Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog:
The Failed Sign Language...
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Budget Deal Reached!
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During the speeches for Nelson Mandela 's funeral, there was a strange unknown man interpreting sign language to the deafs. There was a huge controversial whether this person can actually do sign language or not. Paul Breckell, chief executive of the U.K.-based charity Action on Hearing Loss, stated that this fraud isn't actually signing anything but just gibberish. Not only that, but also, it's been found that this fake had only 1 year of sign language experience. The fraud, Thamsanqa Jantjie, to his defense, stated that he was distracted because he saw angels coming from heaven.I really
Although this is some what not in today's recent news, it is something that I feel is important to blog about and it is the dolphin killing that has had it's annual return at The Cove in Taiji, Japan. The most recent update about what has happened included the return of dolphins being slaughtered. Although not many, compared to previous years, were killed for their meat, this hunt has continued due to the Japanese fishermen's "proud legacy." They still slaughter and skin the sea creatures in order to sell the meat and earn money. It's reasonable to catch fish and eat them, but to kil
As we all know a budget deal has been the issue in the House and Senate BUT today a budget deal has been reached by the House and Senate budget negotiators averting any future government shutdown in January. The agreement eliminates about $65 billion in across-the-board domestic and defense cuts while adding an additional $25 billion in deficit reduction by extending a 2 percent cut to Medicare through 2022 and 2023, two years beyond the cuts set by the Budget Control Act of 2011. Both sides have worked on this agreement since mid-october and are now in agreement and Congress has approved the
DEC 09
Apple issues report detailing Government Information Requests
Apple posted a report outlining the number of requests it has received from Government officials seeking information about individual users and or specific devices. The report replicates all of the information Apple is legally allowed to reveal while specifically noting that they will continue to promote for the ability to be even more translucent going forward. The report says: “ At the time o
Alabama death penalty cases in politics
The issue of capital punishment has been gaining ground in American politics. It has gone so far to the point where it begins to ruin our court systems along with our economy. Alabama is one of the three states that allows for judges to override the jury's sentence to life in prison without parole and heighten it to the death penalty, and it is the only state to use it regularly. This is causing j
DEC 08
Protesters Topple Vladimir Lenin
On Sunday protesters knocked down the statue of Vladimir Lenin in outrage over the Ukrainian government's push or closer ties to Russia. Some vandalized the statue even further by smashing it with hammers. Beside them stood a man waving a Ukrainian flag. A lawmaker with the nationalist Svoboda party claimed responsibility for the incident. "This is the end of Soviet occupation," the par
DEC 05
Nelson Mandela passes away....
Sadly, former president of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize Winner died at the age of 95 from a recurring lung infection. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918.Mandela was an iconic man who led the struggle against apartheid in South Africa and also he was the nation's first black leader. Mandela fought for the African people and from white domination an
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Sadly, former president of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize Winner died at the age of 95 from a recurring lung infection. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918.Mandela was an iconic man who led the struggle against apartheid in South Africa and also he was the nation's first black leader. Mandela fought for the African people and from white domination an
The Nelson Mandela passes away....
Sadly, former president of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize Winner died at the age of 95 from a recurring lung infection. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918. Mandela was an iconic man who led the struggle against apartheid in South Africa and also he was the nation's first black leader. Mandela fought for the African people and from white domination a
DEC 04
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Came across and amazing and informative video while researching my senior project; this video did a very good job at making the wealth distributions of this country completely graphic and easy to understand. I was completely baffled at what this man had to say about the wealth inequalities in this country; however, his statistics are all completely sound. I highly recommend spending the 7 minutes
Google Glass Incident
A few months ago, Cecilia Abadie, a computer technician , got a citation for allegedly "using" a google glass while driving. She claimed that the google glass only turned on when she looked up at the officer. At first the officer was suspicious of Abadie driving 80 mph on a 65 mph freeway. But the officer then saw she was wearing a google glass and decided to give her a citation for peo
