So before break I received a packet about the different origin stories of Christmas, and because I'm annoying I decided to bug every person who remotely cares about me by going "So did you know that.." and everyone pretty much didn't listen because no one care about why things are they way they are. But why not? Why aren't people confused or curious or creeped out by Christmas?
Yeah, I know it's not Christmas but since clearly no one wants to hear how it originated I just want to discuss how weird this holiday is.
First if all, a lot of Christmas songs that people love are actually really creepy and yet we sing them to "bring good cheer and "make people merry".
Santa Claus is Coming to Town sounds like it's talking about a serial killer who you DO NOT want to break into your house at night while you're sleeping. This song is just a parent's warning and plea to their child to not anger that fat old omniscient being.
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus is really odd and creepy because this poor child is witnessing their mother cheating on it's father and is just sitting there watching them. Especially after the idea that Santa is some psychotic creeping murderer who may or may not unleash its rather on the child, it's more than horrifying to see that their mom is having an affair with him and may or may not be in on his evil scheming.
Baby, It's Cold Outside is pretty much implying that this poor girl wants to get out of this man's house and he won't let her. He even drugs her ("Hey, what's in this drink?").
Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.. do I really need to say what's wrong with this?
Why do we love these songs? Because it's tradition. But every tradition nowadays, with or without knowing its origin and significance is something that should really puzzle people more than it does.
So we go outside and chip down a tree so that we can take it inside, wrap lights around it, and hang things from the branches and then the next day things appear under it. If I were an alien I would think that people were creating their own trees and tricking it into thinking it was an item tree, causing it to bloom with other items that fall down by morning and that the lights and star were there to charge it with the right amount of energy to do so.
Then we take socks off our feet and hang them up, originally so make sure we don't have to become prostitutes, but now so that a strange man can put things in them for us like candy canes. The fact that we put them over the fireplace is just a safety hazard and just baffles me.
Maybe I'm a little but of a Scrooge but there's something about Christmas underneath everything I love about it that just gives me a bad feeling inside like somehow I've been raised into being as foolish as ancient savages trying to please omniscient unseen gods by giving them offerings (milk and cookies) so that they will not smite me or seduce my mother. I've been raised to please and worship some bearded man as a God and gift-giver, and I don't even do that with the "real" religious figure Jesus Christ.
Speaking of Jesus Christ, if I was him I would be angry that people took everything I did for them and decided to use my day to ensue drunken orgies and later on to praise some fictional person instead of me. We don't even celebrate his birthday on his actual birthday. It's like if in the middle of the summer my friends and family had a surprise birthday party with cake and beer, said "Well we didn't like that your birthday was in January because its cold and we like summer more so let's just pretend today is your birthday" and then got drunk, crashed my place, and sang happy birthday to some random person with no resemblance to me. That's just plain rude.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Saturday, December 22, 2012
We're Still Alive?
So it is officially no longer 12/21/12 anymore and guess what?
NOTHING HAPPENED.
I, of course, didn't believe the world was ending and instead laughed quietly and made fun of it. In the words of Charlie McDonnell, “Always deny the apocalypse, because you'll usually be right and when you're wrong they'll be nobody around to say I told you so.”
It's a little disappointing because part of me was looking forward to an apocalypse. You never really know who your true friends are until you're trapped in a house with all the doors and windows barricaded shut and only have a limited amount of food and water left. That's when things get real. I personally enjoy the idea of a zombie apocalypse even though I'm deathly afraid of zombies mostly because of the movie Zombieland.
Now that the world isn't over, what do we possibly do with our lives?
NOTHING HAPPENED.
I, of course, didn't believe the world was ending and instead laughed quietly and made fun of it. In the words of Charlie McDonnell, “Always deny the apocalypse, because you'll usually be right and when you're wrong they'll be nobody around to say I told you so.”
It's a little disappointing because part of me was looking forward to an apocalypse. You never really know who your true friends are until you're trapped in a house with all the doors and windows barricaded shut and only have a limited amount of food and water left. That's when things get real. I personally enjoy the idea of a zombie apocalypse even though I'm deathly afraid of zombies mostly because of the movie Zombieland.
Now that the world isn't over, what do we possibly do with our lives?
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Really, Canada?
Canada's new 100 dollar bills smell like maple syrup.
MAPLE SYRUP
not only is that really gross to sniff money, ANY money because of all the germs on it, but its like thy now that they're only known for their syrup and moose and are just running away with it. They even have a little maple leaf on there for the scent.
How are they even a country? They are just.. is there even crime there?
I kindof just want to go there to try it out because it seems really cool but it's just so silly at the same time.
MAPLE SYRUP
not only is that really gross to sniff money, ANY money because of all the germs on it, but its like thy now that they're only known for their syrup and moose and are just running away with it. They even have a little maple leaf on there for the scent.
How are they even a country? They are just.. is there even crime there?
I kindof just want to go there to try it out because it seems really cool but it's just so silly at the same time.
Monday, December 10, 2012
So Anxious for Friday!
The Supreme Court decided it would decide 2 cases of gay marriage after California outlawed it.
The first case is about the definition of marriage being between a man and a women, and the other is about California's decision and whether it was constitutional or unconstitutional.
Oh, my sweet, white, baby Jesus, that is so nerve-wracking. There's no issue I care about more right now than gay rights because it effects me, some of my family members, and most of my friends. WHAT IF THEY SAY IT WAS CONSTITUTIONAL TO BAN GAY MARRIAGE AND THAT ITS ONLY BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMEN? WHAT IF ALL THE OTHER STATES START DOING IT TOO THEN? That is terrifying that means I could never marry a woman even if she's the love of my life that is horrible oh god.
The first case is about the definition of marriage being between a man and a women, and the other is about California's decision and whether it was constitutional or unconstitutional.
Oh, my sweet, white, baby Jesus, that is so nerve-wracking. There's no issue I care about more right now than gay rights because it effects me, some of my family members, and most of my friends. WHAT IF THEY SAY IT WAS CONSTITUTIONAL TO BAN GAY MARRIAGE AND THAT ITS ONLY BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMEN? WHAT IF ALL THE OTHER STATES START DOING IT TOO THEN? That is terrifying that means I could never marry a woman even if she's the love of my life that is horrible oh god.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Global Warming is Serious Business
Everybody knows what global warming is, and enough well-educated non-conspirators believe that its a serious problem. Apparently, no one is as serious abut it as Jan Brewer, and old, crooked-faced blonde governor of Arizona, who has been said to punch a Channel 3 reporter over it at an energy conference. The articles are everywhere, all accompanied with a very unpleasantly angry photos of her yelling and wagging her finger to everyone, even Obama.
As you can see, i jumped on the bandwagon.
I was hoping when they said "punched", they meant a pro-boxing, broken-nose causing blood-gushing attack. Sadly, I was mistaken. It was more of a "hey, pal!" type of punch that was enough to get his attention. If you ask me, a simple tap on the shoulder would've sufficed.
I was hoping when they said "punched", they meant a pro-boxing, broken-nose causing blood-gushing attack. Sadly, I was mistaken. It was more of a "hey, pal!" type of punch that was enough to get his attention. If you ask me, a simple tap on the shoulder would've sufficed.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Just Kidding, China!
Oh, that Onion and their wacky shenanigans! The Onion, a news satire organization, made an article naming North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un as the "Sexiest Man Alive for the year 2012".
And why wouldn't they? That dude is SEXY -and by sexy I mean I puked a little in my mouth.
nice Blue Steel, you sex god you
Anyone who lives in America, even if you haven't participated in some anti-communist jokes, would figure out pretty quickly that it couldn't be true.
Unfortunately for China, the people at People's Daily Online didn't get it and made their own article about it.
This
is
HILARIOUS.
They were so embarrassed by their that the link I had for it isn't there anymore so I think they took it down I'm like dying inside from laughter.
And why wouldn't they? That dude is SEXY -and by sexy I mean I puked a little in my mouth.
Anyone who lives in America, even if you haven't participated in some anti-communist jokes, would figure out pretty quickly that it couldn't be true.
Unfortunately for China, the people at People's Daily Online didn't get it and made their own article about it.
This
is
HILARIOUS.
They were so embarrassed by their that the link I had for it isn't there anymore so I think they took it down I'm like dying inside from laughter.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Should Puerto Rico Become a State?
Remember when I said I'd start making posts yesterday? Well I kindof sortof maybe fell asleep because government is boring. It's important to know and it's nice to hear about but I'm on vacation so I'm lazy. Sorry.
PROS
~Puerto Rico costs the U.S. over $22 billion a year. However, as a state it will contribute nearly $2 billion to the U.S. Treasury each year.
~Equally share government benefits.
~Job creation and income benefits.
~Economic growth for the Island.
~They do not exercise sovereignty over their own affairs so Congress controls the destiny of Puerto Rico.
~Improved quality of living.
~They're not allowed to vote for the President of the United States or have any say in the making of the laws that apply to them.
