Environmentalists wary about harm to birds from Texas oil spill

"Environmentalists wary about harm to birds from Texas oil spill"
by Michael Muskal

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-texas-oil-spill-birds-20140327,0,1508566.story#ixzz2xVW9tHlU

There was a serious oil spill in the Houston Ship Channel. A ship crashed into a oil carrying vessel, resulting in gallons upon gallons and barrels upon barrels spilling into the Gulf of Mexico and having major environmental issues and impacts. Environmental disasters are especially hard to manage, because humans cause an event that nature itself cannot fix. A variety of species of birds were oiled up because of the oil spill near Houston. 168,000 gallons of oil mixing in with sea is not an easy mess to clean up. But it puts another burden on authorities because they need to now find birds smothered in oil. These birds are flying from place to place covered in oil and spreading the effects of the oil spill throughout the region. Officials, even the Coast Guard, have teamed up to find the birds and provide fast and effective care and treatment. Due to the fact that these birds are mobile and fly even to different regions, finding them quickly is imperative for their lives and to keep the balance of nature. Animals that prey on these some 200 birds are going to die because they are unknowingly consuming oil. The oil might never work its way into the food chain of the region, but there is still the chance.

Obama considers using Military action on Congress

http://www.theonion.com/articles/obama-not-ruling-out-us-military-action-in-congres,34946/?ref=auto

With most eyes recently on Crimea, the Middle East, and other unstable regions, the Obama administration has kept a watchful eye on Congress. The Administration recently announced that it will not hesitate to use military action to stabilize the situation in Congress. Sending in troops is the last but very possible resort, for Obama. Military officials from the Pentagon also commented, saying if such an attack were to be launched there would be the sufficient firepower from the ground and air would be present in a timely manner.

Obviously, the article from the Onion and the previous thoughts typed by the author of this blog post are satirical. This article in a very funny way attacks the polarized Congress, how Congress is so separated and cannot get anything done that the government must resort to extreme actions. Right-wing extremists, idealistic Democrats, poor leadership, and just stupidity and stubbornness are all part of the reason Congress is in such a disappointing situation. Just like Congress only focuses on the side that looks best, the media does so as well. With liberal media like MSNBC and conservative media like FOX News,  satirical media has no choice to pick a side. But satire has a profound effect, it gets the audience to think about the severity or importance of an event, and it has done no different in this case.

when Kanye interrupted Beyonce, Colbert had something to say

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/247478/september-14-2009/kanye-west-interrupts-taylor-swift-at-the-vmas

Kanye West infamously interrupted Taylor Swift at the 2009 Video Music Awards, an event that caused a media frenzy. Youth from across the United States reveled at West's courage and sympathized for Taylor and all parties agreed that Beyonce "deserved it." The ingenious Stephen Colbert satired this phenomenon during his own show. By clicking the link at the beginning of this blog post, one will enjoy Stephen's shift of focus from the irrelevant and embarrassing attention the incident is getting to himself. By shifting focus to himself, he send out the message that people will follow and do whatever is popular. Most get distracted by celebrities' egos, and disregard and forget about important issues in the present. So why focus on artistically challenged musicians like West and Swift, when people could focus on Colbert. Satiring the people's attention on the wrong things and the celebrities' need for attention at the same time by boasting about himself is no easy feat, but Stephen Colbert does so with much success. This video clip is one that is based on useless fact and is funnier to Colbert Report fans (like the author of this blog post), but all in all it successfully satires the faults of celebrities, the public, and the media by showing all his viewers of how easily minds can be manipulated, while increasing his public image.

The Rise of the Euro

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304732804579424852686400812?mod=rss_world_markets&mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304732804579424852686400812.html%3Fmod%3Drss_world_markets

The most common currency used by nations in the European Union is the "Euro." It is reported by Claire Connaghan of the Wall Street Journal that the Euro has hit a record high in the past two years. This strength in currency has many economic and political impacts. Economically, it gives monetary leeway for nations who use the Euro. It also gives the European Central Bank (where the Euro is governed and printed) no reason to alter its steady interest rate at a quarter of a percent, 0.25%. The Euro surpasses the United States dollar, the Japanese Yen, it is close to passing the English Pound Sterling, and "marches higher against" pretty much every other currency in the modern world. The Euro's most recent success is attributed to certain, calculated factors. The European Central Bank's President, Mario Draghi, said the European Central Bank does not plan on taking action to increase measures used to further fund the bank unless necessary. This and their reluctance to shift the interest rate increases the strength of the Euro by marginal yet critical numbers. An adverse effect of this phenomenon is deflation. The Euro has issues maintaining a healthy inflation rate, and is much below the ideal target point. All in all, one should expect a positive slope for the Euro.