DEC 02
The New American Center
Very relevant to the class discussion today, this article, which can be accessed here, reveals that the constant idea of great division in this country apparent through the 80s to now of 40% on the left 40% on the right and 20% in the middle is fundamentally incorrect. The recent survey reveals 21% on the left 28% on the right and 51% in the middle which is now being referred to as the new america
NOV 29
NOV 20
Census ‘faked’ 2012 election jobs report
The unemployment rate suspiciously fell sharply right before the 2012 presidential election; now the facts have been revealed, the numbers were manipulated. Two years before the election an employee was caught fabricating data and a source says that this deceit was also escalated right before the presidential election, the unemployment rate is one of the most closely watched economic statistics, a
Representatives from 132 Developing Countries Walk Out of Climate Change Conference
The Guardian reports that representatives of the most of the world's nations walked out on talks at the Warsaw conference on global warming today after representatives of wealthier nations, including the United States, European Union and Australia, said they would refuse to discuss the question of who should pay compensation for extreme climate events before 2015.Important story that frames key is
NOV 04
Government Preparing for Impact of Global Warming
On Friday November 1, 2013, President Obama order that the government must put " effort to boost preparation in state and local communities for the impact of global warming." Natural disaster are affecting communities, our natural resources, ecosystems, economies, and public health throughout the United States.One of President Obama goal is to reduce the use of U.S. greenhouse gas emissi
OCT 27
Germany's Confidence in America is Declining
Since learning that the United States National Security Agency monitored Chancellor Angela Merkel's cell phone, Germany's interior minister has declared that their confidence in their American allied nation is shaken. He also stated "If the Americans intercepted cell phones in Germany, they broke German law on German soil," and that he wants to know what information the U.S. has. In resp
OCT 24
Russell Brand on the Revolution
Last night's edition of the UK's BBC Newsnight featured this remarkable interview with Russell Brand by host Jeremy Paxman. Brand's explains to a weary-sounding Paxman why he doesn't vote (and never will) and believes a revolution is inevitable. No matter what you think, Brand is certainly not the "trivial man" that Paxman calls him mid-way through the discussion. Take a look.
OCT 21
Another school shooting....
Well another just happened school shooting has happened at Sparks Middle School in Sparks, Nevada. This happened early in the morning and was only a few brutal minutes. Apparently some middle school student opened fire at two student and wounding them. A teacher was trying to get the gun from the student, but apparently shot the teacher instead after telling him to back up. After all the havoc has
New Sealand
Population: 27 (2002)Area: 1.544 sq miles (4 km²)Founded: September 2, 1967Sealand, an old British radar platform from World War 2, is a self-declared micronation that is unfortunately not recognized by the world’s countries. This ship “was a Maunsell Sea Fort constructed by the British military in 1943, and originally given the name HM Fort Roughs. Later it would be renamed Sealand by Major Paddy
OCT 15
Middle schoolers arrested in cyber bullying suicide of classmate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PePz2FjEkMQBasically what happened was two girls from Florida age 12 and 14 were arrested on felony charges for allegedly harassing 12 year old Rebecca Sedwick at school and then following her online. Sedwick jumped to her death at a cement plant a month ago after being tormented for over a year. The arrests were made after the 14 year old suspect boasted on the inte
What is The Price of Life?
In America the average wait for an organ transplant is 4 to 5 years; however, there are often not enough voluntary donors for everyone to get the vital organ transplants that they need. In fact many people die while still on the waiting list. There is an alternative, with enough money vital organs can be obtained legally in less than 15 days. Thus many people travel to China, and are willing to
Low Fast Food Wages
Researcher at U.C. Berkeley sought that in Texas they have the highest public assistance funding which led to last summer fast-food workers staging protests to raise minimum wage. Instead of $8 an hour, workers are asking for up to $15 an hour. Why are workers asking for a raise? Because those who are working at fast food restaurants are mostly single or married adults who aren't in school. Along
Government Affecting College Student
The government shutdown affect everyone in some way. Unfortunately, many student don't know that because politic doesn't interest them. Since the shutdown, federal funding toward graduate and doctoral research programs are being suspend and causing many student and professor to stop their research. The biggest impact since the shutdown will be students applying for grants and loans from the govern