~Gain Tax relief
~They will have an open market to trade with all nations that are in alliance with the U.S.
~Full participation in Federal programs
~Improved Healthcare
CONS
~They are concerned they will lose their Spanish heritage and culture if they become a state. ~They would not be recognized as an individual nation in the Olympic Games nor have a representative in their Miss Universe Pageant, which they have won three times.
~English is mandatory in Puerto Rico’s public schools, but it is taught as a foreign language. Students rarely receive more than 50 minutes of English instruction per day. Fewer than 20 percent of Puerto Ricans can speak English fluently.
~If it becomes a state,they will no longer be exempt from Federal income tax.
I think Puerto Rico shouldn't become a state because our flag would look stupid with 51 stars. That's my only personal reason against it. I really like having 50 states and the 50 states song. But those are just opinions that aren't really good arguments against it so Puerto Rico should and is probably going to become a state.
PROS
~Puerto Rico costs the U.S. over $22 billion a year. However, as a state it will contribute nearly $2 billion to the U.S. Treasury each year.
~Equally share government benefits.
~Job creation and income benefits.
~Economic growth for the Island.
~They do not exercise sovereignty over their own affairs so Congress controls the destiny of Puerto Rico.
~Improved quality of living.
~They're not allowed to vote for the President of the United States or have any say in the making of the laws that apply to them.
~Gain Tax relief
~They will have an open market to trade with all nations that are in alliance with the U.S.
~Full participation in Federal programs
~Improved Healthcare
CONS
~They are concerned they will lose their Spanish heritage and culture if they become a state. ~They would not be recognized as an individual nation in the Olympic Games nor have a representative in their Miss Universe Pageant, which they have won three times.
~English is mandatory in Puerto Rico’s public schools, but it is taught as a foreign language. Students rarely receive more than 50 minutes of English instruction per day. Fewer than 20 percent of Puerto Ricans can speak English fluently.
~If it becomes a state,they will no longer be exempt from Federal income tax.
I think Puerto Rico shouldn't become a state because our flag would look stupid with 51 stars. That's my only personal reason against it. I really like having 50 states and the 50 states song. But those are just opinions that aren't really good arguments against it so Puerto Rico should and is probably going to become a state.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
I was looking up onesies to buy and dancing in my living room while drinking eggnog in a wine glass because I'm fancy but then I realized I have been neglecting my blog for a week. I really need to get back into the swing of things and be more frequent with my posts so I'm dedicating the next few hours and trying to find some new things to share with you! I most likely will end up watching Supernatural or Doctor Who and forgetting everything I was doing but the effort is being put in.
Okay, let's do this!
Okay, let's do this!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Another Civil War On the Way?
As of today, 31 states have petitioned to secede from the union These states are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming.
Why would all of these states want to secede? Because these petitions arose after the election, one would guess there's some upset republicans who didn't get their way and don't want to be ruled by Obama. The only reason why this can't be true, some of the states that were in favor of Obama have also made petitions. Most of the states are straight to the point, not giving a direct reason, saying they simply want a "NEW government" Others complain of "blatant abuses" of Americans' rights.
No matter the reason, what's going to be done about this? President Obama is going to have to make a statement sooner or later with all the of attention this is getting. I'm curious as to how he would be able to tell them they cannot secede without causing an aggressive or violent retort.
Why would all of these states want to secede? Because these petitions arose after the election, one would guess there's some upset republicans who didn't get their way and don't want to be ruled by Obama. The only reason why this can't be true, some of the states that were in favor of Obama have also made petitions. Most of the states are straight to the point, not giving a direct reason, saying they simply want a "NEW government" Others complain of "blatant abuses" of Americans' rights.
No matter the reason, what's going to be done about this? President Obama is going to have to make a statement sooner or later with all the of attention this is getting. I'm curious as to how he would be able to tell them they cannot secede without causing an aggressive or violent retort.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
OBAMA WON THE ELECTION
I APOLOGIZE FOR WRITING IN CAPS BUT THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO PROPERLY CONVEY MY EXCITEMENT. I LOVE OBAMA AND I'M SO HAPPY HE'S PRESIDENT AGAIN.
Republicans Doing Whatever It Takes
"Surprising exactly no one, there have been many reports of problems at polling places today, particularly in swing states. It’s also clear that most of these efforts to frustrate, confuse, and trick voters are being done for the benefit of Republican candidates. Undermining the democratic process is an election strategy for the GOP.
Pennsylvania
“Allegheny County officials received a complaint early Tuesday morning that Republicans outside a polling station…in Homestead, Pa., were stopping voters outside the polls and demanding identification. A county judge ordered a halt to partisan electioneering outside polling stations, according to Pittsburgh’s Tribune-Review” (via)
“…The Philadelphia Inquirer reported confusion at polling stations across the metro area. At a site in South Philadelphia, a poll worker began asking for IDs after she was asked by a visitor why she was not instructing voters to provide them.” (via)
“Voters in Harrisburg reportedly received mailers instructing them incorrectly that they must provide state-approved identification to vote, according to The Philadelphia Daily News. The mailers were produced by the Pennsylvania State Department and sent out in September, before the Oct. 2 ruling.” (via)
Voters throughout in Pennsylvania have been incorrectly turned away from polls for not having IDs (via)
“A Pennsylvania voter on Tuesday morning posted a video on Youtube in which his vote for President Obama was repeatedly changed into one for GOP candidate Mitt Romney, NBC News confirmed. The machine was taken out of service.” (via). According to Mother Jones, the machine has been “recalibrated” and is back in use.
“Earlier in Pennsylvania, a judge issued an order to reinstate Republican election officials across Philadelphia who were allegedly ejected from the polls.” (via)
Florida
“An hour after polls opened in Florida, hundreds — perhaps thousands — of voters received robocalls from the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections office mistakenly telling them that they had until 7 p.m. on Wednesday to vote. Polls actually close at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The calls went out because of a glitch with the office’s phone system, according to The Tampa Bay Times.” (via)
This is on top of the fact that early voting hours in Florida were reduced by Republican lawmakers
New Jersey
“[New Jersey voters] were instructed to send applications by fax or e-mail to their county clerk’s office, and were supposed to receive ballots back once their applications were approved. But according to NJ.com, many voters reported never receiving a ballot. (via)
Connecticut
Linda McMahon’s (R) campaign has been handing out materials which suggest she’s Independent and aligned with the Democratic ticket (via)
Ohio
A judge will rule later today “on an election-eve lawsuit alleging that voting software used at election boards in 25 of Ohio’s most populous counties could leave equipment vulnerable to ballot manipulation. The software was made by Omaha-based Elections Systems and Software, according to the Associated Press.” (via)
“In Ross County, Ohio, elections officials told The Columbus Dispatch that a small group of people was reported to be knocking on doors claiming to be from the Board of Elections.” (via)
In the Cincinnati suburb of Norwood, a voter who walked into a polling place was handed a “sample ballot guide” which turned out to be instructions on how to vote Republican on every question. This was from a GOP worker who was illegally campaigning inside the polling station.
Ohio’s election board falsely told thousands of voters that they were not registered. State officials decided to make those people use provisional ballots. (via)
Colorado
There have been reports of sheriff’s deputies and poll workers harassing Latino canvassers and voters
Oregon
An election worker in Clackamas County, Oregon was caught tampering with ballots, filling in Republican votes (via)
Arizona
Republican Jeff Flake was robocalling registered Democrats, directing them to the wrong polling places (via)
Make no mistake about it, Republicans work to make it harder for citizens to vote. Undermining the democratic process is how they win elections."
original author
Pennsylvania
“Allegheny County officials received a complaint early Tuesday morning that Republicans outside a polling station…in Homestead, Pa., were stopping voters outside the polls and demanding identification. A county judge ordered a halt to partisan electioneering outside polling stations, according to Pittsburgh’s Tribune-Review” (via)
“…The Philadelphia Inquirer reported confusion at polling stations across the metro area. At a site in South Philadelphia, a poll worker began asking for IDs after she was asked by a visitor why she was not instructing voters to provide them.” (via)
“Voters in Harrisburg reportedly received mailers instructing them incorrectly that they must provide state-approved identification to vote, according to The Philadelphia Daily News. The mailers were produced by the Pennsylvania State Department and sent out in September, before the Oct. 2 ruling.” (via)
Voters throughout in Pennsylvania have been incorrectly turned away from polls for not having IDs (via)
“A Pennsylvania voter on Tuesday morning posted a video on Youtube in which his vote for President Obama was repeatedly changed into one for GOP candidate Mitt Romney, NBC News confirmed. The machine was taken out of service.” (via). According to Mother Jones, the machine has been “recalibrated” and is back in use.