The economy and Me

I am positive Dean Martin sang sway, an underlying reference was to the ups and downs of the economy. The economy's tides shift so fast even expert and focused economists cannot keep up. Many different factors of the economy affect my daily life. I am the proud son of parents who make their living off small businesses. The economy must have a positive return to the people. When people have money, businesses make money. When businesses make money, the economy grows and and thrives. Many different issues  arise because of this. Large retailers get in the way of small businesses. All these factors obviously affect my family's income. My family's income decides the type of food I eat, the car I can dive, the house I live in, and dictates most luxuries in my life. It is therefore imperative the strength of an economy to increase in order for the quality of many lives to become better. Economic reactions such as high interest rates, Obamacare (medical uniform business),  and the media telling people not to spend clearly affects me. My economic  capabilities are not only affected by my  family's  incomes, but also the economic conditions of everyone else.

WhatsApp impact

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-02-21/wireless-carriers-shrug-off-whatsapps-33-billion-impact#r=rss

The use of "WhatsApp" has only grown. WhatsApp is a smartphone application that is free, and costs ninety nine cents after one year of use, and allows for its users to text (sms) to others. This application will do to texting what Skype did to the video-messaging world. Although the consumers are much more happy, and get to talk more with more people, many telephone companies are hurt. According to this article, the application cost carriers around thirty three billion dollars in losses just this past year. It is also estimated that by 2016 the overall "damage" will succumb to fifty four billion dollars in losses. This application's effect and more importantly power is what prompted Facebook to acquire it for nineteen billion dollars. The stock market was much affected by this trade. On that day, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint, Vodaphone, Twitter, and Blackberry both had a rise in shares and a rise in trading. Vodaphone even completed the sale of its Verizon stock (forty five percent of the company) on February twenty one. No one knows the future of our communication platform, but it is clear WhatsApp is onto something, but not long before Facebook or other powerful company buy them off.

Nature

Yesterday, (Saturday, February 24, 2014) I had the pleasure of going on a little hike by myself. At Brand Park, the trails are easy, making it preferable to look at the surrounding nature. The spot I decided to sit down at was an oasis type spot surrounded by plush greenery and trees from above. When I sat down, I smelled a sour yet natural stench coming from the wall of green in front of me. The dampness of the leaves was very apparent. The swaying of the trees along with the swish ans swosh it made was very relaxing. There was no food to taste, nor did the floor seem appetizing. I started thinking about the purity of nature, of how it is so different in every corner of the world, yet each has its own beauty. I sometimes forget to apply this realization to people around me, and to the people I meet, because I allow the negative to cloud the positive. The fact that people might have had trouble not checking their phones is also troubling, because they check their phones everyday, and yet they do not get to enjoy nature once (due to the fact they were checking their phone).

Switzerland votes immigration

Organizations like the European Union, the Russian led Customs Union, the United Nations, and the African Union all (although claiming otherwise) clearly infringe on the sovereignty of nations. Maybe those organizations encourage globalism and unity, but nationalism ceases to be the guiding spirit of all political agendas. It is astonishing that the minute and infinitismal sense of nationalism is starting to grow back. In Switzerland, the country's legislature  started to limit Immigration. The European Union has open borders where any citizen from a European country can go country to country with ease. This recent bill limits Switzerland's ease of access to get within its borders. Basically, the Swiss government does not want other European citizens, particularly Muslims, to easily cross and stay within its borders. This is not a particulary progressive nationalist spirit. It is simply biggotry and racism. What modern country bases its political agenda on religion and ethnicity? That is correct, most countries. The United States, Russia, China, England, France, amd all other major superpowers are the most racist nations of them all. Hopefully, mankind will not continue on this unfortunate path that does not move towards a good and hopeful future but returns us to the hate of the past. These issues cannot be solved, but will always have ways to lessen the degree.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/swiss-vote-to-limit-foreign-workers-captures-growing-european-fears-about-immigration/2014/02/10/e0dfd354-9254-11e3-b3f7-f5107432ca45_story.html

