty, although admitting to the killings.
I think that Breivik should be jailed for life or maybe even executed for his crimes. His case also shows how dangerous playing violent video games every waking hour is to your mind and how it functions in the real world. However, even though it was wrong and he deserves the punishment he gets, I do admire the fact that he did something that very little people in society would do, which was taking action on what he thought was right and taking responsibility for those actions. That being said, I still believe that he should be severely punished because his actions, no matter how "right" they seemed in his mind, have consequences.
Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian anti-Islamic fanatic who killed 77 people almost a year ago, has been on trial this past week for those murders. Earlier today, he admitted that, in order to "simulate the police response and the best escape strategy", he spent the majority of his time, an average of 17 hours per day, playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and World of Warcraft on his computer. He claimed that his entire life was eating, sleeping, and playing these games, especially when he moved back in with his mother in 2006. When asked about Call of Duty's aiming system, Breivik responded saying " 'I don't really like those games but it is good if you want to simulate for training purposes." Breivik remains on trial and pleads not guilty, although admitting to the killings.
I think that Breivik should be jailed for life or maybe even executed for his crimes. His case also shows how dangerous playing violent video games every waking hour is to your mind and how it functions in the real world. However, even though it was wrong and he deserves the punishment he gets, I do admire the fact that he did something that very little people in society would do, which was taking action on what he thought was right and taking responsibility for those actions. That being said, I still believe that he should be severely punished because his actions, no matter how "right" they seemed in his mind, have consequences.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Weekly Blog 13
http://m.yahoo.com/w/news_america/breivik-admits-massacre-pleads-not-guilty-084439935.html?orig_host_hdr=news.yahoo.com&.intl=us&.lang=en-us
Anders Breivik is a Norwegian anti-Muslim radical who believes that multiculturalism will be Norway's downfall. On July 22nd 2011, he set off a bomb in Oslo, killing 8. He then proceeded to shoot 69 more people at a Labor Party youth camp, mostly teenagers, on Utoya Island. At his trial, he admitted to the acts, but wasn't guilty of any criminal guilt because he was "doing the country a great service".
I think Breivik should spend the rest of his life in a mental institution because he's obviously insane. The fact that he killed 74 people without batting an eyelash and saying he deserves a medal for it proves this. If he's still deemed mentally sane, then he should be sentenced to life in prison. I would be surprised if the Norweigan government took any other action.
Anders Breivik is a Norwegian anti-Muslim radical who believes that multiculturalism will be Norway's downfall. On July 22nd 2011, he set off a bomb in Oslo, killing 8. He then proceeded to shoot 69 more people at a Labor Party youth camp, mostly teenagers, on Utoya Island. At his trial, he admitted to the acts, but wasn't guilty of any criminal guilt because he was "doing the country a great service".
I think Breivik should spend the rest of his life in a mental institution because he's obviously insane. The fact that he killed 74 people without batting an eyelash and saying he deserves a medal for it proves this. If he's still deemed mentally sane, then he should be sentenced to life in prison. I would be surprised if the Norweigan government took any other action.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Weekly Blog 12
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/arizona-lawmakers-review-cyber-bullying-bill-over-free-185026224.html
This article I found is about how Arizona lawmakers are contemplating on the best legal action to take against cyberbullying. The bill they are proposing would make it legal for authorities to arrest online troublemakers who write negative comments on news and social media sites. However, some say that this is going against the First Amendment's Freedom of Speech, making the bill unconstitutional.
I don't think this bill should even be thought of because there is no way to have it do what the lawmakers want it to without infringing peoples' rights. If this bill is somehow passed, it could mean countless arrests of people stating their negative opinions about other. Even if it was limited to person-to-person communication, it would still infringe a person's rights because what they would be allowed to say would be limited by law, which is against the First Amendment.
This article I found is about how Arizona lawmakers are contemplating on the best legal action to take against cyberbullying. The bill they are proposing would make it legal for authorities to arrest online troublemakers who write negative comments on news and social media sites. However, some say that this is going against the First Amendment's Freedom of Speech, making the bill unconstitutional.