“Earlier in Pennsylvania, a judge issued an order to reinstate Republican election officials across Philadelphia who were allegedly ejected from the polls.” (via)
Florida
“An hour after polls opened in Florida, hundreds — perhaps thousands — of voters received robocalls from the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections office mistakenly telling them that they had until 7 p.m. on Wednesday to vote. Polls actually close at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The calls went out because of a glitch with the office’s phone system, according to The Tampa Bay Times.” (via)
This is on top of the fact that early voting hours in Florida were reduced by Republican lawmakers
New Jersey
“[New Jersey voters] were instructed to send applications by fax or e-mail to their county clerk’s office, and were supposed to receive ballots back once their applications were approved. But according to NJ.com, many voters reported never receiving a ballot. (via)
Connecticut
Linda McMahon’s (R) campaign has been handing out materials which suggest she’s Independent and aligned with the Democratic ticket (via)
Ohio
A judge will rule later today “on an election-eve lawsuit alleging that voting software used at election boards in 25 of Ohio’s most populous counties could leave equipment vulnerable to ballot manipulation. The software was made by Omaha-based Elections Systems and Software, according to the Associated Press.” (via)
“In Ross County, Ohio, elections officials told The Columbus Dispatch that a small group of people was reported to be knocking on doors claiming to be from the Board of Elections.” (via)
In the Cincinnati suburb of Norwood, a voter who walked into a polling place was handed a “sample ballot guide” which turned out to be instructions on how to vote Republican on every question. This was from a GOP worker who was illegally campaigning inside the polling station.
Ohio’s election board falsely told thousands of voters that they were not registered. State officials decided to make those people use provisional ballots. (via)
Colorado
There have been reports of sheriff’s deputies and poll workers harassing Latino canvassers and voters
Oregon
An election worker in Clackamas County, Oregon was caught tampering with ballots, filling in Republican votes (via)
Arizona
Republican Jeff Flake was robocalling registered Democrats, directing them to the wrong polling places (via)
Make no mistake about it, Republicans work to make it harder for citizens to vote. Undermining the democratic process is how they win elections."
original author
Monday, November 5, 2012
It's late
I'm tired
and this is really sad
and I want to write a whole post but my brain says no
so here
Come on, rally staff, there was just a hurricane this week! They should let these people leave.
I'm tired
and this is really sad
and I want to write a whole post but my brain says no
so here
Come on, rally staff, there was just a hurricane this week! They should let these people leave.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Voting Age Now 16 in Argentina
Today I saw and article that said 16 year olds in Argentina could now vote. At first, I thought it was a wonderful idea (mostly because I think I should be able to vote because I'm just a smart as any 20 year old I know. yes, I know many 20 year olds don't judge me)When I read closer to the article, I saw that this was only because the current president, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, hopes to win the new election because of her large support from youth. It made sense,but the part I didn't like was she is hoping to get a constitution change so that she may get a third term. Well, who's to say it will only be 3 terms? What if she decides 'Hey, I like this job people like me, and I already got 3 terms, let's go for a fourth!' I mean, why change the rules already set in place? They work here, but I guess it's just different in Argentina. I wouldn't know, I never hear anything important going on there.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Impeachment
I forgot to post this yesterday, but during notes Mr. Stephens (If people are reading this not knowing who that is, you need to get your life together. He's in the URL.) was talking about how the house has the power of impeachment. They vote for impeachment and then the senate has a trial. The only two presidents to ever be impeached were Andrew Jackson and Bill Clinton. Jackson was found not guilty by one vote and Clinton was not found guilty by the senate.
Mr. Stephens jokingly said impeachment is when they put the President into a peach and let them eat their way out. I was telling my mom about that and she immediately burst out, "like James and the Giant Peach?!" so I've honestly been laughing about this for a good hour before, during, and after making these horribly photoshopped edits. Enjoy them:
Bill Clinton Getting Out of Impeachment:
What has my life become? I'm a mess.
Mr. Stephens jokingly said impeachment is when they put the President into a peach and let them eat their way out. I was telling my mom about that and she immediately burst out, "like James and the Giant Peach?!" so I've honestly been laughing about this for a good hour before, during, and after making these horribly photoshopped edits. Enjoy them:
Bill Clinton Getting Out of Impeachment:
What has my life become? I'm a mess.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Race In the Election
Dave Weigel says Obama’s poll numbers were higher than George W. Bush’s or Bill Clinton’s were at that point in the political cycle because of race, supporting this claim with “ninety-two percent of black voters want to re-elect Obama, as do 66 percent of Hispanics."
I'm not sure about you, but that's approaching a 45 degree angle there. Does this mean race has everything to do with it? Maybe it does, because I remember people being so hyped up over how this is a historical event because of his race. But wait, this chart was in an article from last year, before the election even started. maybe there's no more race talk by now. WRONG.
John Sununu during CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" made the suggestion that Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama was based on his race.
The next day President Obama rejected the suggestion, saying that scenario "doesn't make much sense." and that he would let the endorsement and positive assessment of Obama's economic policies "stand for themselves." Sununu later made a statement that said "I respect the endorsement decision he made and I do not doubt that it was based on anything but his support of the president's policies."
I'm not sure about you, but that's approaching a 45 degree angle there. Does this mean race has everything to do with it? Maybe it does, because I remember people being so hyped up over how this is a historical event because of his race. But wait, this chart was in an article from last year, before the election even started. maybe there's no more race talk by now. WRONG.
John Sununu during CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" made the suggestion that Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama was based on his race.
The next day President Obama rejected the suggestion, saying that scenario "doesn't make much sense." and that he would let the endorsement and positive assessment of Obama's economic policies "stand for themselves." Sununu later made a statement that said "I respect the endorsement decision he made and I do not doubt that it was based on anything but his support of the president's policies."
Gender Gap
Earlier this week, there was talk of the gender gap being close to "historic highs".
A blog on nytimes.com even displayed a graph showing this gender gap:
A you can see, there is a clear 18 point gap, just below the record holding 20 points.
But only a few days later, new articles came out saying that Obama and Romney have already closed this gender gap.
Why the sudden change in only four days? Most men coming from Romney's side to Obama's are unmarried and sure why this makes sense, but it does. Obama's strong stance with women has changed, maybe because these women are like Monica Jensen who shifted her vote to Romney this time, largely because of the economy.
The Christian Science Monitor discusses this, saying that "Polling experts note that each poll has its own methodology, and so the two can’t be compared. Each polling outfit has its own criteria for identifying “likely voters,” and weights segments of the population differently."
I guess the only thing they can do now is celebrate their victories.
A blog on nytimes.com even displayed a graph showing this gender gap:
A you can see, there is a clear 18 point gap, just below the record holding 20 points.
But only a few days later, new articles came out saying that Obama and Romney have already closed this gender gap.
Why the sudden change in only four days? Most men coming from Romney's side to Obama's are unmarried and sure why this makes sense, but it does. Obama's strong stance with women has changed, maybe because these women are like Monica Jensen who shifted her vote to Romney this time, largely because of the economy.
The Christian Science Monitor discusses this, saying that "Polling experts note that each poll has its own methodology, and so the two can’t be compared. Each polling outfit has its own criteria for identifying “likely voters,” and weights segments of the population differently."
I guess the only thing they can do now is celebrate their victories.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Mitt Romney Quotes
I've been hearing about how Mitt Romney has been saying some stupid things, so I took it upon myself to look up just how stupid these things are. Trust me, you'll be surprised. Here's a list of my favorites:
"I'm not concerned about the very poor, there is a safety net there."
Oh, I'm sure poor people love having to live in shelters all squished together. Paradise.
"I like being able to fire people."
Jerk.
"I have some friends who are NASCAR team owners."
Wow, you're a real southerner.
"Corporations are People."
PEOPLE are people.
"Planned Parenthood, we're going to get rid of that."
NO.
"Ann Drives a couple of Cadillacs."
a couple?
"The answer is self-deportation, which is people decide they can do better by going home."
Thanks for the definition, I would've never gotten it on my own.
"When you have a fire in an aircraft, there is no place to go exactly. You can't find any oxygen from outside the aircraft to get in the aircraft because the windows don't open. I don't know why they don't do that. It's a real problem--so it's very dangerous."
I have just died of laughter.
During a '60 Minutes' interview, Romney says the the emergency room serves as healthcare for the uninsured.
What is he even thinking with these?
If you want to see the rest of Romney's "inspirational" quotes please feel free to go to these websites:
hubpages.com
allvoices.com
"I'm not concerned about the very poor, there is a safety net there."
Oh, I'm sure poor people love having to live in shelters all squished together. Paradise.
"I like being able to fire people."
Jerk.
"I have some friends who are NASCAR team owners."
Wow, you're a real southerner.
"Corporations are People."
PEOPLE are people.
"Planned Parenthood, we're going to get rid of that."
NO.
"Ann Drives a couple of Cadillacs."
a couple?
"The answer is self-deportation, which is people decide they can do better by going home."
Thanks for the definition, I would've never gotten it on my own.
"When you have a fire in an aircraft, there is no place to go exactly. You can't find any oxygen from outside the aircraft to get in the aircraft because the windows don't open. I don't know why they don't do that. It's a real problem--so it's very dangerous."
I have just died of laughter.