Louisiana's Shopping Chaos in Walmart
After finding out that their EBT cards failed to display credit limits, people went nuts at several Walmart stores in Louisiana, grabbing and tossing whatever they could find to eat and feast in their carts. This was a temporary delay due to a glitch in the computer system. The stores were filled and lined up throughout the entire buildings with people who pushed around tanked carts with foods and
Republican Alternative
John Boehner tries to move a bill to reopen government and doesn't have enough votes to pass. The treasury needs the budget compromise to pass by Oct. 17 to meet all of the financial obligations. U.S. treasury bonds have been put on watch for potential downgrade if nation's 16.7 trillion debt ceiling is not raised. The house is trying for a package that suspends the debt until February 7th to elim
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On Steptember 20, 2013, hundreds of people stood outside the Apple store for the new iPhone. Some even camped the day before the launch. In just a few weeks, 9 million iPhone 5s and 5c were sold. The iPhone 5s featured an new finger print scan which is an alternative unlock system and a way to buy apps. It "stores the finger print data into its processors". Apple even said that the finge
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Rabbis’ Are Bad Guys? Are you a Jewish woman looking for a divorce and would like the pleasure of having your husband get tortured? Well then, just have your Rabbi take care of it for you! According to CNN a group of Rabbi Leaders are being accused for kidnapping, torturing and hiring “tough guys” to force husbands to get a divorce. Although most marriages are arranged it’s easy to understand that
Supreme Court: Affirmative Action Returns
In 2003, the University of Michigan Law School's affirmative-action policy was upheld by the Supreme Court. Immediately afterwards, a referendum campaign against the policy in higher education was launched, overwhelmingly approved in 2006, and finally amended in the state constitution of Michigan. As a result, minority enrollment dropped staggeringly low, fueling a federal appeal that ultimately r
1200 Migrants arrested in Moscow
More than 1200 migrant workers were arrested on Sunday, September 13, 2013, at a wholesale vegetable market. The riot began over a killing of an ethnic Russian man by a Muslim migrant from the North Caucasus. Photo evidence showed that he was killed by an unidentified man that was of "non-Slavic appearance", which led nationalists to believe that the killer was a Muslim migrant.Immigrati
OCT 14
Government Shutdownn
Are we finally close to a deal between the Republicans and Democrats concerning the shutdown ?
Obamacare Vs. Affordable Care Act
Unfortunately our society is not well informed about its own governments plans. Today the the big question is,"which is better? 'Obamacare' or 'Affordable Care Act'?" For those of you who dont know, these two plans are the same thing. If you hadn't noticed, our government is shutdown. One reason for this is a heated debate on "Obamacare". When the public was interviewe
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It is well known that the disposal of plastics is a reoccurring global issue, burning plastic materials generates large amounts of toxins and CO2 into the atmosphere. In 2009, Japan established a company called Blest which created a small, safe machine that converts several types of plastics back into oil. Using temperature controlled electric heaters to burn the plastics a released gas can be u
Governments Going Guerilla On Peaceful Protests?
Many governments around the world have been using excessive force or unnecessary action when confronted by peaceful protests. Exercising the right to organize and protest peacefully has been infringed upon in the United States, Israel, Canada, Argentina, Egypt, Hungary, Kenya, South Africa and Britain. The report, "Take Back the Streets: Repression and Criminalization Around the World,"
Government Shutdown does not affect NCUA.
Shares Insured and NCUA Doors Open, Even If Federal Government Closes.Chairman Matz Urges Credit Unions to Plan for Members’ NeedsALEXANDRIA, Va. (Sept. 30, 2013) – A shutdown of the federal government will not halt regular operations of the National Credit Union Administration, and individual accounts will remain insured up to $250,000, the agency announced today.NCUA Board Chairman Debbie Matz e
A Scheme To Reduce Crimes
A “scheme” was put into place in Manchester, England in which ex-offenders would be employed to clean up areas called ‘grot spots’. This outcome of this scheme was beneficial to say the least. It resulted in a huge reduction of re-offending rates. Ex-convicts were employed full-time under the Your Environmental Team (YET) which so far has hired 30 prisoners on 6 month contracts. The project wa
Immigration Court and Government Shutdown
Days after the federal government shut down, effects are felt across many agencies. Immigration courts proceedings are largely shut down, too. A lot of immigration has been waiting for years to make their case for a green card. A lot of high hopes are starting to fall apart due to the government shutdown. Even high school seniors, withouth a green card, wonders how they will be able to g
Alternative Energy is Good...But is it Our Highest priority ?
