Radiation Brings Health Concerns

After the devastating, unfortunate earthquake and tsunami in Japan; some Americans are concerned about the radiation from the Japanese nuclear power.Questions and concerns have been brought to the surface about the health dangers Americans could be facing because of Japan's nuclear crisis.
In Boston, a sample of rainwater revealed very low concentrations of radiation, which they believe came all the way from Japan.  The amount of radiation was low enough to dismiss possible safety hazards. Even though the Massachusetts Department of Public Health explained that the radiation will not affect the drinking water supply, and that it will eventually lose half of its level within eight days, many still fear about their safety.    43 percent of respondents to this issue said that Japan's crisis will leave a mark.  The individuals within this 43 percent believe that the Japanese nuclear disaster will doom efforts in this Congress to expand nuclear energy. There have been multiple U.S. testing sites that have discovered amounts of radiation, some of which are slightly higher than a week or so ago, but are all still far below public health concern.

The Media Has Their Influence...

With the  issues that are going in Wisconsin, the media has taken a huge role as to how they want to deliver the message.  I believe that the media are making the citizens take upon the hero rule because the citizens are trying to save their state from something that can be greater/bigger than them.  They are making the government look as though they are the villains because they are trying to hurt the citizens with the new law they are trying to impose upon the citizens.  The media also at time make the citizens look like the villains because a reporter will come across angry protesters and portray them as being violent.  With that being said, I feel as though the media has unfairly cast the villains title upon the citizens because the media are showing them in a bad light as they protest.  They portray the citizens of Wisconsin to be ruthless and uncontrollable.  

First Amendment

Many people have their strong beliefs and views about the First Amendment: Freedom of Speech.  There are people who believe that they are fully entitled to their right and that they can say whatever they want and do it wherever they please.  There are also those individuals that believe in freedom of speech, yet they believe that there is an unspoken rule as to when certain remarks and protests are immoral depending on when or where it has been presented .  With that being said...does that mean that those individuals are somewhat contradicting themselves when they say that they believe in the First Amendment?
In the Westboro Baptist Church case, I will have to say that I am with the second group of individuals that i  had mentioned in the previous paragraph.  The members of the church presented an well unwanted protest outside of a funeral.  The protest was held directly across the street form the funeral.  I feel as if we are all entitled to our First Amendment, but I also feel like we should have a common courtesy to those that are having a difficult time grieving with the loss of a loved one.  If people were to de4cide to protest outside of one of my family member's funeral, my family would literally kill off the entire protest party.  All of the protesters will be shot dead. I do believe in freedom of speech, but i also believe that people should have a natural common courtesy

State Workers Angry About a Proposed Change to Their Union Rights

In Wisconsin, the sate government is trying to minimize the debt by charging it to the working class.  After all of the financial gain that the union has accomplished over the years, the state is trying to take back collective bargaining, trying to make the workers pay more money for their health insurance, and getting rid of some teachers in which they feel are not 'best fit' for their job.  They are doing anything they can think of, or anything possible to minimize the deficit.  This is falling back on the working class citizens.  It is to be said that the union has the pay scale so high for the government employees, that the state cannot afford to pay them, but the union workers believe that the government can cut back on some entities to continue to pay them.  The state says that the government employees are making way more money than anyone in the private sector.  Basically, they just want it to be a fair playing field for the the government workers, versus private employees.  The state is trying to break the union.  The Democrats feud the union, and by Wisconsin having a Republican controlled house, they are ultimately trying to minimize the union power.  Wisconsin's issue has gone nationwide...Columbus, Ohio had angry protesters, protesting about a senate bill that would limit collective bargaining rights.  Ohio faces an $8,000,000,000 short fall.  If other states see that protesting is indeed effective, then this will continue to go nationwide.

THE ARAB REVOLUTION - DOMINO EFFECT

What's Goin' on in the Middle East

Egypt is one of the largest countries in the Middle East.  The Egyptians' were able to have an influence on making their long-term president step down.  With that being said, other smaller countries will feed off of what the Egyptians did to better their country if they feel it is necessary to do so; this will cause a domino effect. Other countries will look at Egypt's situation and see what all they can learn from it and what all they might need to modify to make it more effective for their desired goal.  Countries will begin to feed off of other countries energy and try to accomplish what they have if they do not like what's going on in their own country.  I refuse to believe that everything that is going on in the Middle East is "just happening".  I believe that people analyze other countries situations and see what they could do, or do differently to make a difference within their own country.  The media is also adding fuel to the fire because other countries can actually see what's  going on by watching the news, reading about it, hearing about it on the radio, or just by seeing it when they get on the internet.  Everything that is delivered via media can encourage and or influence other countries to make the decisions that they make.  I do agree with Glenn Beck when he said that the US are hypocrites and that's why the Middle East hates us. The States say that we believe in freedom, but yet we supported Mubarak in his dictatorship to a certain extent.

What's Really Goin' on in Egypt?

I think that the U.S role is to stay out of Egypt's political affairs.  The media seems as if they are following all of the protestors and all the commotion that the protestors are stirring up.  The media to me, seems as if they are not focusing a lot on President Mubarak, but they are focusing on the protestors that are fighting to get  Mubarak out of office now and not on Mubarak's terms. The Egyptians do not want the U.S to get involved and they have asked the U.S government to stay out of it and that they can handle their issues without the U.S.


At this point in the rebellion, Mubarak and his supporters have been quite civil.  There has also been no proof that says Mubarak has injured anyone.  He appears to be rather sincere in my opinion.  In his public speech he said that he will die in Egypt, "his home".  Mubarak knows that today's technology is too advanced to where it will be almost impossible to hide any of alleged abuse of his citizens.  It is also known that other fractions are creating problems on the streets of Egypt.  

It appears that the media networks that favor President Obama, shows Egypt's cries in a good light.  The anti-Obama media shows the Egyptian's cries in a bad light and as something horrible.  Obama respects the will of the Egyptian government and its people.  The U.S media feeds off of drama. They might hype it up by to boost their ratings and magazines and newspapers use it as well in a sense of "juicy, yet informative  gossip".