http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/drones-killed-4-700-u-senator-says-141143752--politics.html


Drones so have killed an estimated 4700 people!! Wow, people are going to have to start keeping one eye in the sky. Where does it stop? What are the boundaries? I'm a patriot, I love my country and I think we should do almost anything to protect it. With this is mind, what's up with a drone strike taking out a US citizen? No trial, no nothing. With this kind of action I really have to think, what country do I love and why? Martin Luther King said in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail: "We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people."

I kind of have to wonder, where is my line in the sand? Where is America's line in the sand for which we will have no choice to act against the laws that are taking away our America, the America of our fathers? That being noted, when the line is crossed what is acceptable action? Or am I just some "passive good person" waiting for repentance (according to MLK). I'm going to make a point to look inside of myself, to not avoid the zone of comfortableness that comes with self-acknowledgment of the not so pretty side of oneself.  Maybe you should too and if you choose to not do this, maybe it’s because you already don’t like what you see.  You PASSIVE GOOD PERSON you.

Games to catch attention

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/18/business/a-game-aims-to-draw-attention-to-womens-issues.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0


This article was a very interesting article because it not only shows how technology advances are helping social change, but also how big movements are looking for younger and younger individuals to donate and show their engagement in social issues.

On March 4th, a new game on Facebook, which will be called “Half the Sky Movement: The Game” will focus on women’s issues such as genital mutation and child prostitution. The game will follow a main character as she voyages and overcomes obstacles and will increasingly become more dramatic and face very serious issues. The game follows many other games that have been successful in the past in not only raising awareness for different causes around the world, but also increasing donations. Through these games, people play for free, but can pay money to advance further or unlock goals, and the money paid goes to an organization that helps out the cause the game was created for. Two popular games that have been successful in instances like this are 2005’s “Food Force” which was created by The UN’S Food Program to raise awareness for famine worldwide and 2006’s “Darfur is Dying” which was launched by MTV which raised awareness of Sudanese refugee camps.

I think these games are not only a great way to raise awareness to people, but particularly raise awareness at a younger age. Many younger people, such as teenagers in their early teen years, play these Facebook games and these games, although not necessarily educational, help raise awareness to these children about causes that are going on in the world around them and therefore, it may help them become more involved in volunteering and such as they grow older. The big incentive with these games is that you can donate for free and people are not forced to donate money, which can cause more people to play the game and eventually have more people donate money to these causes because they won’t feel obliged to. Years ago, these types of games didn’t exist, so raising awareness proved more difficult for people. However, now that these games exist on social networks that most people use every day, these issues can be presented to everyone so that everybody can help out in their own way. This change in technology really has benefited organizations that help out big causes in the world, and they have also made it fun to donate and help out an important cause.

Walk the talk

           Pinterest, a website used as a tool for collecting and 
organizing things you love. Millions of people have one. Millions of people browse through it. It is a very successful website that allows you to scroll down the page and easily click the things that interest you. Because of its successful layout and easy access, what if someone took the idea of Pinterest’s layout and created a Pinterest website for politics and social action. All linked together with Facebook, Twitter, Pintresest, and other websites of course, but the idea of having a homepage where you can browse different pictures, and read real life experience that interest you. 

            Under #socialchange I came across a tweet that displays a useful website for the topics that lie under politics and social action, called enlightened society. “Walk the talk,” you get to scroll down and click on that interest you.

            The topic I chose was “Sex Trafficking Children: Breaking the cycle.” I was skeptical to read this topic because I thought this page was to educate readers on a subjective topic. But, what I actually found was a real life story of a women’s experience. She was a yoga teacher in Psalm Isadora for three years. She wasn’t just a yoga teacher, but a woman involved in a social change movement. After three years, she created a special class “Off the matt” that was sponsored by an American non-profit organization. What she does is build a relationship with these women, an understanding through yoga. “All the differences of color, countries, caste, and class disappear as we melt together into the place we are all one woman, one soul.” A beautiful statement of how something so small, such as yoga can bring such unity and understanding of persons. I am not saying that if all do yoga we will live in this perfect world. It’s not a solution but an example of how understanding one another is key to involvement, and change.

            Nevertheless, this woman brought change to a community by lifting the spirits of these women who have been through horrific experiences. She knows she wont put a complete end to the abuse all at once. There’s no one you can go to, or talk to that has that ability to turn off that switch. But, taking that little step of lifting the spirits of the abused changes their own perspectives of the self. Realizing your own self worth, and experiencing happiness, can change your view of life. So, the motivation for your children’s future becomes valuable because they don’t want them to follow the same path. Slowly, a difference can occur.  