During a '60 Minutes' interview, Romney says the the emergency room serves as healthcare for the uninsured.
What is he even thinking with these?
If you want to see the rest of Romney's "inspirational" quotes please feel free to go to these websites:
hubpages.com
allvoices.com
Legitimate Rape
You are probably unaware, but in my spare time which I have been lacking lately due to my desperate attempts to finish my projects while sobbing about how my father was right about how I'm never going to be anything in life because I'm lazy and don't know how to communicate with people I run two blogs on Tumblr. While trying to take a break before my brain exploded from reading about the electoral college for another moment, I went on one of them to find a video that would work pretty nicely here! Congrats, Amy, congrats.
This video has the caption "Legitimate rape - the new birth control method. Trigger warning: contains simulated depiction of rape." It's a pretty odd thing to see and maybe even uncomfortable but I think it was a pretty powerful way to present their message that The fact that we must argue of what is or isn't a legitimate rape is insane, really and that the way we decide is pretty much a game of . A woman's body can't just reject sperm if the rape is "legitimate" and that it isn't if she's a "SLUT".
The thing I found most odd was that it was a video someone else made for RAINN.org, a website I had no prior knowledge of before this video. RAINN stands for Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network. The website allows you to ask questions, look for warning signs of others in trouble, get help, and donate. It shows Christina Ricci as one of the supporters and asks for people to volunteer. With all these celebrities in here I'm really surprised I haven't heard of them before. The overall layout and color scheme is not appealing to the eyes and I honestly got lost with all of the information and not enough sparkley rainbows mixed in.
It also advertises it's "new and improved" website rainnmakers.rainn.org and I hope I'm not the only one who doesn't want to associate this serious network with "making it rain" (or whatever people call these things. I'm not up to date with slang). It's website is equally unappealing but I've kept both sites bookmarked just in case I want to look more into it later.
This video has the caption "Legitimate rape - the new birth control method. Trigger warning: contains simulated depiction of rape." It's a pretty odd thing to see and maybe even uncomfortable but I think it was a pretty powerful way to present their message that The fact that we must argue of what is or isn't a legitimate rape is insane, really and that the way we decide is pretty much a game of . A woman's body can't just reject sperm if the rape is "legitimate" and that it isn't if she's a "SLUT".
The thing I found most odd was that it was a video someone else made for RAINN.org, a website I had no prior knowledge of before this video. RAINN stands for Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network. The website allows you to ask questions, look for warning signs of others in trouble, get help, and donate. It shows Christina Ricci as one of the supporters and asks for people to volunteer. With all these celebrities in here I'm really surprised I haven't heard of them before. The overall layout and color scheme is not appealing to the eyes and I honestly got lost with all of the information and not enough sparkley rainbows mixed in.
It also advertises it's "new and improved" website rainnmakers.rainn.org and I hope I'm not the only one who doesn't want to associate this serious network with "making it rain" (or whatever people call these things. I'm not up to date with slang). It's website is equally unappealing but I've kept both sites bookmarked just in case I want to look more into it later.
Romney's Tax Plan
Wanna figure out Romney's tax plan? Click Here.
I don't know about you guys but that is incredibly informative. I've been wondering about his plan all along..
I don't know about you guys but that is incredibly informative. I've been wondering about his plan all along..
Pills in School?
In New York City, 7,000 girls 17 or younger get pregnant annually with 90 percent of pregnancies unplanned. In some New York City public high schools, a program called CATCH (Connecting Adolescent To Comprehensive Health) is trying to curb this high teen pregnancy rate with their programs to give condoms and emergency contraceptives like Plan B to their students.NYC Council Speaker, Christie Quinn, told WCBS that the purpose of the CATCH program is to decrease the number of teen pregnancies.
What is plan B? Plan B is an emergency contraceptive that you take the morning after. Apparently, it's being replaces with Plan B One-Step so most information and websites referred to that. Plan B One-Step is a backup plan that helps prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex or birth control failure and is not to be used like regular birth control. It can be bought without prescription from women and men over 17.
Teens 17 and older can purchase EC over the counter without a prescription, but in New York, a person must be 18 or older to buy the pill over the counter. Those younger than 18 must have a prescription. Through the CATCH program, however, emergency contraceptives will be available to teens 14 and older without parental consent. Some parents are outraged that their children can't even have asprin without parent approval and yet they are giving out pills without their knowledge.
The program was supposed to send letters to parents, allowing them to decide if they would want their child to not be a part of the program, but these 13 schools that are doing this seem to have a "very poor outreach to parents".
If you want to know more about Plan B One-Step go to:
planbonestep.com
What is plan B? Plan B is an emergency contraceptive that you take the morning after. Apparently, it's being replaces with Plan B One-Step so most information and websites referred to that. Plan B One-Step is a backup plan that helps prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex or birth control failure and is not to be used like regular birth control. It can be bought without prescription from women and men over 17.
Teens 17 and older can purchase EC over the counter without a prescription, but in New York, a person must be 18 or older to buy the pill over the counter. Those younger than 18 must have a prescription. Through the CATCH program, however, emergency contraceptives will be available to teens 14 and older without parental consent. Some parents are outraged that their children can't even have asprin without parent approval and yet they are giving out pills without their knowledge.
The program was supposed to send letters to parents, allowing them to decide if they would want their child to not be a part of the program, but these 13 schools that are doing this seem to have a "very poor outreach to parents".
If you want to know more about Plan B One-Step go to:
planbonestep.com
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Ohio
According to the Washington Post my native state of Ohio is the most important state in the country. To me, Ohio is nothing special. Here you have Lake Erie, the Rock'n Roll Hall Of Fame, Amish people, etc. I believe that even though we have all of those things to offer, we as people are incredibly average.
So why is it so important? We're so diverse with our economy and people that it's a pretty tough swing state. In fact, Ohio matters more than any of the other swing states. Ohio has been on the winning side of every presidential election since 1964. Without us, Bush wouldn't have won either terms and Romney's change of winning is pretty implausible.
Nate Silver even tweeted, “Ohio, just by itself, now has a 40 percent chance of determining the Electoral College winner. About as important as the next 4 states combined.”
I guess my silly little state is more special than I thought.
So why is it so important? We're so diverse with our economy and people that it's a pretty tough swing state. In fact, Ohio matters more than any of the other swing states. Ohio has been on the winning side of every presidential election since 1964. Without us, Bush wouldn't have won either terms and Romney's change of winning is pretty implausible.
Nate Silver even tweeted, “Ohio, just by itself, now has a 40 percent chance of determining the Electoral College winner. About as important as the next 4 states combined.”
I guess my silly little state is more special than I thought.
My Views on Gay Rights (Specifically Gay Marriage)
Please watch this video. It's incredible and I really want all of my viewers (I see you lurking on my blog it would be nice to start a discussion) to watch that. It's the kind of twist that makes me want to applaud the Pastor completely. When I saw this video yesterday it reminded me that tomorrow in my government class there will be a debate about gay marriage. In light of this coincidence, I thought it would be a perfect time to share my personal views of gay marriage/rights.
Fifteen. Fifteen friends, family members, and classmates that I know are gay or bisexual. These are people I love, who just happen to love something different than what's considered "right" or "normal". These are people I see being hurt, bullied, afraid. These people are gong to meet others like them who love them. Then what? What happens to these star-crossed lovers who are willing to do what everyone else does: spend a life together? Why can't they have that? Why shouldn't they have that? It doesn't hurt anyone or affect anyone. It doesn't lesson a straight couple's marriage (which can be debated that they don't already do that *cough cough* Las Vegas drive-through weddings *cough cough*). These people should be happy and have they same opportunities as us. They should be treated just like any other American citizen. They are the doctors, lawyers, teachers, soldiers, etc. that help us and make our lives better. Why can't we do the same for them? I can see people refusing gay couples from getting married in or being a part of a church. I can understand if people might be uncomfortable with it because of their religious beliefs, but this isn't a religious matter. This is not a church. The whole country shouldn't have to abide by the views of a religion.
There's more I'd want to say but honestly I could go on forever really..
By the way, in case to matters to any of the readers, I identify as bisexual/pansexual. (Pansexuals are attracted to transgender people, cisgender people, androgynous people, etc. They don't usually even consider the sex of a person in the attraction, while I am attracted to all kinds of human but do consider sex in the attraction.)
Fifteen. Fifteen friends, family members, and classmates that I know are gay or bisexual. These are people I love, who just happen to love something different than what's considered "right" or "normal". These are people I see being hurt, bullied, afraid. These people are gong to meet others like them who love them. Then what? What happens to these star-crossed lovers who are willing to do what everyone else does: spend a life together? Why can't they have that? Why shouldn't they have that? It doesn't hurt anyone or affect anyone. It doesn't lesson a straight couple's marriage (which can be debated that they don't already do that *cough cough* Las Vegas drive-through weddings *cough cough*). These people should be happy and have they same opportunities as us. They should be treated just like any other American citizen. They are the doctors, lawyers, teachers, soldiers, etc. that help us and make our lives better. Why can't we do the same for them? I can see people refusing gay couples from getting married in or being a part of a church. I can understand if people might be uncomfortable with it because of their religious beliefs, but this isn't a religious matter. This is not a church. The whole country shouldn't have to abide by the views of a religion.
