Michael, Post 1, United States Drones Patrol: Outrage Incited in Iraq
A month after the last American troops left Iraq, the State Department is still operating a small fleet of surveillance drones to protect the United States ambassadors in residence in Iraq. The Iraqi government views the unmanned drones to be spies and claim to feel threatened by the advance. The military forces of Iraq view the use of the surveillance equipment as a sign of disrespect towards the Iraqi government, especially a month after the last American troops got shipped back. As tensions begin to rise between the oil super-giant and the economic superpower, the balance of the world the way we know it may be changed for the worse.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Arrests of Occupy Oakland Demonstrators
Tony, Current Event #1
Civil Rights (Occupy Oakland Movement)
Occupy Oakland demonstrations, Arrests inject new life into the Movement
Chelsea J. Carter
http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/30/us/california-occupy/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1
January 30, 2012
1.5 Pages
Several hundred Occupy Oakland demonstrators have been arrested because of the alleged break-in and vandalism of public buildings such as the City Hall. Although the protestors claim that the doors were already open and that they simply walked in, Mayor Jean Quan claims that the police had a video showing protestors using a crowbar on an emergency door in the back of the City Hall. In addition, they have managed to shut down the Oakland port twice so far.
Oakland had been a focal point of the Mass Occupy movement, since the police had responded with tear gas and violence in the demonstrations in November. After these 400 arrests, movements across the country have flared up again, from Iowa to New York, in a series of non-violent protests. However, several protestors in Florida have been incarcerated as well.
The extent of damage caused to public buildings has no estimate. Occupy Oakland has posted a request for funding as they have said, "Our bail funds have been dwindling significantly as a result of the police backlash against occupy Oakland in the last month. If you are able, please donate." Only time will tell how this movement will play out and what lasting effects it will have on the economic system in America.
Civil Rights (Occupy Oakland Movement)
Occupy Oakland demonstrations, Arrests inject new life into the Movement
Chelsea J. Carter
http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/30/us/california-occupy/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1
January 30, 2012
1.5 Pages
Several hundred Occupy Oakland demonstrators have been arrested because of the alleged break-in and vandalism of public buildings such as the City Hall. Although the protestors claim that the doors were already open and that they simply walked in, Mayor Jean Quan claims that the police had a video showing protestors using a crowbar on an emergency door in the back of the City Hall. In addition, they have managed to shut down the Oakland port twice so far.
Oakland had been a focal point of the Mass Occupy movement, since the police had responded with tear gas and violence in the demonstrations in November. After these 400 arrests, movements across the country have flared up again, from Iowa to New York, in a series of non-violent protests. However, several protestors in Florida have been incarcerated as well.
The extent of damage caused to public buildings has no estimate. Occupy Oakland has posted a request for funding as they have said, "Our bail funds have been dwindling significantly as a result of the police backlash against occupy Oakland in the last month. If you are able, please donate." Only time will tell how this movement will play out and what lasting effects it will have on the economic system in America.
Kyle
Current Event Posting #1
A period Sanderson
1/30/12
Topic: Airplane that can fit in your everyday garage.
Published by: CNN/TED Talks
Date published: Sunday, January 29, 2012
Original Article Author: Anna Dietrich
An airplane in your garage?
Recently on CNN, an article was published about how transportation in the status quo is advancing. Cars and commercial vehicles are what transport most people around, but they are both limited in that they run on fossil fuels and are also constrained by roads and runways. Also, the security at the airports can be a huge hassle, so many people dislike transportation through commercial airlines. However, many people are getting into personal aviation, but even that requires a large runway for takeoff and a place to land.
Now, chief operating officer of Terrafugia, Anna Dietrich, has been using resources that were open to her at college (MIT) to construct a new breakthrough in airplanes called "transition". In the description, they call Transition a "roadable aircraft", to show how it will be used. Intuitively, the vehicle will be able to fly and also be able to travel on streets, thus making the landing and takeoff much more flexible (as opposed to the typical runway required by aircrafts). Furthermore, it will be completely street-legal, fold its wings in, and also have a full passenger-safety system included (this includes airbags, a safety cage, a parachute, and shock-absorbers). When compared to the everyday automobile, Transition is not meant to replace the cars we drive everyday, but rather improve travel convenience for those who can afford it. The specs place the vehicle at under 7 feet tall, and also states that it will run on unleaded gasoline rather than aviation fuel, which is quite pricey when compared to the fuel we put in our cars.
Along with everything stated above, Transition will also be airport-friendly, meaning that it can land in any public-use airport or landing zone that is available to commercial planes. They are also insuring that the vehicle will pass the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, so that it can be used by the public. However, this vehicle is not yet completed but is in the testing stage, meaning that after a couple more versions are finalized, they will be able to release by, hopefully, the end of this year.
In my opinion, this vehicle is ridiculous and will not help the public in any sort of way. It still needs to take-off from an airport, land at an airport, and cannot fly under any sort of bad weather condition. Furthermore, it will probably be very expensive and only the super-rich will be able to afford this kind of commodity. I feel that this invention is more of a show-me-off kind of vehicle rather than something that could be used daily to get to work or fly business trips with. Therefore, this vehicle is just another piece of technology with no useful cause and looking to cause many safety problems. What kind of license would be needed to pilot this? It is not a plane or a car... it is a "roadable aircraft" that will serve minimal purpose in the world today (we have much more important problems).
Article Link:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/29/opinion/dietrich-plane-that-drives/index.html
CHANGE USER OR AUTHOR NAME, ETC.
JUST A FEW REMINDERS:
1) Use ONLY your FIRST name as your author or user name. NO last names or "UNKNOWN" - please!
2) Your article should be less than or no more than 2 weeks old.
3) Sometimes an article in written by the association "writers' pool" or does not have a "by line." For example, just write "AP" for Associate Press.
1) Use ONLY your FIRST name as your author or user name. NO last names or "UNKNOWN" - please!
2) Your article should be less than or no more than 2 weeks old.
3) Sometimes an article in written by the association "writers' pool" or does not have a "by line." For example, just write "AP" for Associate Press.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Current Events Postings - Spring 2012
Welcome to the new semester - Spring 2012. Students will be writing FOUR postings - two per quarter - on recent events in the United States. They are also expected to make TWO COMMENTS per quarter on these current event postings.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)