            There are so many inspirational stories on this website, and I think educating our class with these kinds of websites lets us look deeper at the everyday problems people face today. Instead of talking about what we can do, actually walking through those people's shoes gives us insight to what we can do for a better tomorrow, even if its just lifting the spirits of others.  

RECYCLING

A family ride a heavily overloaded motor tricycle in Taiyuan

I just had to post this!! 

Would this be considered Civic Engagement? 

Civic Engagement can be;
-voting
-picking up garbage around your neighborhood
-being a member of the neighborhood watch program
-donating your old vehicles, clothes, prescription glasses, etc to the Goodwill
-driving friendly on the roads and avoiding road rage

This family is transporting garbage to a recycling area to make money for it's survival, but their actions are more than just their needs to survive.  Their action's address an issue that is a major public concern around the world. 
America is one of the most wasteful societies on the planet, and we do recycle, but can you imagine us actually doing something like this to benefit our world?
Not hardly!
One reason is we would be too embarrassed to let someone see us taking things to get recycled for money. We prefer to just put it on the curb and let someone else make the big bucks!!






A recyclable materials collector rides a motor tricycle overloaded with huge bags of waste - and his wife and son - along a street in Xi'an

Another reason is that we hate to get dirty for something like this.  We couldn't deal with the stench, the flies, and the filth, but I had an uncle who used to work for Waste Management and the things he would find would suprise you.
Half of his house is decorated :) by stuff thrown out as garbage.  Also he found money, jewelry and alot of metals he turned in for cash.

I like this picture of the family.  Isn't this a real honest relationship when you can actually do something like this with your significant other and not be ashamed?

Too bad we have too much pride!  Maybe getting dirty could be alot of fun!! 



A collector pushes a tricycle loaded with bags of recyclable waste in Shanghai


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/picturegalleries/9882839/Chinas-overloaded-delivery-vehicles-trucks-scooters-bikes-and-motor-tricycles.html#?frame=2487080
 

Freedom of Speech: not a universal principle

Sherry Rehman, Pakistani Ambassador To The U.S., To Be Investigated For Blasphemy: via HuffPost http://huff.to/13oB7Nb

In America, it's all the rage to talk about rights. "I have rights. You have rights. We have rights. You have no right," Americans might say.
Suffice to say that these rights are not universal, a chilling challenge to the prospect of a God given right. After all, why would God give some rights, but not others? The weight of such a challenge lends me the personal perogative of referring to such rights as privileges.

Indeed, Americans take privileges for granted. The above article indicates how one such woman can slip into the pitfall of cultural difference, making a very Western comment in a Middle Eastern country, under the illusion of privilege, and paying the price for it years later.

In Pakistan, speaking ill of the prophet Mohammed results in legal persecution, where life imprisonment or death is the penalty. Obviously, freedom of speech is not the right endowed to the people of Allah, even if Allah translates to the very same God Catholics would worship.

Now, don't get me wrong. I do not mean to desecrate the name of God nor Mohammed, although this piece might fall under the suspicious eye of Pakistani authorities. No, I merely suggest that to punish one for an attempt at progress, under a guise such as religious blasphemy, is deserving of critical evaluation.

In the article, the U.S. ambassador, I think, took the right action in fighting for social change, albeit her tact might have been better self-serving were she to have been more sensitive in her wording. But, as the texts of this class have suggested, hers was an act of leadership by providing service--not to herself, but to the countries of which she is the bridge.

Social action, therefore, can involve the denigration of social capital, and the creation of enemies. As  Paolini's Eragon taught me, if you do not make enemies along the path of making friends, then you are either a coward or worse. This is what it means to move beyond moral spectatorship: privilege or not privilege, legal or illegal, choosing to stand for justice in the wake of self devastation is the right thing to do. Anything else would be a disservice, and that's not leadership.

New Bionic Hand Prosthesis Called First To Give Amputees Sense Of Touch

Breakthrough in technology could change lives for the better.

The new technology that was developed by the Swiss has allowed the amputee to not only control a prosthetic while it isn't attached to them, but also feel what they're touching. The Amazing technology is still being tested and worked on. If this is an actual model that hospitals can use for people who have had to have their limbs amputated this is a major breakthrough. If someone would have to have that done then it wouldn't necessarily mean that they'll never feel again. The hope for that community is very much alive through this study of this technology.