It is in our best interest to focus some of our attention ( and money ), as a nation, on alternative energy. At this point in time, however, should it be our top priority? As of last year California has spent $1.6 billion on renewable energy projects, while wide spread budget cuts undermined the funding of arguably more paramount programs such as those supporting public education and child care se
Immigration Court and Government Shutdown
Days after the federal government shut down, effects are felt across many agencies. Immigration Court proceedings are largely shut down, too. A lot of immigrants has been waiting for years to make their case for a green card. A lot of high hopes began to fall apart due to the government shutdown. Some high school seniors, without a green card, wonder how they will be able to go to colleg
Lady Liberty Leads Legislative Lesson
When it becomes evident that the government cannot protect it's people, it is the responsibility of the state to step in. Today New York legislature ruled that they dip into the tourism budget in order to reopen the statue of liberty national park. Due to partial government shut down, the park had been closed for 12 days and no end is in site. The author writes "Cuomo said the state st
Government Shutdown Causes Veteran Protest
On Sunday, October 13, 2013, several veterans came out to the World War 2 Memorial on the National Mall to protest. The government shutdown caused the closure of this national memorial. Afterward, several veterans met in front of the White House to continue their protest. A few politicians met with the veterans to speak publicly about the government shutdown, claiming that Congress is being
No Benefits for Veterans
It has been two weeks since the government shutdown and now veterans are being affected as well. The Secretary of Veteran Affairs Eric Shinseki warned that financing veterans would be more difficult as the shutdown continues. Apparently 5.1 million veterans will not receive their compensation checks at November 1st, 433,000 fully disabled vets might not receive payments and 360,000 surviving wives
Bosnian mass graves discovered
On a hill in Bosnia the crimes of war are finally being unearthed. Forensic teams have already found more than 150 bodies and hundreds more are expected to be found. Some citizens search for lost survivors and for the truth. Some prisoners return from near by prison camps who state thousands more were killed there. More than 300 are still missing. Many still want closure and other survivors are th
OCT 13
Teacher Suspended for showing "Same Love" by Macklemore
Basically, what happened was that a teacher had shown “Same Love” by Macklemore to his class of 13 year old “pre-pubescent” students. The issue is whether it is school or age appropriate, because there is kissing between men. (The teacher, subject, and lesson plan were not given and this has happened at another school on the same video) For some reason, this has become a continuous debate in poli
Terror at Navy Yard
Aaron Alexis, “a former Navy reservist and a current military contractor,” at 8:20 this morning went into Washington’s Navy Yard with a semi automatic. Thankfully, our military is treating them in their hospitals “as if they were soldiers wounded in war.” In the end, the suspect had been stopped and died after officials arrived, but it has been confirmed that there were 12, not ten, people who we
OCT 12
China's Ghost Cities
In class a while ago, we were discussing about Marx's view on Social Contract. How faceless people were just cogs in a working system. We agreed that this view was communist, which therefore turned our attention to China. We briefly referred to China's economy, and the subject of China's 'Ghost Cities' came up. We mentioned how China was building massive city structures, but no one lived
Malala Yousafzai
You may have already heard of Malala Yousafzai, a 16-year-old Pakistani girl who has become the symbol for women's right to education in her region and around the world. When the Taliban took over her region of the Swat Valley, they declared that girls would not be able to go to school and get an education. She recalls the Taliban murdering people because they danced or cut their hair. The Tal
OCT 09
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Hellooooo guys,Well, I was wondering through Google, and I stumbled upon an article pertaining to the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant leak caused by the tremendous earthquake, tsunami, and the triple meltdowns in Japan 2011. Well, recently the water tanks containing the radioactive water used to cool the fuel rods during this disaster, has been leaking. The radiation levels in Japan have spiked, and
OCT 07
Veto Halts Bill for Jury Duty by Noncitizens in California
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE NY TIMES For noncitizens in the United States, people have limits to their rights. Recently in Los Angeles, Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a bill on Monday. The bill would've made California the first state to allow immigrants who are not citizens to serve on juries. For non citizens living in California, they already have their rights expanded. Mr. Brown sig
Public Opinions of the GOP Since Government Shutdown
http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-government-shutdown-congress-polling-20131007,0,5535514.storyLA TimesIn this article, the author, David Lauter, simply conveyed the statistics from polls asking people of their opinions on the way the Republican Party is handling the whole situation with the government shutdown and how their dealing with the federal budget. Over the last wee
Mob Rule: Are we reverting to the lawless way of an 'eye for an eye'?
For those of you who wish to view the original article:http://abcnews.go.com/US/off-duty-cops-witnessed-alleged-suv-driver-beating/story?id=20488628Well, folks. Looks like this is another case of violence. They just keep piling up. And what's surprising is our law enforcement is slacking.If you have no prior knowledge of the facts behind the article, I will briefly sum it up. A man named Lien was
A Police State in the Works: The Militarization of the Police Force
It seems to hold true that in the United States we value our police in a biased manner. We want them to be around if any sort of trouble may occur, yet we don't want them to constrict our freedom in such a way that these dutiful servants of the state may turn upon us. The fear of a police state has always been one to frighten the firm believers of liberty, yet once again the government has hidden
OCT 01
Lowdown on Government Shutdown
Washington Post with "absolutely everything you need to know about how the federal government shutdown will work."
