Several Health Care Reform Provisions Begin Thursday

Kieran

Current Event #2

Topic: Health

Title: "Several Health Care Reforms Begin Thursday"

Author: Los Angeles Times Reporter
Source: Los Angeles Times
Date Published: 23 September, 2010
Word Count: 1696

A. Main Ideas

Starting this Thursday, Insurers will no longer be able to deny coverage to young children because of pre-exsisting conditions, 4 million small businesses will become eligible to provide health insurance, 4 million seniors will begin receiving $250 checks to cover gaps in their coverage and more. Young adults, such as 22-year-old Tamisha Jackson of Towson University, will also be able to return to their parents health care plan if they cannot afford for their own coverage. At her university 8/10 students are uninsured. Though many young adults plan to remain uninsured, the government believes that 2 million young adults out of the 50.7 million current uninsured Americans will return to their parents plan in 2011. Also, 72,000 children will gain coverage. In addition, many insurance companies such as BlueCross, Atena, Humana and more have extended their own policies.

B. Conclusion

The United States is beginning to implement the programs described in the recently passed historic health care bill. These programs are intended to provide more extensive and more reliable health care programs for all Americans regardless o r age or need. Many Americans are currently uninsured which is risky as accidents could happen at any time. As of today, they are provided with more options to allow them to gain health care insurance. The idea outlined in the health care bill are now becoming a reality.

Despite Setbacks, Gay Rights Move Forward

Kieran
Current Event #1

Topic: Civil Rights

Title: “Despite Setback, Gay Rights Move Forward”

Author: John Schwartz
Source: New York Times
Date Published: 21 September 2010
Word Count: 1055

Main Idea:

The federal Defense of Marriage act and California's Prop 8 have been recently declared unconstitutional by federal judges. The next question for Gay Rights activists is whether a majority of the Supreme Court justices will agree with the lower federal courts' decisions. An earlier case, Lawrence v. Texas, provided an ambiguous result to issue of weather the government should recognize gay marriages. Justice Kennedy stated in the majority opinion that "autonomy of self" prevents the government from discriminating against a person based on sexual orientation. Though he did not specifically state an opinion on weather gay marriage should be recognized by the government, dissenters pointed out that this was the implication. This case is expected to come up in future arguments, which provides a needed tool for gay rights activists, as there is very little in the Constitution to specifically support their argument.

Conclusion:

Activists have taken important steps in the fight for gay rights, yet much is still left undecided. A lot rests on the court's interpretation of the opinion stated in Lawrence v. Texas. When the court clarifies the opinion it will shape the new decision. Many regulations have been passed or revised in order to gain rights for gay couples but many more remain.

“Pastor weighing plans to burn Qurans amid U.S. warnings”

Michael

Current Event #1

Topic: Civil Rights

Title: “Pastor weighing plans to burn Qurans amid U.S. warnings”

By the CNN Wire Staff, CNN, September 7, 2010. 1515 Words.

Main Idea: Terry Jones, the pastor of Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, has announced his plans to burn Qurans in protest of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. However the U.S. military is strongly against such actions, warning that burning the sacred book of Islam would cause serious problems for American troops in Afghanistan. According to General David Petraeus, it burning the Quran “could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort in Afghanistan.” Jones knows that the action is offensive, but is trying to get a message across to the radical element of Islam, not the moderate Muslim who is welcomed in the United States, that he must stand against Islam because it teaches that Jesus is not the son of God, and leads people to hell. Plemon el-Amin, the imam of a mosque located in Atlanta, Georgia, disagrees with Jones saying that if Jones had ever read the Quran, he would know that “he’s going to burn a book that has some of the most beautiful passages about Christ Jesus throughout, as well as Moses, Abraham, and all of the prophets he reads about and says he follows in the bible.

Conclusion: This plan, if followed through with, could lead to serious repercussions for America, by angering many Islamic groups around the world, with a protest occurring outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, to show dislike of the planned Quran burning. Terry Jones will have to decide soon whether to follow through with such an outspoken act of anti-Islam, and if the message he is trying to send is worth risking the lives and well-being of the many troops stationed in Afghanistan.

Opinion: I believe that this is not just an act to promote a faith that believes in Jesus as the savior, but as a singular targeting of Islam. If Jones really believed that he was considering burning the Quran because Muslims don’t believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God, then he would have to be fair and go after Judaism as well, seeing as one of Judaism’s main principles is that Jesus is not the Messiah, and that he has yet to appear. But yet we do not see any planned Torah burnings. This burning is fueled by more than just belief in Jesus, but by hate, fear, and ignorance of Americans, and it’s time the United States opened its eyes to see that you can’t blame the entire faith of Islam for the attacks of 9/11, and that it’s time to move on and accept that what happened on that day is not to be blamed on every single Muslim and their faith.

Can Athletic Drama Cause a Heart Attack?

First Name: Cat

Posting Number: 1

Topic: Health

Title: Can Athletic Drama Cause a Heart Attack?

Writer: Elizabeth Cohen

Publication Name: CNN

Date of Publication: September 20, 2010

Length: 430 words

Main Idea:

The Michigan State football coach, Mark Dantonio, had a heart attack right after his close win against Notre Dame. His team won the game in overtime 34-31. He experienced chest pain later and went to the hospital where they fixed a blocked vein in his heart. Doctors say that the game most likely did not cause his heart attack, but high stress and emotion can. Your body produces these hormones that make you have a "fight or flight" response. Those hormones make your heart work even harder. If you have a cardiac disease that you don't know about, its even extra stress sometimes causing a heart attack.