The main question is who is allowed to receive this wondrous item? The people who have the money for it? Is it okay for manufactures to make these devices that could help people in so many ways financially out of their reach? This isn't like cosmetic surgery for the person who wants to get their lips done and can afford it. For that, I agree that it should be marked up and only be for the people who want to use it just to improve their outward appearance for no other reason than because they can.

 

The people who had to have limbs removed probably didn't have a choice. Some of them might have even lost them to protect our country and I hope that these people would have the same opportunity as the people who can afford this technology to enjoy the sensation of being able to feel again.  Should the monetary value not be downgraded just because of the types of people who need and deserve the technology; or should the manufactures take into consideration their prospective customers and empathize with them? One can only hope that manufactures        wouldn't take advantage of the people who would benefit from the product if it is ever made for expanded use throughout the world.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/19/new-bionic-hand-prosthesis-nerves-amputees-dexterity_n_2713720.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-science

Social Media benefiting Social Change

This weeks blog post was inspires by an article link http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/social-change_b27162 posted by @actionsforgood.

Surprisingly, almost 75% of adults in the U.S. feel that social change is important. With the increasing advancement of technology and the willingness to help, there are several sites popping up that are driven to aid in social change via social networking. Since social networking has taken on a life of its own I feel that this could be a huge step forward in impacting social change.

The article was a huge surprise to me, especially after having the conversations about our education system in class the other day. This article gave several examples of charities that are directly giving back to our school systems without government assistance. I had not heard about any of the charities listed in the article so I did my research and they are all very real, very useful charities.

            I really liked the Donors Choose site. I conducted a simple zip code search and I was given several schools, from low poverty to high poverty, that are asking for funds for specific school items. The website is very detailed on the location of the school and what the money is for. If the project is fully funded, the organization ships the materials requested to the school and the donors get a letter, accompanied with pictures, showing how the monetary donation was put to good use. I actually wanted to donate to a local project right then and there since I could actually see where the money was going. I suddenly felt connected to the teacher and students that posted the request. It was even more moving because it was local.

            I actually reposted the tweet and I hope others do the same. I think if we could get the word out more people would respond. I am on Facebook and Twitter all the time and this was the first time I had seen any of these sites. If we could get them more attention thru Facebook and Twitter I think it would catch on in our community, possibly changing the lives of local students. Check them out!

http://www.donorschoose.org

http://www.kickstarter.com/

http://www.pencilsofpromise.org/

http://www.crowdrise.com/give

Inspire

http://tribune.com.pk/story/509792/social-action-projects-awards-youth-from-across-the-country-show-off-their-projects/

Reading this article made me realize a simple project can be a real eye opener, whether it be to teachers, students, parents, or even to the government. An award was given to those people who made their projects to represent and bring awareness to a problem their community was facing.

Something that brought me to posting this article was to also give an example of the change we can bring into our communities and our society as a whole. As I read about the change these people brought to their surroundings the main thing that came to my mind was of our Living Museum project. How we as a class room could make an impact on our audience to make a change.

Another reason I decided to use blog on this article was because the award went to the group who brought attention to the people with disabilities. They were able to make the statement that they were capable and willing to work just as any other able individual. This awareness that they brought to their community is something our group is also trying to do. It may be with a different approach but still with the same goal of letting our community know there is a problem that needs to be fixed.

My hopes in sharing this article is to maybe bring a little more motivation to our projects. To keep in mind that we as students working on a school project still have the opportunity to make an impact on our community and society. 

Truly Higher Learning.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/18/USD-social-entrepreneur-social-change-changemaker/

At the collegiate level, we as students are taught multiple things. We may have different Majors or want to focus on separate aspects of our educational lives, but it is safe to say that we are all intrinsically taught the same values. We learn about service projects for the betterment of our communities along with a great appreciation of said actions. However, most importantly, I feel the most important value we learn is to think. We all learn to change our global perspective through the lessons and experienced that we go through, and without such an aspect, what is the point of attending college? The University of San Diego prides itself on the fact that they are recognized not merely as a school that teaches to think, but one that hangs it hat on teaching about service for others around them. Also referred to as the “changemaker campus,” USD builds and helps develop some entrepreneurs that will change the societal norm that we have grown to accept. The students of the University have developed a love and mission to help launch a plethora of resources that future generations will ultimately benefit from. They help create opportunities for low-income schools and their teaching circumstances to further the abilities of all students in the classroom. As well, they have a desire to help better Mother Earth by attempting to create other outlets to help preserve natural resources used to distribution and production of items such as book used in schools. We learn quite a bit in college, but perhaps the University of San Diego amongst a few others have gone the extra mile.