The Movie vs. The Book

The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio fell short of my expectations. The movie itself was based on a novel that did not meet my expectations. The novel's story line is considered a classic among American modern literature. This fact is hard to accept. Plots like the Great Gatsby's are ridiculous and too hard to believe to be real. But, when critiquing the movie I distance myself from the fact. This movie's biggest success is the soundtrack. Jay-Z's lyrics, Florence's melodies, Lana Del Ray's wonderful voice, and the depth and etiquette of the Brian Ferry Orchestra are completely revolutionizing in the music industry. The cast was somewhat powerful and yet weak simultaneously. Leonardo DiCaprio completely captured the essence of Jay Gatsby. Carraway's character became the focus of the movie, but the book did a good job of balancing the attention between Gatsby and Nick. Daisy's character was not played well. Mulligan did not quite capture the essence of Daisy, but changed the character completely. The use of the pathetic fallacies came to light, but were underplayed and subtle. This movie was boring and dull, and was a mix of successes and failures. The cast and crew tried their best, but their best was not good enough.

Legalizing Marijuana

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/09/marijuana_n_4756468.html

The legalization of marijuana in regards to medicinal use and recreational use is a very wide and controversial debate. Many American citizens advocate for full recreational use. The relaxing and feel-good effects of marijuana are felt by thirty three percent of all teenagers. President Barack Hussein Obama along with other prominent celebrities, politicians, and mainly musicians have expressed their positive views about recreational marijuana use. Today, out of all fifty states only two have legalized marijuana use for recreational purposes. Marijuana use has clearly become more of an accepted part of American culture. Most research on Marijuana, no matter what side it supports, has been questioned. Whether Marijuana has been beneficial to one's health is questionable. This article by the Huffington Post argues that twelve more states will most probably allow Marijuana to be used for recreational purposes. Among these states is the home-state of the author of this blog post- California. California is known for a high concentration of marijuana inside its borders. Many, many individuals feel marijuana dumbs down the already uneducated and not so bright population of the United States, particularly the youth. Others claim that marijuana use has more positive effects, especially in regards to medicinal and relaxing methods. Whatever the case may be, as this article reminds, marijuana use is becoming a bigger part of American culture and will medicinal use and recreational use will continue to be more allowed.

Super Bowl of Human Trafficing

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/01/opinion/the-super-bowl-of-sex-trafficking.html?_r=0

Human sex trafficking is a sad, sad truth, the unfortunate reality that humans living in this society must face. Innocent, naive young women and sometimes men as young as ten years old get forced into prostitution. Human trafficking is clearly one of the saddest occurrences that happen on a daily basis throughout the world. According to news sources like Reuters and CNN, the biggest and highest rate of human trafficking occurs at events like the Superbowl, the World Cup, and major sporting events. This theory makes sense. High masses of partly drunk crowds all too focused on statistics and numbers to pay attention to their physical well being. There is a high chance of being lost, and better yet not being tracked among the thousands who go to these much anticipated events. This article by The New York Times brings up the fact that there is no statistical evidence to support these claims. The Global Alliance Against Traffic for Women report that there is no statistical rise in human trafficking numbers to show a significant and conclusive piece of evidence to support this theory. The data is not there, but being forced into prostitution especially after that Seattle win is something no one can imagine can happen...Yet it does.