Conclusion:

This is good to know. Most athletes play in high stress games that require extra work done by your heart because one it has to pump blood to your legs and arms as well as the extra stress due to the game. This may be the reason so many kids have had chest pains after certain games. High stress levels are definitely something everyone wants to stay out of to decrease their chance of a heart attack.

Recession officially ended in June 2009

Julia

Topic: Economy
Title: Recession officially ended in June 2009
Writer: Chris Isidore
Date of Publication: September 20, 2010
Length: 656 words

Main Idea: According to the body in charge of watching the economy, the recession is over. However, many are still worried about a "double -dip" recession, when there are two major downfalls in the economy, one after the other. Fortunately, the National Bureau of Economic Research released information that showed that the economy had clearly risen after last year's summer. The depression that occurred from December 2007 to June 2009 is the longest and worst depression America has faced since the Great Depression. NBER acknowledge the possibility of having a double0dip recession occur, but they said that if it did happen, it would be a new recession rather than a continuation of the on that started in December. Both Obama and NBER agree that just because the economy is rising back up, it does not mean it is in good shape, and it does not mean that there is a lot of economic activity. NBER is known to examine their data very carefully and very thoroughly. As a result, they take quite some time to give their opinion. This means that when they do give their opinion it is often accurate and reliable information that people can believe in. That's why many are so positive that it did in fact end in June of 2009.
Conclusion: Overall, the economy is still in danger of having a double-dip recession, but economists are more optimal about it not occurring then they were before. It will still take quite some time for the economy to go back to what it was before and many people are still jobless, but there is a steady increase in the overall economy, so while it may seem that the economy is still in recession for a majority of people, economists have given enough facts to show that the recession is clearly over.
Opinion: In my opinion, the recession is still very real for many people even though it is technically over. The results of this recession will last for much longer than I think people are predicting, and it makes me worried about the conditions of people who live in poorer areas. The recession may cause more side effects that have not shown up yet, such as an increase in homeless people and a decrease in family size. The recession in my mind is not over.

Under FDA rules, labels will be mum on genetically modified salmon

Ashley
Posting Number: 2

Topic: Technology/Science

Title: Under FDA rules, labels will be mum on genetically modified salmon

Writer: Lyndsey Layton

Publication Name: The San Jose Mercury News

Date of Publication: Sept. 18th, 2010

Length: about 560 words

Summary: The FDA is currently under much political pressure to decide on the labeling and approving a species of genetically altered salmon for human consumption. If allowed in the American food market, AquAdvantage salmon would be the first genetically modified animal approved for human consumption. If the salmon is approved, other genetically modified animals such as cows, pigs, and other fish would be more likely to be approved as well. AquAdvantage salmon have a gene from the 'ocean pout' and growth hormones from Chinook Salmon and grows twice as fast as other salmon. However, agency scientists say they have observed no biologically relevant variations between the modified and traditional salmon. According to the FDA, they can only require labeling of a product if it is somehow different from the conventional product, such as in taste, texture, allergen, or nutritional component. Biotechnology industries say they are opposed to the idea of labeling products as they believe that the labels will confuse the average citizen who is not well educated on genetic modification. A debate will be held with a separate panels for approving the salmon and another for labeling the salmon.

Conclusion: If the FDA approves the genetically modified AquAdvantage salmon, the fish could spark a trend in American food sources. Other areas such as the European Union and Japan require labeling of genetically modified foods and there is little to no demand for such products. Consumer advocates are worried about the consumers' rights saying that people want to know such information and should have the right to know. Much of our plant based food products like corn, wheat, tomatoes are already genetically modified. However, in the future, other types of food products like meat and dairy could be as well.

Altered Movie Poster Puts the Spotlight on a San Francisco Agency’s Gun Ban

Jeffrey

Posting Number: 1

Topic: Civil Rights

Title: Altered Movie Poster Puts the Spotlight on a San Francisco Agency’s Gun Ban

Writer: Malia Wollan

Publication Name: The New York Times

Date of Publication: Sept. 5th, 2010

Length: 477 words

Currently images promoting guns are banned by the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Agency. Recently, posters for the film "The Other Guys", starring Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell, had been altered to comply with San Francisco's gun imagery ban. Across the country, billboards for this film show the actors with guns in each hand. However, on posters in San Francisco, the two actors are shown not holding guns, but instead pepper spray cans. After learning of this, Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, had sixteen posters promoting the group's gun rights policy conference put up in San Francisco. The poster features a woman armed with a shotgun, and the red bold print reads, "A violent criminal is breaking through your front door. Can you afford to be unarmed?” The posters were installed last week in many bus stops. “We were prepared to go to court and sue if they did not put them up,” Mr. Gottlieb said. “Having a gun is a constitutional right.” Paul Rose, a spokesman for the city’s transportation agency, said that after the gun group’s posters went up, the city decided to take another look at its policy. The agency is now reviewing their policy in light of the recent June 28 Supreme Court decision in McDonald v. Chicago, in which the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that the right to bear arms guaranteed under the Second Amendment applied to state and local gun control laws.

In conclusion, the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Agency's policy of banning gun posters will probably be reconsidered and changed. A gun rights group in the area showed its outrage when they learned that a movie poster with guns had been altered in San Francisco. Additionally, the recent Supreme Court decision does say that the Second Amendment applies to local gun control laws, so something will have to be done about that.