Civic Educational Program for children

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Program-That-Teaches-Children-to-be-Agents-of-4036825.php

I found this article to be interesting because a lot of the time civic engagement programs are focused on teens or adults to help them realize their potential. This program on the other hand focuses on children. “Deport-es  Compartir/Sports for Sharing” started in Mexico in 2007. It teaches children, age 6-12, to recognize social problems and understand that their actions have impact on their community. The program fuses active games and experiences that focus on values such as tolerance, respect, gender equality, responsibility and teamwork to educate the kids.

                The Director of the program, Dina Buchbinder said, “Our goal is to awaken the change agent that every child has within himself. While having fun, they realize that they can have a role in positivity impacting their own communities.” The program is expanding to the US through a non-profit organization called “Thinkers”. “Thinkers” focuses on improving the lives of immigrants through educational opportunities. The pilot program is set to begin in the winter, 2013 semester. The goal, according to the article, is to expand to other school districts in the US with significant Hispanic populations. Melrose Park, IL is the first recipient of the program. This community is mostly Mexican-American.

                I am looking forward to seeing how this program influences the children of America. I am a strong believer that every child has the potential to be and do whatever they dream of. Teaching and empowering these children is crucial to make them realize their worth. The program also focuses on  teacher training and parental involvement. 

Biden urges gun legislation in speech 10 miles from Sandy Hook

            The United Stated vice-president Joe Biden gave a speech regarding gun violence in the country. Biden wants people to act upon gun violence legislation on behalf of the incident in Sandy Hook elementary. He said that “lawmakers have to have courage to pass the legislation”. He urges them to pass the legislation against gun violence and asks for more officers in schools and law enforcement to prevent people from buying guns without going through a background check, banning high-capacity magazines, and banning some semi-automatic weapons. Biden also argues that certain weapons are not “self-defense” weapons; “There are plenty of ways you can protect yourself and recreate without an AR-15", he said in his speech. Biden argues that people are buying more assault weapons rather than defense (shot) guns. Biden argues that people should not use assault weapons as self-defense, but people wonder if a guy (Biden) surrounded by guards equipped with weapons should be saying something like that. Let’s recall on our representatives, we all see them surrounded by guards with weapons which aren't necessarily ‘gun shots’

            On the other hand, the US Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who addressed a conference before Biden, said that he comes from a violent neighborhood in the South side of Chicago and therefore he is very focused on tackling this issue. It is very important that we, as citizens see the importance of this issue and reflect upon it. Do we really want teachers to be carrying guns in school and show students that that’s the only way they will be safe? We cannot think for a second that by carrying guns/weapons we are protecting ourselves. I think that we are indeed pushing criminals to a point where they will be more cautious and try other methods to get what they want. We should be focusing on having professionals (officials, guards, cops) doing the “security job” not handing out guns to the public so they can be safe. Also, it isn't just about the guns, it's about taking action, it's about taking control. What do you think?

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/biden-address-gun-violence-connecticut-speech-154005068--politics.html;_ylt=AvlRQ65evN9evtW1DtW5FYSs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNrNzc0b25tBG1pdANNZWdhdHJvbiBGUARwa2cDYTg5OTUxNTUtZGQyNy0zOWEyLTg2MDgtNTE3M2VjZDNhMDcxBHBvcwMxBHNlYwNtZWdhdHJvbgR2ZXIDN2E4OGY1YzItN2M0NS0xMWUyLTliZmYtYmEzNWQ3NzQ4ZGJh;_ylg=X3oDMTFpNzk0NjhtBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3

Here's a video also:

http://news.yahoo.com/video/biden-draws-fire-both-sides-200810320.html http://news.yahoo.com/video/biden-draws-fire-both-sides-200810320.html

Education in Honduras

http://brettinhonduras.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/education-in-honduras/

http://avandiver.blogspot.com/2010/06/honduras-trip.html

I navegated through a couple of blog responses from foreign people who have visited honduras and their point of view or their opinion on education. The foreigners that come there to visitr leave with a huge impact on them and it brings them desire to come back and help.