There's more I'd want to say but honestly I could go on forever really..
By the way, in case to matters to any of the readers, I identify as bisexual/pansexual. (Pansexuals are attracted to transgender people, cisgender people, androgynous people, etc. They don't usually even consider the sex of a person in the attraction, while I am attracted to all kinds of human but do consider sex in the attraction.)
I'd just like to apologize for not writing anything for quite a while except for observations on the debates. I have been too sick and have been dealing with some problems at home that I've had, and still have to attend to.
I assure that I will make a large effort to post more regularly or at least more than usual, especially before the election. I'll also try to talk about things I've learned to far in my government class from our first 2 units and share all this cool stuff I learned.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. Stay tuned!
I assure that I will make a large effort to post more regularly or at least more than usual, especially before the election. I'll also try to talk about things I've learned to far in my government class from our first 2 units and share all this cool stuff I learned.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. Stay tuned!
Presidential Debate (Foreign Policy) Observations
Please note that I am going write these observations with a slight bias and that I'm going off of memory and some notes I took so things may not be facts.
Obama
Pros:
-Stepped up his game and called Romney out when Romney said something wrong.
-Threw in a few jokes that lightened the mood
-Recognized that we can't do nation building in other countries without first taking care of our own.
-The way he spoke about going to see Holocaust still was very stern and serious, as if he's aware how serious this business is.
Cons:
-Obama made the mistake in saying that we spent the most head of 10 countries when it's really 15.
-Had the chance to make Romney look like an amateur and really put him down but didn't.
Romney
Pros:
-He appeared to be a lot calmer than before and less aggressive, stopping once interrupted instead of constantly pushing for more time.
-His state was #1 in English and Math
-
Cons:
-"Every time you'd entered an opinion you've been wrong."~Obama
-Had the chance to really prove himself this debate but didn't.
-Still hasn't said exactly where he was going to get money for programs.
I think Obama and Romney agreed on quite a few things this debate and it was pretty close. They both had a lot of important stuff to say and they conveyed it to the best of their ability. Going strictly on their performance, I would say this is tie. The fact that I am an Obama supporter the topics they discussed made me think Obama won this debate.
Obama
Pros:
-Stepped up his game and called Romney out when Romney said something wrong.
-Threw in a few jokes that lightened the mood
-Recognized that we can't do nation building in other countries without first taking care of our own.
-The way he spoke about going to see Holocaust still was very stern and serious, as if he's aware how serious this business is.
Cons:
-Obama made the mistake in saying that we spent the most head of 10 countries when it's really 15.
-Had the chance to make Romney look like an amateur and really put him down but didn't.
Romney
Pros:
-He appeared to be a lot calmer than before and less aggressive, stopping once interrupted instead of constantly pushing for more time.
-His state was #1 in English and Math
-
Cons:
-"Every time you'd entered an opinion you've been wrong."~Obama
-Had the chance to really prove himself this debate but didn't.
-Still hasn't said exactly where he was going to get money for programs.
I think Obama and Romney agreed on quite a few things this debate and it was pretty close. They both had a lot of important stuff to say and they conveyed it to the best of their ability. Going strictly on their performance, I would say this is tie. The fact that I am an Obama supporter the topics they discussed made me think Obama won this debate.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Presidential Debate (Foreign and Domestic Policy) Observations
Please keep in mind that I have a slight bias and that these are just things I tried to remember and write down as things were going on. I have a poor memory so any facts I write may be wrong.
Obama
Pros:
-He did not say "um" as much, only slipping up a few times in the second half.
-Said to have mentioned Planned Parenthood 5 times.
-When finished, he had a larger crowd around him and it made Romney look bad to me.
-Brought up Romney's comment about the 47 percent.
-Someone discussing the debate mentioned that Obama pointed out that "Romney cannot abolish the state tax, keep the bush tax cuts, cut taxes across the board by 25 percent eliminate dividends and capital gains taxes for most people in the country and and not reduce revenues."
Cons:
-Did pause and stammer slightly while speaking.
-He doesn't really have a "second term agenda", which is true.
-Failed to answer Romney's question at the very beginning while taking about oil and coal regarding whether he let people go.
Romney
Pros:
-Nomatter the topic, he brought it back to jobs, kindof rubbing it in Obama's face that he has not brought enough jobs.
-He was persuasive on why people shouldn't vote for Obama for another term.
-He brought up a lot of facts and tried to share stories or accounts from people he's heard.
Cons:
-I remember he made mistake when talking about when Obama said an attack was a one of terror saying that it took 2 weeks but it only took 2 weeks to get all the facts together to verify it while Obama said it from day one.
-His numbers really don't add up at all.
Both
Pros:
-They were aggressive and din't let the other really slide on anything.
-They spoke with confidence and certainty, using facts.
Cons:
-Both are being said as cold and did not try to specifically appeal to the people. They didn't crack any jokes.
-I remember when they were talking about weapons, Romney went on a tangent and was talking about gangs and didn't answer the question, having to have the question retold to him. Obama interrupted him after his second attempt at answering and talked about education, which really came out of nowhere for me and I was left lost for a while. That entire situation was confusing and bad for them.
-They did not shake hands at the end and that really bothers me to no end.
Overall I feel like Obama really brought himself up from the last debate and may have one this one.
Obama
Pros:
-He did not say "um" as much, only slipping up a few times in the second half.
-Said to have mentioned Planned Parenthood 5 times.
-When finished, he had a larger crowd around him and it made Romney look bad to me.
-Brought up Romney's comment about the 47 percent.
-Someone discussing the debate mentioned that Obama pointed out that "Romney cannot abolish the state tax, keep the bush tax cuts, cut taxes across the board by 25 percent eliminate dividends and capital gains taxes for most people in the country and and not reduce revenues."
Cons:
-Did pause and stammer slightly while speaking.
-He doesn't really have a "second term agenda", which is true.
-Failed to answer Romney's question at the very beginning while taking about oil and coal regarding whether he let people go.
Romney
Pros:
-Nomatter the topic, he brought it back to jobs, kindof rubbing it in Obama's face that he has not brought enough jobs.
-He was persuasive on why people shouldn't vote for Obama for another term.
-He brought up a lot of facts and tried to share stories or accounts from people he's heard.
Cons:
-I remember he made mistake when talking about when Obama said an attack was a one of terror saying that it took 2 weeks but it only took 2 weeks to get all the facts together to verify it while Obama said it from day one.
-His numbers really don't add up at all.
Both
Pros:
-They were aggressive and din't let the other really slide on anything.
-They spoke with confidence and certainty, using facts.
Cons:
-Both are being said as cold and did not try to specifically appeal to the people. They didn't crack any jokes.
-I remember when they were talking about weapons, Romney went on a tangent and was talking about gangs and didn't answer the question, having to have the question retold to him. Obama interrupted him after his second attempt at answering and talked about education, which really came out of nowhere for me and I was left lost for a while. That entire situation was confusing and bad for them.
-They did not shake hands at the end and that really bothers me to no end.
Overall I feel like Obama really brought himself up from the last debate and may have one this one.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Vice Presidential Debate (Foreign and Domestic Policy) Observations
Please note that these are simply observations on their debating skills that are based on my slightly biased opinions and not about the actual issues discussed.
Anyone see this picture and think of Link opening a chest? Da da da daaaa! nope? okay..
Biden
Pros:
-referred to the moderator as Martha, and I liked how he made it feel more personal and casual.
-has a soft, soothing voice that made even aggressive statements seem calm.
-used the word malarkey, which may not mean a lot to you but I enjoy that type of word choice.
-was more aggressive in his manner and it seems like it made up for Obama's debate.
-points his fingers to emphasize words, and it made me pay attention more.
-brought up Romney's statement about the 47 percent more than once and I think it's important not to forget that.
-tells personal story of his wife dying
-compared Ryan to Sarah Palin, which I feel did a lot in his favor.
-repeatedly corrected Ryan and challenged him.
-got his act together and started to become more serious as time went on
-kept using himself as a resource, saying "I was there when.."
-"Their ideas are old, their ideas are bad.."
-"We are leaving in 2014. Period."
Cons:
-needed to control his laughter. It was an effective tool but I think many are going to have a problem with that.
-Many may also have a problem with how much he interrupted Ryan.
-seemed to be very concerned about having a fair share of time, which I found odd. It's not quantity, it's quality.
-kept telling Martha "you know what I'm talking about" and I feel like he should have explained it tome because I obviously don't know what he's talking about.
Ryan
Pros:
-"Watch out middle class, that tax is coming to you" (looked at camera while talking about deficit, very effective)
-speaks casually and with nice hand gestures
-tells a story about Romney helping someone from his church and mentions his charity
-tried to keep his cool even though Biden came in heavy.