SEP 23
Kenya Reeling from Shopping Mall Attack
The World from Public Radio International with a brief but worthwhile report from Nairobi, Kenya as the shopping mall siege continues.News outlets continue to report the Somalia-based al-Shabaab terrorist group as responsible for the attack at the high-end Westgate Mall.Simon Tisdall of the Guardian writes here about what might be going on within al-Shabaab to spark this attack, namely a brutal po
SEP 20
Is The United States Spending Too Much On Military?
The world's military spending estimates $1.7 trillion each year, with the United States responsible for 39%. Hopefully with the war in Iraq-Afghanistan possibly decelerating, The United States will seek to cut down on military spending. Lets hope the United States stays out of a potential war with Syria to keep spending down.
SEP 17
Richest Americans: They're Doing Better Than Ever
Forbes Magazine gives us some facts and figures about its list of the 400 richest Americans.Four hundred wealthiest Americans have a net worth higher than the GDP of Russia, over $2 trillion. It is rather hard to get on this list now. A fair number of billionaires didn't make enough to qualify,Interesting timing for us. We're reading Marx in class.
SEP 13
More on the Bill to Grant Driver's Licenses to Undocumented Immigrants
Legislation passed last night to grant driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants will require the Dept. of Motor Vehicles to develop a license with a special watermark on it indicating that the license is for driving only and not for identification purposes, a provision that will indicate that the holder is indeed undocumented. The Los Angeles Times reports the license will include the mark D
Assads Interview
This is the link to the Charlie Rose Interview with Assad, the president of Syria that was last week.
CA Legislature Approves Driver's Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants
See the story in the Sacramento Bee.The California Legislature late Thursday sent a bill to the Governor Jerry Brown Assembly allowing undocumented immigrants to receive driver’s licenses. In a statement before the final vote in the state Assembly, the Governor signaled he will sign the bill: This bill will enable millions of people to get to work safely and legally,” Brown said in the statement.
SEP 12
California $10 Minimum Wage Awaits Governor's Approval
The California legislature today passed a bill that would raise the minimum wage in the state to $10 an hour. The bill is structured so the wage goes up in two increments: $9 an hour by July 1, 2014, with another dollar an hour by January 2016. The measure now heads to Governor Brown, who has already indicated he will sign it into law.
SEP 11
Why Politics?
Friends of teen killed in traffic accident win approval for new signalRead more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/11/5728257/friends-of-teen-killed-in-traffic.html#storylink=cpyPlease students, don't ever let anyone tell you that politics is somehow inherently dirty and undesirable. Here's a bittersweet and beautiful example of local politics in action. The Sacramento Bee today reports of an
SEP 10
Did the American People Silence the War Drums?
President Obama spoke on Syria tonight. If you didn't catch it or want to read the transcript, please go here.I've also include this opinion piece by writer David Sirota on the push for military action by high level government officials and political analysts. Its title, "Take that, D.C. Gasbags! How Angry Americans May Stop a Disaster," should give you a sense of the blistering message. Rea
SEP 09
Across the California Delta
Lauren Korth, C.K. McClatchy High School Class of 2012The multi talented Lauren Korth just released this video as a sort of love letter to the gorgeous and unique region where she grew up, the California Delta. Watch and then read on below.
SEP 08
Senator Steinberg's Prison Plan
Post from Melissa McDaniel, Period 5 California State Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg’s prison plan proposition continues to spark debate after it had been successfully passed. The Senate Budget Committee, after much deliberation, decided Wednesday eleven to five. The plan seems more favorable to the Senate than Jerry Brown’s proposition, which would expand more housing in the prisons
SEP 04
The 51st State of Jefferson
"The state of Jefferson is where I want to raise my son." ~ Kayla BrownRead more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/04/5707220/siskiyou-county-votes-to-pursue.html#storylink=cpyThe Board of Supervisors in California's Siskiyou County voted on Tuesday to pursue seceding from California, citing their frustration with a lack of representation in a state legislature dominated by Southern California
AUG 31
Citizenship
Anthony De Rosa is an adjunct professor of journalism at New York University. Today, he provided us with an important reminder of how it is still supposed to work in this country. If you have thoughts about Syria and U.S. military action, please let Doris Matsui, our member of the House of Representatives, know as soon as possible. Contact info here.
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What Citizenship MeansAnthony De Rosa is a adjunct professor of journalism at New York University. His tweet today reminds us all of how it is still supposed to work in this country. Syria