This are some points they made about education in Honduras:

The average education for the small percentage of people that have an education is until the sixth grade. It is very sad to perseive this reality. Techers, shouldnt be called teachers because the least they do at schools is teach. Most of the teachers in public school in Honduras get the job just because it pays well and the government tries really hard to fund education for the people of low income. The minister of education requires at least 200 days in a school year and the kids dont even persue 100 of those days because of the constant strikes teachers participate injust because they want their salery raised or they want to receive more benefits from the government.

This picture is just a little insight on how the professors strikes look like. Teachers dont go back to work and continue this strikes as many days it takes them to get them what they want from the government. What example are this professors imposing on the students or young population of Honduras? This is bringing the country into a massive distruction that is torturing society little by little. Something needs to be done to stop this kind of behavior.

Not only professors are the cause for poor education in Honduras. There is a lot of poverty in the country that the government cannot afford even to supply public schools with materials or supplies they need in order to be educated how it is supposed to. In the first picture at the biginning of this blog we can see how the students are learning math and spelling and some kind of art with pieces of corn because they dont have anything else in their disposition to use.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/02/21/extortionist-in-chief/

The article that I chose was a piece on the US economy in regards the president’s actions and addendum. Politics have entered a very different time. As the years went on, political strategy and efforts changed greatly. The rhetoric and presentation of platforms and opposition from opponents have also changed greatly. I will not say that they have changed to become something better but what I will say is that the types of arguments and defensives have become quit vicious. They are more personal and labeling. Bipartisanship is sadly a thing of the past; you are either a republican or a democrat.  What has helped form this type of socio-politics is the influence of the media. There is a channel and station for every opinion and these quickly grow to identify those that tune in. Fox is for republicans and CNN for democrats. We have become a cultural were we can’t even listen to opposing views without immediately thinking it is wrong. In the article that I read there are definitely slants towards the Republican Party but what is more important is the message and tone of this article. The emphasis that I am trying to bring out is that in the rhetoric of the president we can see how he is using the power of emotions. This is camp day one in debate technique. Playing on emotions put a fire under people, but blinds the real problems at hand. The president’s rhetoric has almost alienated the intelligible approach to governing an economy. The reason I say this is that it seems like the goal of the president is to eliminate the Republic party. We saw the different approaches on this tactic throughout the presidential elections.

The reason I am bringing up the rhetoric to begin talking about the economy and its problems we must forget ALL emotions and think about it logically. “The president got his tax hike in the fiscal cliff debate. To ask for more now without significant spending cuts, entitlement reform and a re-written tax code,” is the equivalent of discipline a child without telling them what was wrong about what they did. It just doesn’t work that way and is illogical.

Repap

Paper is something us humans will always need, and over 4 millions trees are being cut down each year just for us to get our paper. Trees are a crucial and fundamental plant for our environment, and despite all out technological advances, including tablets and laptops, demand for paper has actually increased in the last forty years.

            A new way to create paper has now been announced by an Italian company that has now began the production of paper made from stone.  Even though there are already different ways of producing paper without using trees like, hemp paper or straw paper, none of these is as eco-friendly as the stone paper. With this new production of stone paper, calcium carbonate is extracted from limestone, and no water is actually needed for the production of the paper. The production of this paper also uses less energy, and emits less CO2 than original paper. Once made the color of the paper is naturally white, meaning there is no need for it to be bleached, and there is no need for any other harmful chemicals.

This paper named Repap, which is paper spelled backwards, is also recyclable, and can be turned into plastic bags, pots, or Repap paper. Repap is the ideal paper for all environmentalist, knowing that it will cause our beautiful earth less harm, while still having the use of paper. I believe productions like these will help keep our planet looking beautiful, and keep it safe. I hope that one day the production of Repap paper will soon be world wide, and will actually have more demand than traditional paper. 

http://www.good.is/posts/paper-made-from-stone-to-help-save-trees/

Coming together

This blog really brings up a good question; if the world were to get invaded by “aliens” would we be ready for it?  Would we actually be able to all come together and settle our differences for the sake of humanity? This question really caught my attention when I started thinking about it. I found this article under #socialaction and at first I didn’t think anything of it, but after a while it brought up some very interesting and somewhat scary thoughts. Not so much on the mythical invaders from outer space, but more along the lines of the fear of not coming together in our time of need and eventually cracking under pressure.

