Desire to get Higher

To legalize or not to Legalize…..

                  With proposition 19 to be voted on in California on November 2^nd, marijuana may finally be legalized.  Most advocates believe that proposition 19 will add needed revenue to the state of California through its taxes while also reducing crime and corruption.  With the legalization of marijuana, California believes they will bring in an additional 1.4 Billion dollars in additional tax revenue through its legalization.  Marijuana has been proven to assist with issues ranging from, chronic body pain to anorexia.  .  However, there are some people who are skeptics.  For instance, with its legalization some critics believe that marijuana being a “gateway” drug will lead to the abuse of more severe drugs.  I do not believe that marijuana is a gateway drug, I just feel as though many people do what they believe is cool, and with society changing who knows what that may be.  As of right now the topic is marijuana, and what do you think, should it be legalized or not?

- Miles Kerbein

Latest Updates on the Gulf Oil Rig Disaster:

     The presidential commission investigating the accident reported that the cement used to seal the bottom of the well was tested a number of times and found unstable. BP and Halliburton, the company hired to cement the well, could have taken measures to correct the problem. They did not.

  
     Tourist beaches will be cleaned. Other uninhabited shorelines not so much as tar ball 2 inches across along with oil bands 1.2 inches thick and patchy remain on the coast as acceptable terms of agreement in SCAT – the Shoreline Treatment Implementation Framework, a new method of disbursement signed by BP, the U.S. Coast Guard and other state officials.

     Workers in the clean-up effort are becoming sick. About two weeks from the initial clean-up over seventy workers complained of symptoms including irritated throats, coughing, shortness of breath, nausea and headaches. If the symptoms resemble the Alaskan Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster why is BP ignoring requests for better equiptment?

-Julie Post

French Riots

     As many of you are probably already aware from watching the news, France is under going some serious riots. Looking at some of the pictures online, the first thing that comes to mind is the French revolution. Except this time, instead of bread the French have taken to the streets to protest The French Senate adopting new rules last Thursday to speed up voting on a controversial pension reform bill. Millions of French citizens are marching in outrage over how little money they will be receiving in there retirement pension plans. Thousands alone in Paris and many more have gathered in town squares across the country refusing to work until they feel that their needs have been met. “Lawmakers, trying to wade through more than 1,000 amendments -- many put up by opposition senators to try to derail the bill -- will group them together rather than voting on each one”, Labor Minister Eric Woerth announced. The controversy stems from the bill in question, which intends to raise the retirement age from sixty to sixty-two. This doesn’t seem terrible, but I would imagine that by the time you’ve reached sixty another two years would seem like an eternity. The demonstrations, which are being put on in high traffic areas are affecting everyone’s day-to-day life, and that’s the intended idea. The more the protesters can impede on everyone else the sooner they can get what they want. They simply have to make enough of an impact. I can’t fault them for that though; I can say that I’d probably empathize with them.

- M. Tilley

Silly Quarterback!

            This week in the NFL we were treated, just like every other week, to some great football from some of the worlds best athletes… notice how I don’t say worlds best public speakers. After the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins game, which Washington handily won. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler had the audacity to comment on the performance of Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall. Now yes sometimes players get bitter and make comments about other players, but seriously Jay! Now the reason I say this is because during the game Hall had tied a NFL record for most interceptions by a single player in one game. Now I do not know what was going on in Jay Cutler’s head because personally I know if someone were to rip me to shreds like that in any sport I would be more concerned with my personal game than others. Now I am sure we all get a little defensive at times and do not like to admit defeat, but for the Chicago bears this does not look promising. The Quarterback of your football ball team is usually supposed to be a leader and be able to stay composed under all the pressures of the job. These are traits unfortunately Jay has yet to show. Leaving all those bitter Broncos fans snickering at every wrong move he makes. Hey I guess they need something to laugh about after being stomped by the Oakland Raiders!

--Ross Radcliffe

We're All Liars.

                 Of all human characteristics a person can possess, honesty is situated on or around the top of the list.  Ask a person what is the most important quality they look for in a member of the opposite sex.  Honesty is a front-runner.  People in general yearn for truth and honesty; for the feeling of being lied to or betrayed is something we all wish we could avoid.  Oddly enough, we place honesty on such a high pedestal, yet we’re all liars. 

               

Lying can range from exaggeration, to sugar-coating the truth, to flat out making up gloriously false lies.  Sometimes we lie to make ourselves look good.  Other times, we lie to “protect” the feelings of people we love.  We live in world where genuine honesty is seemingly non-existent.  This doesn’t sit well with me at all.  Like everyone else, I’ve lied on more than one occasion.  However, looking back on some of the things I lied about throughout my life, I realize how telling the truth would have made things much more manageable.  I’ve dedicated myself to making a conscious effort to avoid lying.  What I find most helpful is avoiding situations in which I may have to lie about down the road, a.k.a. making wiser decision in general. 

What about when someone we love asks us a question, and we know that revealing the truth may hurt?  Take a deep breath, breath, and reveal the truth.  You may hurt others’ feelings; however, that person will probably respect you for telling the truth as opposed to catching you in a lie.  Just like lying, the more you tell the truth, the better you’ll become at it.

I’m curious.  Why do you lie? Do you think you’re ever justified to lie?  How can you stop lying?

-Brittani Hunter

iPad for 5 Year Olds?

I was watching NBC news the other day and they were talking about how it is not uncommon for a 5 year old to have an iPad as their main toy. Apparently a lot of companies have made applications for very young children that are interactive and help them learn. There are lots of games for children and educational apps out there. The news station also said that the hot item this Christmas is going to be the iPad, mainly for young children. They recommended that if you give a child an iPad, that it is only theirs because you wouldn’t want to have your own inappropriate apps on there for them to see. I think it is amazing that people can afford to give their child a $500 piece of equipment. Honestly, I would never give my child an iPad because I would be afraid that they would break it and not to mention, it is very expensive. I do agree that the applications available are great, but I think they would be just as happy with some Fisher Price toys. It is amazing how much our society relies on technology currently. Would you buy one of these for your 5-year-old child?  

-Clay Chapman

Blog on Blog

 My post this week may seem a bit unusual, because this week I am blogging about a blog. I was on the phone with my buddy Matt yesterday and we were discussing about the Don’t mind us blog. I was telling him all about my advanced digital media class and how the blog got started. Matt decided about a week and a half ago to start up his own blog and I asked if I would be able to contribute to his blog as well. Hopefully some of my writings will be up on his site shortly. His Blog is called Matts collection of writings, he basically puts up his daily writings to express how he is feeling. Although there are a few kinks still needed to be worked out like a miss spelling in the title and maybe adding some color to the page, it is overall a fantastic source for personably entries. He will have writings on everything from his thoughts on life to inspirational people in his life and even some fictional stories. Matt is one of my best friends and has been through so much in his life so to hear his perspective on things is a very nice treat for me. Now there is a whole site dedicated to it.

http://web.me.com/mpersch11/mattsblog/Welcome.html

-Jason Cuzzupe