-mentioned that they would be better off if they stopped interrupting each other.
-looked, talked, and acted respectfully.
Cons:
-smile slowly faltered every few seconds and in my head that's loss of confidence.
-said Romney was misquoted and that sometimes "the words don't come out of your mouth the right way."
-keeps drinking water and clearing throat
started out calling Martha Congresswoman and then started called her Martha after Biden was doing it a lot.
-was not specific about plans
Overall, even though I clearly am in favor for Biden, I feel this was almost a draw with no immediate clear winner. Biden certainly made up for Obama's downfalls last debate but Ryan was quite the fighter and kept his cool.
Biden
Pros:
-referred to the moderator as Martha, and I liked how he made it feel more personal and casual.
-has a soft, soothing voice that made even aggressive statements seem calm.
-used the word malarkey, which may not mean a lot to you but I enjoy that type of word choice.
-was more aggressive in his manner and it seems like it made up for Obama's debate.
-points his fingers to emphasize words, and it made me pay attention more.
-brought up Romney's statement about the 47 percent more than once and I think it's important not to forget that.
-tells personal story of his wife dying
-compared Ryan to Sarah Palin, which I feel did a lot in his favor.
-repeatedly corrected Ryan and challenged him.
-got his act together and started to become more serious as time went on
-kept using himself as a resource, saying "I was there when.."
-"Their ideas are old, their ideas are bad.."
-"We are leaving in 2014. Period."
Cons:
-needed to control his laughter. It was an effective tool but I think many are going to have a problem with that.
-Many may also have a problem with how much he interrupted Ryan.
-seemed to be very concerned about having a fair share of time, which I found odd. It's not quantity, it's quality.
-kept telling Martha "you know what I'm talking about" and I feel like he should have explained it tome because I obviously don't know what he's talking about.
Ryan
Pros:
-"Watch out middle class, that tax is coming to you" (looked at camera while talking about deficit, very effective)
-speaks casually and with nice hand gestures
-tells a story about Romney helping someone from his church and mentions his charity
-tried to keep his cool even though Biden came in heavy.
-mentioned that they would be better off if they stopped interrupting each other.
-looked, talked, and acted respectfully.
Cons:
-smile slowly faltered every few seconds and in my head that's loss of confidence.
-said Romney was misquoted and that sometimes "the words don't come out of your mouth the right way."
-keeps drinking water and clearing throat
started out calling Martha Congresswoman and then started called her Martha after Biden was doing it a lot.
-was not specific about plans
Overall, even though I clearly am in favor for Biden, I feel this was almost a draw with no immediate clear winner. Biden certainly made up for Obama's downfalls last debate but Ryan was quite the fighter and kept his cool.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Seeing Obama (for 2 seconds)
Let's go step by step here on my little experience yesterday.
On Friday, I started my day with my usual routine. The clothes I laid out the night before were a nicer than usual, what with my black jeans and a blazer, but my cat decided they were a wonderful bed. I tried to use tape to get the fur off but, alas, it was not going to work. Knowing it may rain, I also looked everywhere in my closet for a raincoat or at least something with a hood, but I could not find anything. So you could see my day was starting off not exactly how I planned.
When I got to school, the first three classes went normally, the sky was shinning, and I was just dying to leave. We were all dying to leave and you could just see the excitement on everyone's faces. By the time we got on the bus it was almost too much to bear. We were just frustrated with waiting by then. It started to drizzle and the air was cold so everyone closed their windows, but it was nothing we couldn't handle. We could've went home if we really wanted to, but no one did. We were committed and in this for the long-haul.
You can see how excited I am (left) as well as two of my friends, Tyler (middle) and Erica (right).
So here we were. While going through security I emptied out pockets and randomly found an earplug in my pocket. Te guard just looked at me like I was stupid for having that and then to verbally make his point he said "Why would you bring earplugs to hear the President?" To which I mumbled something about how I just found it and walked away beat red because I'm just that weird.
AND THEN IT WAS TIME..
and by it was time I mean it was time to wait for 3 hours in the pouring rain. Everyone was wearing trash bags and my friend Jessie (right) and I looked everywhere for the people who were passing them out but we couldn't maneuver through the crowd. This pretty much resulted in the great pneumonia attack of 2012.
See those faces? Those are not the faces of happy campers. These are the faces of two girls who are soaked and shivering.
Those three agonizingly freezing hours later Obama finally arrived, and people were hyped up. I even tried to push myself closer to the stage so I could see him.. but I still couldn't. I didn't realize how short I was until that moment when I couldn't see over half the people in front of me. All of the other students there talked loudly the whole time and I couldn't hear past that and cheering. The guy next to me thought it was important to talk to me about how "Unemployment just went from 8.1% to 7.6% this morning!" and how "I love how dedicated and eager young kids like you are about politics." So my only shot left was to jump as high as I could repeatedly like an idiot until I caught a glimpse of Obama's face. Honestly, the only thing I could make out was his skin color and ears. The rest was a blur that was gone before I could register it. Then with a proud "Thank you and God bless America!" it was over.
You can't even see him in this picture that I took on my tip-toes with my arm up as high as I could reach.
We were cold and tired and wanted to get out of there. We followed the crowd out of the gates and then walked around until we found some familiar faces.. but there weren't any. Panic struck in. Where was the rest of the students? Where were the chaperons? Where did we go? We decided to retrace our steps and see if everyone went back to where buses should be. We only went halfway until we saw little clusters of students buying food, taking pictures, and wandering off as clueless as us. When we finally all gathered parking lot, we had just wanted to get out of there immediately. After a ton of walking and confusion about buses all of the students had to wait until around until 4:45 in a part of CSU.
Here's Erica and Tyler trying to huddle up and stay warm by the windows in the building we were in the shelter from the rain.
We were cold, we were tired, and I had tripped several times into puddles because of my shoes had fleece bottoms. By the time we met with everyone I wanted punch someone and then freeze to death. It was not my day.
Overall, the experience was awful and the only thing I can say about it is at least I get to say I was there.
If you want to see it from a choppy, not really informative, not feeling horrible rain on you way here's the link to the only video I could find of him being there: Have fun.
On Friday, I started my day with my usual routine. The clothes I laid out the night before were a nicer than usual, what with my black jeans and a blazer, but my cat decided they were a wonderful bed. I tried to use tape to get the fur off but, alas, it was not going to work. Knowing it may rain, I also looked everywhere in my closet for a raincoat or at least something with a hood, but I could not find anything. So you could see my day was starting off not exactly how I planned.
When I got to school, the first three classes went normally, the sky was shinning, and I was just dying to leave. We were all dying to leave and you could just see the excitement on everyone's faces. By the time we got on the bus it was almost too much to bear. We were just frustrated with waiting by then. It started to drizzle and the air was cold so everyone closed their windows, but it was nothing we couldn't handle. We could've went home if we really wanted to, but no one did. We were committed and in this for the long-haul.
You can see how excited I am (left) as well as two of my friends, Tyler (middle) and Erica (right).
So here we were. While going through security I emptied out pockets and randomly found an earplug in my pocket. Te guard just looked at me like I was stupid for having that and then to verbally make his point he said "Why would you bring earplugs to hear the President?" To which I mumbled something about how I just found it and walked away beat red because I'm just that weird.
AND THEN IT WAS TIME..
and by it was time I mean it was time to wait for 3 hours in the pouring rain. Everyone was wearing trash bags and my friend Jessie (right) and I looked everywhere for the people who were passing them out but we couldn't maneuver through the crowd. This pretty much resulted in the great pneumonia attack of 2012.
See those faces? Those are not the faces of happy campers. These are the faces of two girls who are soaked and shivering.
Those three agonizingly freezing hours later Obama finally arrived, and people were hyped up. I even tried to push myself closer to the stage so I could see him.. but I still couldn't. I didn't realize how short I was until that moment when I couldn't see over half the people in front of me. All of the other students there talked loudly the whole time and I couldn't hear past that and cheering. The guy next to me thought it was important to talk to me about how "Unemployment just went from 8.1% to 7.6% this morning!" and how "I love how dedicated and eager young kids like you are about politics." So my only shot left was to jump as high as I could repeatedly like an idiot until I caught a glimpse of Obama's face. Honestly, the only thing I could make out was his skin color and ears. The rest was a blur that was gone before I could register it. Then with a proud "Thank you and God bless America!" it was over.
You can't even see him in this picture that I took on my tip-toes with my arm up as high as I could reach.
We were cold and tired and wanted to get out of there. We followed the crowd out of the gates and then walked around until we found some familiar faces.. but there weren't any. Panic struck in. Where was the rest of the students? Where were the chaperons? Where did we go? We decided to retrace our steps and see if everyone went back to where buses should be. We only went halfway until we saw little clusters of students buying food, taking pictures, and wandering off as clueless as us. When we finally all gathered parking lot, we had just wanted to get out of there immediately. After a ton of walking and confusion about buses all of the students had to wait until around until 4:45 in a part of CSU.