The video in the article talked about our world already being overrun by hunger, violence and other issues that dominate over second world countries today.  In my opinion, I don’t think we’ll be able to handle an “invasion” with the way things are going today. I also don’t believe that we will all come together for support until the very last minute or at some sort of cost. Children are suffering because of our actions and if it gets any worse, there will not be a peaceful world for them to live in any time soon.

If the nations, religions and cultures would all come together and fight for our future existence against pollution, war, violence and even aliens, we could strive for a better world today for the kids of tomorrow. We all need to help one another in order to oversee any bad situation.

http://wakeupanddreamcatalyst.blogspot.com/2013/02/what-if-aliens-attacked-our-world.html?spref=tw

When Social Action Becomes Social Change

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/natasha-unwin/when-social-action-become_b_2692907.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

After reading this article, I feel Natasha Unwin has a good point. When she started volunteering she was about 12 to 13 years old, and she actually went to help out at a local day care for people with disabilities. Natasha then goes on and explains how her reasons for volunteering are "arbitrary." She spent most of her free time volunteering at different places so she could build up her personal statement. In the second paragraph, I find it interesting how she says "Looking back, I don't think it matters why someone decides to start volunteering, but I would say that it matters how they come of it at the end." Even though she volunteered to build up her personal statement, she also did it because all the volunteering molded her into a well rounded person that the universities would like.
She then came across Southampton Hub, which focused on inspiring people to take action on things that they care about. I got motivated when Natasha says she volunteers at a local school because I know when I graduate I want to go into helping children. Volunteering is not about collecting hours that you need for an organization or school and then just stop going. It is about helping out in organizations that need it and keep moving forward with the motivation to make a difference.
At the end of the article, Natasha says that she made a difference and that should get people to understand that anybody can make a difference if they set their mind to it. Can you imagine how the world will be if people dedicated at least two hours of their time to help someone in need? We would not only be happier, but also better off.
This article caught my attention because of its title "When Social Action Becomes Social Change." I haven't been volunteering since eighth grade and I have loved it. But it saddens me to see that people don't want to take the time and help other, especially children. By volunteering more, many teens can influence the younger generations to get more involved, as Natasha did.

College Tuition Costs

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/02/obamas_college-cost_website_pu.html
 
College tuition prices today are at an all time high leaving many prospective students unable to attend therefore lost in the economy and as a negative statistic. Should striving to become a tax paying educated citizen come with such a hefty price? I don’t think you should have to choose between affordable education and getting a great quality education.

  The typical student in America uses financial aid to attend college and to get an education. In the beginning it seems as easy as pie to get a loan to attend the school of your choice and it is, but repaying the loan is where the hard part begins. Because of the downward fall in the economy, jobs are very difficult to get. Most jobs have hundreds of applicants applying for just a few jobs available and usually at lower wages.  Many students are naive to the fact that it is real money they are spending while in college. Huge meal plans and lavish apartments seem to be the norm and not the exception these days. Just because it’s not actual dollars coming out of their pocket it seems to make all the spending ok. It’s painless and with just a swipe of the card you get everything you want instantly, but is it painless?

  More and more students today are defaulting on their student loans leaving either their parents with the debt or sacrificing their credit scores which in the end will cost them more in the long run. My hope is that government will step in and regulate the amounts universities can charge. There needs to be more affordable universities out there for middle income and poor students. Another thing I hope the president can accomplish is a forgiveness student loan program or at the very least an interest free loan program subsidized by our government. Education is the only thing that can help the economy and the people in it. We need to do more to help aspiring students achieve their dreams in order to make America what it once was, the "Best Country on Earth."      

Parents agree not to push for abortion

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/18/us/texas-abortion-teen-lawsuit/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1

"The boyfriend of a 16-year-old, pregnant Texas girl who says her parents tried to force her to have an abortion told CNN on Monday that the couple never considered terminating the pregnancy." Legal experts said that no one can force anyone, minor or not, to undergo an abortion. Monday's legal action was intended, the girl's lawyer said, to stop the parents from trying to influence their daughter to undergo the procedure. 

