Current Event #2

Okay so my current event this week was on bottling water. Some might say it sounds boring, but the article I read brought up some topics that are a concern to many people today. It argued that bottling water in the Great Lakes area is not environmentally friendly. One company that was targeted was the Nestle brand. People in the area near the Nestle plant in Canada fight that if they are making a profit and commercializing water, it is not fair that they pay the same price as any other water user. Also, considering the environmental effects many ask when is water considered a consumer good. Good questions, huh?

Well, while I was reading it I put myself in the company's shoes. What are they to do? If we couldn't take water from natural resources I don't know where else we would so I don't think there is an easy answer to this one. Both sides of the argument are legit and backed up with facts. I think this whole bottling process is something that the world has adapted to, (I mean isn't bottled water still a fad?), and we just need to accept. As long as we recycle the plastic I think the whole water situation will work itself out....at least I hope!

Election Post #2

Two main issues that stick out to me in this election are the economy and our nation's growing immigration problem. Nationally, it is evident that our economy is in a recession; look at the $700 billion dollar bail out that happened last week and tell me you're not worried. As much as the government is trying to comfort us by saying it would be worse if they were to have let them fail, the average American can't help but feel worried about their economic standing as taxes will start raising. This average American is me. I pay taxes and am not sure how I feel about aiding companies as they try and fix the poor decisions they made in the past. Is it fair? Also, look at the stock market that dropped hundreds of points in the last couple of weeks. I can only imagine how many people are questioning our nation's economy at a time like this. Locally, I am worried about immigration. In the Herndon, Sterling area crime breaks out almost every weekend and is linked to illegal gang activity. The people involved are often illegally residing in the United States. Every time I hear of a situation like this I can't help but wonder what it would be like if we could crack down on illegal immigration. Wouldn't our streets be safer? Also, going back to the economy, the average American is paying taxes to cover what these aliens' don't pay for. This cannot be justified. There are plenty of people that would die to come over here the legal way. All in all, these are issues that i hope can be acknowledged and fixed with this upcoming election.

The debates on Friday night showed me who the candidates really are. At some points it seemed to drag on because at first there wasn't much debating, rather just stating what each candidate believed and adressing the audience. As the night wore on Obama grew more assertive in what he had to say and even tried to face McCain head on. McCain on the other hand didn't even look Obama's way. This shows me that McCain was not prepared and not confident in what he had to say. Are these good qualifications to be president of the United States? I would have to say not at all. In favor of Obama, I do think he could have rocked McCain better than he did. I do respect how he didn't question McCain or argue anything too hard to embarass McCain; this would have made me lose respect for him. Obama held a respectable role at the debates and came across as a very itellectual guy capable of leading our country. I was pleased with the debates.

Electronic media plays a crucial role in the upcoming election. There are many radio and TV commercials, mass emails, and news station reports following the happenings along this campaign trail. Each time someone comes across this kind of advertising some new issue or feeling touches the person. Often the media tries to touch its audience in an emotional way and for this election the media is doing just that. It often touches on the housing crisis, the war, or even equal rights; all these amount to CHANGE! With so many issues that affect people's daily lives it can't help but not. It is always interesting the first time you catch a new form of campaigning in the form of media. Check it out. What's next? :)

and so it begins... (Service Learning Project)

So I just got back from volunteering for the Obama office in Reston. (They had really inspiring and different posters up that I haven't seen in the public.) Fun stuff! It was a long night but I was glad both Maggie and Tyler were there to help make it what it was. Ofcourse I had to forget my camera, but i promise to put a slide show up later about future volunteering opportunities.

Okay so as fun as it was we didn't really get that much done for a three hour time block. We arrived around 6 and had the option to either sit and call people or go out and survey door to door. Hmmm? What would you do if it was raining and getting dark? You're wrong, we went out door to door; smart us! They gave us two areas and a couple packets of papers to fill out as we talked to the voters. Trust me there is more. So as we were driving in the car we realized that the directions we had weren't from the office but rather someone's personal address, so we were then lost and headed the complete opposite direction on Route 7. Not good! To cut to the chase, we arrived at our location about an hour later. Sure enough as we started walking around the rain picked up pace and the sunlight suddenly dissapeared. Considering the people we surveyed, many people weren't home or they considered themselves to be labeled as an Independent voter. Between the two candidates Obama definitely came through as the winner. In the end we didn't even finish one area by the time we headed home around 8:20. Keep in mind our bodies as well as the papers were soaken wet. haha! So I definitely had a good time I would just prepare better the next time I go out door to door. Also, I would still take friends along because they help calm your nerves as you talk to the people at the doors. Monday is another day I go in. Can't wait to see what job they give me then!!! GO OBAMA!

Current Event # 1

After talking the articles over in class, I thought the one that affected me the most was the one I wrote about in my summary. It focused on the recent ups and downs of gas prices and how the American population is reacting. Recently I have been reluctant to see prices still below $4.00 a gallon. One thing I was not aware of was how people are now just taking it for granted. After reading the Washington Post article, it gave me a new perspective; even though I will be reaping benefits at the pump, the economy and environment will still suffer severe consequences. I can only imagine if everyone is reacting the way i do...

On the other hand, the article mentioned about implementing a governmental tax to top the costs in hope to consume less oil. This could be a good idea but I don't think the public would react well. So I guess the question is if it's worth it. This topic is something I worry about for our future and I was glad to see it covered in the Post this past week to get people thinking.

Week 1- Election Post

Okay so I'm really torn between the two candidates. In my mind they both have totally different things to bring to the table and offer America. Traits that I think are important to presidency include experience, knowledge, and respect. This pushes me towards the Republican candidate John McCain. He has also proven to the people that he is dedicated to and sincerely loves his country though the brutalities he suffered in Vietnam. Obama on the other hand has little experience and therefore might not know quite what he is getting himself into. A major issue affecting our goverment and society today is the war in the Middle East. I believe we went over there to get a job done and we shouldn't leave until we accomplish that job. Currently, Al Quaeda is not defeated in Iraq and if not stopped they could plot future terrorist attacks both on our nation and abroad. Obama believes we should responsibly end this war. What if our job is not complete? This does not leave anyone with any sense of security about themselves or their families. For these reasons I think McCain's viewpoint is correct. He believes it is "strategically and morally essential for the United States to support the Government of Iraq to become capable of governing itself and safeguarding its people". Until this is accomplished, I believe we will not have accomplished our goal and therefore were not a success. It is essential that we have troops finish what they began to fix in the first place. Another issue I srongly press and fight is immigration. As much as I am against illegal immigration because of how it affects the average American's life, I believe it is to late to make up for the past mistakes of letting them stay here while our nation was under different, previous administrations. I feel that Obama's stand to target them and get them to come "out of the dark" to undergo a process of legal residence is too good to be true. In a way, McCain is approaching this issue in the same manner, so again i'm torn. One thing that really stands out to me from McCain's stand point is that he is committed to issuing greencards more effectively to the patient individuals waiting legally outside our country to come in. This to me is an effective measure because it will quicken the process of coming to live in the U.S. and will inturn help our economy and society by making illegal immigration less desireable. All in all, this election is a tight one. It will be interesting to see who America thinks will do the best job.

First Day!

This is my first blog...i'm not sure how I like this bog spot thing considering we all have facebooks, but I think Mr. Stroud knows what he is doing. :)