Here's Erica and Tyler trying to huddle up and stay warm by the windows in the building we were in the shelter from the rain.
We were cold, we were tired, and I had tripped several times into puddles because of my shoes had fleece bottoms. By the time we met with everyone I wanted punch someone and then freeze to death. It was not my day.
Overall, the experience was awful and the only thing I can say about it is at least I get to say I was there.
If you want to see it from a choppy, not really informative, not feeling horrible rain on you way here's the link to the only video I could find of him being there: Have fun.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Presidential Debate (Domestic Policy) Observations
While watching the debate I jotted down notes on the tendencies of both candidates did that have nothing to do with their actual discussion but just on how well they debated.
Obama
Pros:
He spoke forcefully
Pointed out some very large mess-ups in Romney's plans.
I remember him repeatedly saying that Romney did not give examples or specify what he was going to do.
He had a joking, light manner with some of his comments and I thought it brought a lot of charm.
He brought a lot of personal examples that made it seem relatable.
Cons:
Obama looked down too much or at the camera than looked at Romney, which didn't show the correct mood he should have been portraying.
In the middle of the debate he began to falter in his positive manner and I can see how people could dislike that.
He spoke too slow to keep within the time limits.
He said "uhh", stammered, paused a little too much.
Romney
Pros:
He spoke fast and with enthusiasm.
He is an aggressive debater and challenged the standing policies.
He tried to tie all of his points together while speaking.
Cons:
What he said in the debate does against what I thought he stood for beforehand with his entire campaign.
He spoke a little too fast for me to understand.
He did not give enough specifics and said some things I did not quite understand.
There was a point in the debate when they were trying to move to the question, "What is your view on level of federal regulation on economy. Is there too much or does there need to be more?" Romney repeatedly refused to stop talking and I found it to be unrespectful and unprofessional.
He made a slip up of saying "poor people" instead of "low income people", which I feel like it offended many low income Americans.
Despite not being able to write as many pros for Romney, which I admit is partially because of my bias, I do believe overall as far as how they debated Romney did much better than Obama with his charm, enthusiasm, and speaking in a clear manner.
Obama
Pros:
He spoke forcefully
Pointed out some very large mess-ups in Romney's plans.
I remember him repeatedly saying that Romney did not give examples or specify what he was going to do.
He had a joking, light manner with some of his comments and I thought it brought a lot of charm.
He brought a lot of personal examples that made it seem relatable.
Cons:
Obama looked down too much or at the camera than looked at Romney, which didn't show the correct mood he should have been portraying.
In the middle of the debate he began to falter in his positive manner and I can see how people could dislike that.
He spoke too slow to keep within the time limits.
He said "uhh", stammered, paused a little too much.
Romney
Pros:
He spoke fast and with enthusiasm.
He is an aggressive debater and challenged the standing policies.
He tried to tie all of his points together while speaking.
Cons:
What he said in the debate does against what I thought he stood for beforehand with his entire campaign.
He spoke a little too fast for me to understand.
He did not give enough specifics and said some things I did not quite understand.
There was a point in the debate when they were trying to move to the question, "What is your view on level of federal regulation on economy. Is there too much or does there need to be more?" Romney repeatedly refused to stop talking and I found it to be unrespectful and unprofessional.
He made a slip up of saying "poor people" instead of "low income people", which I feel like it offended many low income Americans.
Despite not being able to write as many pros for Romney, which I admit is partially because of my bias, I do believe overall as far as how they debated Romney did much better than Obama with his charm, enthusiasm, and speaking in a clear manner.
I'm going to see Obama!
Obama is coming to CSU this Friday and I will be the one of many lucky students attending. You can't even imagine how exciting it is to see Obama in person because I am such a passionate supporter of him, clearly. I'll probably blog extensively on whatever I can remember about it and the whole experience. I'll try to write it right after, but due to plans it might be moved to some point in the weekend. Stay tuned for that!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Raising Water Prices
On USA Today in a survey of 100 municipalities found residential water bills in at least one in four places have doubled in the past 12 years. In Cleveland, the price has raised +130%.
A Philadelphia homeowner who is petitioning against a the water rate increase in her city says, "I don't know how they expect people to keep paying more for water with the cost of gas and day care and everything else going up." Philadelphia's deputy water commissioner notes that his agency held rates stable from 1993 until 2001, but costs had to go up to maintain crucial water supply and delivery systems.
US water systems will need as much as $1 trillion in infrastructure improvements by 2035 to keep up with drinking water needs. That's a whole lot of money and the only way they're going to get it is through taxes. If people are going to keep wanting water, which is essential for life, there's really no choice.
It goes on to explain the trend toward higher bills and how it is being driven. They say it's by the cost of paying off the debt on bonds municipalities issue to fund expensive repairs or upgrades on aging water systems, increases in the cost of electricity, chemicals and fuel used to supply and treat water, compliance with federal government clean-water mandates. rising pension and health care costs for water agency workers, and increased security safeguards for water systems since the 9/11 terror attacks.
A Philadelphia homeowner who is petitioning against a the water rate increase in her city says, "I don't know how they expect people to keep paying more for water with the cost of gas and day care and everything else going up." Philadelphia's deputy water commissioner notes that his agency held rates stable from 1993 until 2001, but costs had to go up to maintain crucial water supply and delivery systems.
US water systems will need as much as $1 trillion in infrastructure improvements by 2035 to keep up with drinking water needs. That's a whole lot of money and the only way they're going to get it is through taxes. If people are going to keep wanting water, which is essential for life, there's really no choice.
It goes on to explain the trend toward higher bills and how it is being driven. They say it's by the cost of paying off the debt on bonds municipalities issue to fund expensive repairs or upgrades on aging water systems, increases in the cost of electricity, chemicals and fuel used to supply and treat water, compliance with federal government clean-water mandates. rising pension and health care costs for water agency workers, and increased security safeguards for water systems since the 9/11 terror attacks.
Dates to Remember
Hey guys! Don't forget some pretty important dates this month!
* Wednesday, October 3 - Presidential debate on domestic policy
* Thursday, October 11 - Vice-presidential debate on foreign and domestic policy
* Tuesday, October 16 - Presidential town meeting on foreign and domestic policy
* Monday, October 22 - Presidential debate on foreign policy
* Wednesday, October 3 - Presidential debate on domestic policy
* Thursday, October 11 - Vice-presidential debate on foreign and domestic policy
* Tuesday, October 16 - Presidential town meeting on foreign and domestic policy
* Monday, October 22 - Presidential debate on foreign policy
Friday, September 28, 2012
Lowering The Voting Age
You'd trust me with a car, but would you trust me with a ballot?
The National Youth Rights Association came up with a list of Top Ten Reasons To Lower The Voting Age. After reading this I have my own opinions about these points. Let's take this one at a time as I put in my 2 cents.
Reason #1: Youth suffer under a double standard of having adult responsibilities but not rights.
To be fair, some minors do not have have the same responsibilities as adults because of their parents. But in most cases yes, this is true. It's like he have to have all of the work adults do with no reward.
Reason #2: Youth pay taxes, live under our laws, they should have the vote.
Any tax-paying citizen should vote.
Reason #3: Politicians will represent their interests if youth can vote.
What interests do we have right now? Half-price sales at Hot Topic?
Reason #4: Youth have a unique perspective, they'll never have those experiences again.
No one will never have the same experience more than once. By unique perspective, I mean
Reason #5: 16 is a better age to introduce voting than 18; 16 year olds are stationary.
Probably half of 18 year olds are actually in college and not high school, so for the most part they are stationary, but I know quite well that during the transition from high school into life is hectic and usually involves a lot of moving and packing, which would make no room for going out and voting. Although, 16 year olds voting just because their stationary doesn't mean anything
Reason #6: Lowering the Voting Age will increase voter turnout.
Reason #7: If we let stupid adults vote, why not let smart youth vote?
I wholeheartedly agree with this statement.
Reason #8: Youth will vote well.
Maybe.
Reason #9: There are no wrong votes.
ha
Reason #10: Lowering the voting age will provide an intrinsic benefit to the lives of youth.
The National Youth Rights Association came up with a list of Top Ten Reasons To Lower The Voting Age. After reading this I have my own opinions about these points. Let's take this one at a time as I put in my 2 cents.
Reason #1: Youth suffer under a double standard of having adult responsibilities but not rights.
To be fair, some minors do not have have the same responsibilities as adults because of their parents. But in most cases yes, this is true. It's like he have to have all of the work adults do with no reward.
Reason #2: Youth pay taxes, live under our laws, they should have the vote.
Any tax-paying citizen should vote.
Reason #3: Politicians will represent their interests if youth can vote.
What interests do we have right now? Half-price sales at Hot Topic?
Reason #4: Youth have a unique perspective, they'll never have those experiences again.
No one will never have the same experience more than once. By unique perspective, I mean
Reason #5: 16 is a better age to introduce voting than 18; 16 year olds are stationary.