While I agree if she wants to take on Grown Up responsibilities like a child, she should start acting like a responsible adult. But I also think if the parents want her to not become another statistic, they should be supportive and work WITH her not against her to gain stability. Personal responsibility something "pro-lifers" seem to bang on about quite frequently. They made the "adult" decision to have sex (which I actually think isn't an adult act at all since it ruins society in general but whatever people say it is) so they have to face adult consequences. Most people who have children do not have other people paying for their insurance, phones, rent, utilities, etc. Why should they be any different? Let them figure it out. After six months of realizing how hard it is to try to finish school, work, care for an infant, get some sleep, do household chores, pay bills, buy diapers, buy clothes, buy formula, burp blankets, do laundry, and try to remember they are still kids, they will be fighting, blaming stuff on each other, she will end up taking care of the kid, he will run off with his friends to forget about his responsibility that he isn't mature enough to handle, and she will start to have a negative view of men that will last the rest of her life. 
 Her parents certainly are not 100% responsible for HER choices. They can only impart as much knowledge as possible before she, or any child, decides they are adult enough to make their own choices. While I don't condone her parents coercion for abortion, I can understand why they might want her to consider alternate choices that keeping and raising the child herself as she is in no real position to do that without the aid of her parents. Perhaps she will consider adoption, though that comes with its own pandora's box.

KICKS

http://technorati.com/business/small-business/article/small-businesses-bring-together-charities-and/

 "Mycoskie created the concept of Tom’s Shoes, which sells a pair of shoes, and as part of the transaction a pair of shoes is donated to communities like the one he visited."

It's good to know that small businesses are beginning to integrate their mission with that of a charity organization.  Blake Mycoskie  who was the founder of TOMS shoes came up with this business/charity concept where the buyer of TOMS shoes would buy a pair and TOMS would donate  a pair to a person from another country who did not have a pair a shoes. Kill two birds with one stone right. Well, I am pretty sure everyone knows about TOMS and the concept but the intriguing part is the risk they decided to take in order to provide someone less fortunate a good pair of shoes. The question posed is why large companies have not taken an initiative of social action in such charitable form. When I speak of large name brand companies the few that come to mind are NIKE, JORDAN, ADIDAS, etc. Primarily, I just want to focus on NIKE, one because I purchase a lot of merchandise from them and Two, well, their shoes are so damn expensive. Now, let's take this into consideration. Nike, which has received controversial reviews for its use of sweatshops, [which by the way is another social issue.] sells these products at a high cost. As a rule of thumb, for the vast majority of consumer products, the "cost" of the product is roughly 25% of the manufacturer's suggested retail price.So if a pair of shoes costs $150 in the store, Nike sold them at wholesale to the store for about $75, and Nike's "landed cost" was roughly $37.50.  Which they make a good profit margin. However, what I am focused on is what has not happened in NIKE for them to consider giving back to society. Imagine going to a shoe store, you buy a pair of Nike running shoes for about $150 dollars. Then they tell you, because you bought a pair that really cost us around $38 dollars to make, we're going to go ahead and donate another pair to a child in need. Not only is it the right thing to do, as far as being charitable, but it would allow for this movement of "giving back" to occur. Now, I'm not saying NIKE is a bad company they have a shoe recycling and donating program but c'mon. Somewhere in there, somebody must think, Damn, some child does not have a pair of new shoes. It raises the question... What's more important...  making money or making a difference. -Pablo

http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/the-impact/about-shoe-recycling/shoe-recycling-or-shoe-donation

Justice

• http://www.change.org/petitions/prosecute-the-killer-of-our-son-17-year-old-trayvon-martin
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  Justice. What does justice mean to you? Well, according to Webster's dictionary, justice is defined a, "The quality of being fair and reasonable." I strongly agree with this definition. So when looking under #socialaction, I noticed a puzzling article that is pleading for justice on a young victim who was murdered.

  
  

  According to this article, 17-year-old Trayvon was walking to a convenient store to retrieve skittles for his younger brother when he was shot by the appointed neighborhood watch leader. Over two million want Justice for Trayvon, but they have yet to determine the fate of the shooter. Whats ironic is the  Stanford police are defending the killer because he's a "college grad, who took a class in criminal justice."

  
  
  
  After reading this article two thoughts run through my mind. First is acknowledging how bad our society has turned to where neighborhoods need a watchmen and who can we trust if we can't trust our own neighbors to where we need a watchman. Trust the "watchman" himself, and the police if they can't bring justice to the victimized citizen. Its not right to just blow it off as a accident. The watchman was told to not address Trayvon and yet he did other wise. It doesn't matter of what education he had, obviously not enough to take orders and put down the gun. He took a life of a human being, there should be some sort of justice for the his loved ones.
  
  I think our class can learn from this because its a real issue that is happening right now. What makes this okay. 2 million people want justice, how much more do they want?