8/29/14 Bell Ringer

1. I feel like the shooting range is at fault for the accident for allowing the nine year old girl to shoot the gun.
2. I believe that nine years old is too young to be shooting a gun. The age requirement definitely needs to be raised.
3. Automatic weapons don't belong in the hands of children. Adults should have the choice of whether the want to use them or not.

8/28/14 Bell Ringer

Article 1 of the Constitution defines the Legislative Branch, it's powers, members, and workings.

Article 2 defines the Executive Branch, it's powers, duties, and means of removal.

Article 3 sets up the Judicial Branch and defines treason.

Article 4  regulates the states' powers, and their interaction with the National government.

Article 5 sets up the amendment process.

Article 6 sets the status of the Constitution as the supreme law of the land, to which leaders must be loyal.

Article 7 addresses ratification and declares that the constitution should take affect if 9 out of 13 states ratify.

8/27/14 Bell Ringer

     Students at North Carolina State University have created a new kind of nail polish that doubles as a way to prevent sexual assault. The nail polish changes color when the person wearing it is exposed to date rape drugs.The person who is wearing the nail polish simply has to  use their finger to stir their drink and the nail polish will change colors if the drink has a date rape drug in it. In 2012 it was reported that 55% of about 1,570 colleges and universities with more than 1,000 students recieved at least one report of forcible sex offense on the campus. Undercover Colors, which was started by four males students, is raising money to refine the prototype and to pay executives. I don't see many drawbacks to the solution, other than the possibility that the nail polish may not work 100% of the time. After they finish testing the nail polish and perfecting it, I feel like it will be very effective.

8/26/14 Bell Ringer

 U.S. surveillance flights over Syria have begun and will provide information on potential targets for strikes in Syria if Obama approves. The president has not yet decided which steps to take. Dempsey said that the United States now has a better view of the militants in Iraq, where the U.S. military is flying more than 50 surveillance and reconnaissance missions per day. In Iraq, the U.S. military is coordinating with Iraqi forces in carrying out airstrikes against the militants.

8/25/14 Bell Ringer

     Residents in Napa, California were awoken at 3:20 A.M. on Sunday by the magnitude-6.0 earthquake, the worst temblor to shake the Bay Area in 25 years. Three people were in critical condititon and 172 were treated for injuries at a hospital. Most of the damage was restricted to the older central downtown area and about 15 buildings were damaged too severly to allow people inside. Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency due to the damage in the Napa area. According to Pacific Gas & Electric in Napa, 20,786 homes and businesses lost power. The USGS predicted that the quake is likely to produce 30 to 70 small aftershocks of magnitude 3 to 5 within the next week.
     All earthquakes in California are caused by motion between two tectonic plates - the North American plate and the Pacific plate. Some early reports suggest that the quake was perhaps provoked by the Franklin Fault, a crack in the Earth that was thought to be dormant for 1.6 million years. However, it can take scientists some time to identify the particular type of fault-line activity behind a specific earthquake, such as this one.

8/22/14 - Biggest Issues in the U.S.

     Today the United States faces many problems that we need to overcome, such as unemployment rates, government debt, and health care issues. Unemployment rates has always been a problem that we face, because there simply aren't enough jobs to fit all the people who live in the country and the many others that will migrate here. The government debt will continue to rise as the country continues to spend more money. Affordable health care is a big issue in our country compared to others. There are multiple other issues in our country today, but I believe these are some of the most important.
     In July 2014 job growth slowed and the unemployment rates unexpectedly increased to 6.2 percent as more people entered the labor market. There are many people in society who want to work but have given up searching and those working part-time because they cannot find full-time employment. Also, the ranks of the long-term unemployed continued to grow and the length of time Americans are spending unemployed rose after reaching its lowest point in more than five years in June. There are many approaches the U.S. could take to reduce their unemployment rates. Faster economic growth could be viewed as a means of generating more jobs for the unemployed.
     Another big issue that we face is the U.S. government debt. America looks like a rich nation, but our overall debt tells a different story. At the end of 2014, the total government debt in the United States, including federal, state, and local, is expected to be $21 trillion. During the past decade and a half, the U.S. national debt has grown at four times the rate of its national economy. There is no easy solution to getting out of debt, but a few possible changes with things such as efficiency, financial stability, and real spending cuts could improve the economy.
     For many Americans, the cost of health care has been an obstacle to receiving needed treatment and valuable preventive services. There are many people who can't afford health insurance so they will often avoid going to the doctor when they are ill. Compared to other countries, the United States falls behind on quality, efficiency, and health outcomes. As a solution, the Affordable Care Act has been set into motion, providing health insurance to some of the 50 million people who lacked it. Studies show that due to how bad our health care is, it will take more than better access and equity to resolve them.
     There are many major problems in America that don't have easy solutions and will be around forever. With the right leadership and persistence, there are different steps that can be taken to make the country a better place for everyone. It won't be a simple process and will take several years, but I believe that it can be done. A country's economic issues reflect the distribution of intellectual and material resources in its society. No country is perfect and each faces their own set of problems.

8/20/14 Bell Ringer

1. Large U.S. companies, such as Mylan, want to invert to other countries so their taxes won't be as much. Most other countries operate on a territorial system, where the companies operating abroad are only on the hook for the host nation's tax bill. American companies are finding loopholes to shift earnings to low-tax jurisdictions. Inverting makes it easier for companies to make money.
2. Taxes are the charges that the government levies on individuals and companies living and working within its boundaries. The government uses these taxes to finance the expenses, encourage and discourage behaviors, and redistribute wealth.
3. I think that the wealthy people should have to pay more taxes compared to the working, lower class people who struggle to get by with the money they make.

8/19/14 Bell Ringer

1. revealing the name of the cop who shot Michael Brown and the local police using t hings such as tear gas to disperse the protesters
2. excessive force is the use of force that is greater than what is reasonable. the cop could have easily handled the situation in other ways instead of shooting him.
3. one thing that could be done to help restore order in Ferguson would be to arrest the cop who shot Michael Brown to show everyone that he's not going to get away with what he did.

8/18/14

Dear future me,

My goals for this year include finally getting my license, maintaining a 4.0 GPA, and getting a job somewhere. Five years from now I hope to be living in my own apartment and have a steady job. In ten years I would like to be graduated from college and have the job that I have studied for.