Probably half of 18 year olds are actually in college and not high school, so for the most part they are stationary, but I know quite well that during the transition from high school into life is hectic and usually involves a lot of moving and packing, which would make no room for going out and voting. Although, 16 year olds voting just because their stationary doesn't mean anything
Reason #6: Lowering the Voting Age will increase voter turnout.
Reason #7: If we let stupid adults vote, why not let smart youth vote?
I wholeheartedly agree with this statement.
Reason #8: Youth will vote well.
Maybe.
Reason #9: There are no wrong votes.
ha
Reason #10: Lowering the voting age will provide an intrinsic benefit to the lives of youth.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Defamatory Propaganda
Being a journalism major I can tell you that this headline was written extremely well. The phrasing is impeccably planned and deliberate in its purpose to deliver both a factually accurate message, along with a not-so-subtle false one.
You see, Obama did in fact make a phone call to thank the Libyan president following the attacks and deaths at the U.S. Embassy. The gratitude delivered to him was that resulting from President Mohamed Yusuf al-Magariaf reaching out and giving his condolences, his remorse and disdain for a few extremists that reside within his nation, and his full support in investigating this tragedy.
But Fox News knows that the majority of its viewer and readership won’t read past the headline. In fact, journalists know that a well-written headline should convey the core topic of the article, to catch attention and immediately make a statement without the reader having to read any of the actual article. What Fox News has done with this headline is purposefully sway readers into beleiving that our United States President made a phone call to THANK the Libyan president for the attacks and deaths of our fellow Americans. Crazy right?
Not. The scary part is that most people who see this headline are going to think just that. Regardless of the facts. Regardless of what should be common sense in that our own President would NEVER thank anyone for damage and death caused to his citizens.
This is irresponsible journalism, just one example of thousands of poor decisions that Fox “News” makes on a daily basis to feed its own fire and to steer its ignorant and ill-informed followers in whichever direction they see fit. But why not just call it what it really is?
Legal brainwashing and defamatory propaganda, not unlike that of Nazi Germany (Godwin’s Law or not) or Middle Eastern terrorist groups.
American terrorism, right here, right now."
I'm aware that I have just quoted this whole thing from a jounralist named Hayes' post on his Tumblr blog, but this is incredible. I never really sat down and looked at how headlines and propaganda affected me. When i saw the headline I saw exactly what they were trying to convey and its really frightening to know that I could be so influenced in such a way and that there was such a clear bias in the wording.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Romney "Lost the Election"
Romney this week has been caught saying a little too much about his voters that could be a real deal-breaker. In a "secret recording" that's been leaked everywhere it shows Romney saying that 47 percent of Americans "believe that they are victims," and "I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."
In an article on the Washington Post's website it goes into depth of who the 47 percent really are. 28.8 percent of people who don't pay income tax pay payroll tax, 10.3 percent are elderly, 6.9 percent are not elderly and make an income under 20,000, and 1 percent is other. This means a lot of these people are old and poor, who probably don't even make enough to pay income taxes. "Part of the reason so many Americans don’t pay federal income taxes is that Republicans have passed a series of very large tax cuts that wiped out the income-tax liability for many Americans." That means that Republicans are complaining about the effects that they have caused.
Some go even far enough to say that it's over for Romney, with their titles like "Today, Romney Lost the Election," which he might just have. The writer even goes as far as saying "Romney is the most opaque presidential nominee since Nixon," and we all know how Nixon worked out in the end. That's a pretty low blow but there's a hint of truth in it.
"Romney has been vigorously denying President Obama's claims that his tax plan would raise taxes on the middle class. Now, he's been caught on video suggesting that low- and middle-income Americans are undertaxed." That's a pretty large claim considering the fact that the low and middle class Americans pay 1.4 percent more than he does. If anything, the man who makes $21.6 million per year could afford to pay a higher percentage in taxes. He does say that he never paid less than 13 percent in taxes, but he sure is cutting it close.
In an article on the Washington Post's website it goes into depth of who the 47 percent really are. 28.8 percent of people who don't pay income tax pay payroll tax, 10.3 percent are elderly, 6.9 percent are not elderly and make an income under 20,000, and 1 percent is other. This means a lot of these people are old and poor, who probably don't even make enough to pay income taxes. "Part of the reason so many Americans don’t pay federal income taxes is that Republicans have passed a series of very large tax cuts that wiped out the income-tax liability for many Americans." That means that Republicans are complaining about the effects that they have caused.
Some go even far enough to say that it's over for Romney, with their titles like "Today, Romney Lost the Election," which he might just have. The writer even goes as far as saying "Romney is the most opaque presidential nominee since Nixon," and we all know how Nixon worked out in the end. That's a pretty low blow but there's a hint of truth in it.
"Romney has been vigorously denying President Obama's claims that his tax plan would raise taxes on the middle class. Now, he's been caught on video suggesting that low- and middle-income Americans are undertaxed." That's a pretty large claim considering the fact that the low and middle class Americans pay 1.4 percent more than he does. If anything, the man who makes $21.6 million per year could afford to pay a higher percentage in taxes. He does say that he never paid less than 13 percent in taxes, but he sure is cutting it close.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
We're doing this AGAIN?
I may be a little late on this but I just read this article today about how Kansas can't quite decide if Obama should be on the ballot because they believe that his records could be supplemented. I'm not sure if he would've been allowed to be president the first time if they were. In fact, i do remember there being a big debate even then. I feel like it's a sad last attempt to do away with Obama with this cliche issue. It even says that earlier this year Arizona considered removing Obama from the ballot. They were at least smart enough to back down after they were given proof, which they really did not need in the first place.
But hey, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm just not listening to all the facts. I went on politifact.com to see the debate. It appears that "Donald Trump" has a lot to say, along with "chain email".
The thing that really grinds my gears is that this is Kansas. This is the place of his mother, his grandparents who helped raise him. In my eyes it's practically a third home for Obama, right behind Hawaii and the White House. It just seems really odd and sad to me..
But hey, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm just not listening to all the facts. I went on politifact.com to see the debate. It appears that "Donald Trump" has a lot to say, along with "chain email".
The thing that really grinds my gears is that this is Kansas. This is the place of his mother, his grandparents who helped raise him. In my eyes it's practically a third home for Obama, right behind Hawaii and the White House. It just seems really odd and sad to me..
Monday, September 17, 2012
Turning Point In the Election?
So I read today about how apparently Mitt Romney isn't doing so well with his campaign, and by "not doing so well" I mean, and I quote, "the Republicans managed to stage the least effective convention in modern political history."
It seems to me like this convention could be the turning point of this election, and I really hope it is.
It is addressed in the article that most of his campaign has been focused on Obama, in that everything Obama isn't doing, he could. To me it sounds like he's doing a rendition of Annie Get Your Gun's "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)", which is just a childish little number that doesn't really convince anyone of anything.If he's going to make things better, he should really clearly say how, and without making a lot of promises that he surely can't keep.
He really does talk a big game, especially in the way he and his advisors have talked about the Lybia Attack, to which Obama responded with “The fact is that any president of either party is going to be confronted by crises while in office, and Gov. Romney continues to demonstrate that he is not at all prepared to manage them.”
I definitely agree here.
It seems to me like this convention could be the turning point of this election, and I really hope it is.
It is addressed in the article that most of his campaign has been focused on Obama, in that everything Obama isn't doing, he could. To me it sounds like he's doing a rendition of Annie Get Your Gun's "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)", which is just a childish little number that doesn't really convince anyone of anything.If he's going to make things better, he should really clearly say how, and without making a lot of promises that he surely can't keep.
He really does talk a big game, especially in the way he and his advisors have talked about the Lybia Attack, to which Obama responded with “The fact is that any president of either party is going to be confronted by crises while in office, and Gov. Romney continues to demonstrate that he is not at all prepared to manage them.”
I definitely agree here.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Where I Stand In The 2012 Election
So today I took a quiz on isidewith.com to find out where I stand on the 2012 elections. Here are my results:
According to the website, I side with Obama more than any of the other candidates. I'm actually a little surprised because although I am very fond of Obama as a person, I didn't know if I agreed with him stood when it came to his political views.
Things Obama and I agree on:
~Pro-choice on abortion.
~Gay couples should have the same rights as married couples.
~Health insurance couples should provide free birth control.
~Evolution is a scientific fact.
~The U.S. should intervene in the affairs of other countries only in matters of national security, human rights violations, or specifically asked by the international community.
~The should U.S. maintain a presence at the United Nations.
~Foreign terrorism suspects should be tried in military tribunals but not subject to torture.
Welcome!
Hello Everyone! Welcome to my brand-spanking new blog made especially for my Honors Government/Economics class. Here is where you'll watch me learn and grow by recording my government education during the first quarter of school. Please bear with me until I get my blog set up. Once it does, you won't regret it! I'll be posting regularly and I'm going to try and make everything interesting. Okay, let's do this!
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