I don't think this bill should even be thought of because there is no way to have it do what the lawmakers want it to without infringing peoples' rights. If this bill is somehow passed, it could mean countless arrests of people stating their negative opinions about other. Even if it was limited to person-to-person communication, it would still infringe a person's rights because what they would be allowed to say would be limited by law, which is against the First Amendment.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Weekly Blog 11
http://news.yahoo.com/kashmir-scientists-clone-rare-cashmere-goat-123026531.html;_ylt=ApRP9WrKYq2b_ELdAwFntJNvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTNjbnY4cmliBG1pdAMEcGtnAzI0MzNiMTA0LWRjY2UtM2MxYi05ODllLThiYjNkYjdjYTA4OQRwb3MDNgRzZWMDbG5fQXNpYV9nYWwEdmVyA2IyNmJiMmZmLTcxM2EtMTFlMS1hNmZmLWU5MTE4MjJiYWU2Zg--;_ylv=3
This article was about how some Kashmir scientists successfully cloned a rare cashmere goat. The article stated that the scientists cloned it because they wanted help increase the number of animals so that more of thier coats can be used for clothing, which is very popular and desired. It took the scientists 2 years to complete the cloning process because they used a new procedure to clone; however, the scientists said that now that it's been done, it will only take them about 6 months to clone another goat if they wanted, which is what they're currently doing.
I think that this is a big step in the science of cloning. I believe that cloning is beneficial to humanity because we can use it for an abundance of things, such as cloning organs for the injured or defected, food for those who don't have it, or to prevent certain plants or animals from going extinct. Even though there are many people who think cloning is outright wrong, I disagree with them because of all the reasons it can help, not just humanity, but the world itself.
This article was about how some Kashmir scientists successfully cloned a rare cashmere goat. The article stated that the scientists cloned it because they wanted help increase the number of animals so that more of thier coats can be used for clothing, which is very popular and desired. It took the scientists 2 years to complete the cloning process because they used a new procedure to clone; however, the scientists said that now that it's been done, it will only take them about 6 months to clone another goat if they wanted, which is what they're currently doing.
I think that this is a big step in the science of cloning. I believe that cloning is beneficial to humanity because we can use it for an abundance of things, such as cloning organs for the injured or defected, food for those who don't have it, or to prevent certain plants or animals from going extinct. Even though there are many people who think cloning is outright wrong, I disagree with them because of all the reasons it can help, not just humanity, but the world itself.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Weekly Blog 10
http://www.space.com/14850-strong-solar-flares-active-sun.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+spaceheadlines+(SPACE.com+Headline+Feed)
Last week, we experienced some of the strongest solar flares in years. Although these flares can't physically harm us, they can cause electronic failure, which is huge in today's electronic dependence. If one of these flares was to knock out the United States' or any other country's network, it could cause global catastrophe. The world's economy depends on a gloabl network to ensure that nations can successfully trade and do business with one another.
I think that these flares are not really a big deal because there's a very small chance that they will actually do anything to our planet and we even experienced stronger solar flares in the early 2000s. Those didn't do anything to us either, so I believe we will be safe from the ones occuring now. However, this does not mean that there will never be any flares that won't endanger our planet, which is why I think that we should trty and figure out some sort of method to prevent that from happening.
Last week, we experienced some of the strongest solar flares in years. Although these flares can't physically harm us, they can cause electronic failure, which is huge in today's electronic dependence. If one of these flares was to knock out the United States' or any other country's network, it could cause global catastrophe. The world's economy depends on a gloabl network to ensure that nations can successfully trade and do business with one another.
I think that these flares are not really a big deal because there's a very small chance that they will actually do anything to our planet and we even experienced stronger solar flares in the early 2000s. Those didn't do anything to us either, so I believe we will be safe from the ones occuring now. However, this does not mean that there will never be any flares that won't endanger our planet, which is why I think that we should trty and figure out some sort of method to prevent that from happening.
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