The Party...of the decade

The Party I plan on throwing is one that is memorable. The first thought of throwing a party is the when and where. The date of the party is going to be at the end of April, following tax week, a rainy season, the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, and just a very down and sad time for most people. The venue of any good party is a home. A beachfront estate somewhere in Malibu will do the trick. There will of course be formal attire, but what will set this party apart from others is the class. There will be an open bar that does not serve alcohol to minors, but that will not be the highlight of the party. Each room in this glorious mansion, will have a special attraction. The mansion has a total of twenty three room, and only eleven will have attractions. The first room, will feature a mentalist and illusionist, that perform magic so mind-boggling that the rest of the party will be spent trying to figure it out. The second room will have a tattoo artist that gives free tattoos (real, henna, and even air-paint). The third room will feature a lecture about string theory, and will present theories about the creation of the universe. The fourth room will have a priest who will listen to confessions and offer advice about how to live a good, faithful life. The fifth room will have a rotation wall that makes head spin and create the illusion that the person in the room feel like they are spinning themselves. The sixth room is a place of full of wildlife and nature, and noises of nature playing in the background, where the party guest can get in touch with their inner self. The seventh room is an arcade where all classic games will be found. The eighth room is a celebrity meet and greet, where the world most famous celebrities, wealthy elite, politicians, and even civil rights activist (past and present) will talk for hours about their interests. The ninth room is a movie theater, with a concession stand that serves free everything. The tenth and final room is a giant dance floor, with multiple live bands, dozens of well-renowned DJ's, and of course a room full of happy and interested dancers looking to sweat all their troubles away.

Suicide Bomber in Pakistan kills thirteen

On the morning of January 20, 2014 a suicide bomber detonated explosives killing himself and thirteen others. The suicide bomber targeted the military compound which is the general headquarters of the entire Pakistani military. The attack killed six soldiers, and seven civilians. The suicide bomber was a teenager. The suicide bomber was riding a bicycle and was disguised as a garbage collector. The explosion had shattered the windows of the edifice's nearby, and also of the automated vehicles in the parking lot nearby. A spokesperson for the Taliban, known as Shahidullah Shahid,says that the Taliban is responsible for the attack. The reason for the attack is that the Pakistani military has led operations against the Taliban in the country's tribal regions. This bombing and previous bombings have had a profound effect on the Pakistani government, even altering trips and policies of Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff. Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff has cancelled his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland following the most recent bombings. The Taliban continues to spread its backwards mentality of the governing of life. They take the entire purity of their faith and turn into a weapon to spread hate and fear instead of love and respect.

The American Mafia in the Early 20th Century

The American Mafia in the Early 20th century was the organized crime days that inspired movies like the Godfather, this era of organized crime was the height of power for the Mafia. The Mafia's main source of income during this specified time period was casino revenue and bootlegging liquor. The Mafia was composed of mostly first generation Italians, composing ten percent of New York City's population at the time. After a high source of income, the Mafia decided to get organized. The "family" was torn into two, resulting in a very bloody power struggle known as the Castellammarese Wars, during the late nineteen twenties. The Mafia's initiation ritual has not changed, a man must be "made" by killing someone and taking an oath to remain loyal and silent. Being a member of the family of crime was the only way to climb the hierarchy ladder of the Mafia. Italian origin was almost always necessary. There were many unspoken rules, such as never crossing another member of the mafia, or cheating on their wives or girlfriends. The Mafia influenced many police offers, politicians, and other public officials through bribery or other intimidating means. The Mafia has been organized and is involved with narcotics, money laundering, many large businesses, and other illegal activities.

http://www.history.com/topics/mafia-in-the-united-states

That is a Big TV

http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/08/samsungs-98-inch-8k-tv-lets-us-go-to-the-mall-without-leaving-c/?ncid=rss_truncated

This weekend is the annual CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is the comic-con of technology, the summit of the past years uphill battle to reach the top of the evolving mountain of technology. Major brands are expected to show not only consumers but other top-notch companies their capabilities and their influence into the future. CES in Las Vegas is where the smart cell-phone, tablet, and many other various important and useful devices have been introduced to the world. No doubt that CES rewrites history. This year, Samsung (a major player in the technology industry, of course) is introducing the Quad Ultra High Definition Television. This television is not only a smart-tv that pretty much has a mind of its own, but it has a ridiculous 7,680 x 4,320 pixels, but is a 98-inch television. The price is very high of course, estimated to be over forty five thousand dollars, but experts say that it has a great value. This television only reaffirms that fashion and technology are going through the same trend: crisp, high quality products that will make every individual in the room stare. Flamboyancy is apparently a fad that technology experiences. The individual who buys a 98-inch tv will be better off investing in a private home-theater and at-least have the cup-holders on the seats.