Wednesday, February 27, 2013

In the article "Cyber war" by Patricia Smith she explains that the U.S has been launching cyber attacks on other countries. Also cyber warfare is a new way to harm enemies, but not physically through computer files that are important to their government. Also people may begin to attack the U.S at the pentagon, some people already believe China has.

This article includes quotes from high up government personnel. Something that is shocking is that people from another country could control our biggest programs from across the world. This is shocking because it can happen anytime if we're not careful all the time.

I think cyber warfare will be a thing that only gets worse with time. The more technology advances the more damage people can do with it, soon they may be able to blow up important computers in the country's top building. When finding these things out what came to mind is that why won't they just write it down and put fake info in the computers, which will make the enemy fail. With this plan I think we would be on top and invulnerable to these attacks.

This article raises lots of questions for me. One question is why do they keep putting important info in computers if they know it's a chance their files may be stolen. Also who first started this type of warfare and what did they take? I could find this out by searching it or asking people with knowledge of the topic.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

In the article "Are you being Tracked?" by Patricia Smith, she brings to light and tells us that cops are beginning to track citizens through their cell phones with GPS without court permission. It may be accepted by the court or may be disproved and a law may be made. It's some advantages and some disadvantages.

In this article the type of details that are used are quotes from lieutenants and criminal analysts. Something that is shocking is that a girl was rescued by using the GPS. It is shocking because she could have been dead and still lost if it was not for the phone.

I think the tracking should be allowed because it can help out in a difficult situation like being kidnapped. It may invade citizen's personal privacy, but in the end they are only doing it to keep us safe and protect us from the many dangers of the world. Before reading this article I knew that they were listening and watching us but I never knew they didn't have permission, which is shocking because I thought the government always followed the rules.

This article made me think about a plethora of things. Something that I thought about is have I ever been tracked and/or listened to through phone calls. The scary thing is that I can't even figure out if I am being listened to or not. Also how do they find out the person's information who their tracking, which seems suspicious to me.


Friday, February 1, 2013

In the article "The new face of America" by Veronica Majerol she explores that minorities are slowly but surely becoming the majority in the U.S. America is soon to be home to minorities that outweigh the majorities.

In this article it includes quotes from kids who are apart of the minority group. Also a quote from William H. Frey who says this is an important tipping point. Something that surprises me is that in 2050 it's projected that the White group will not be a majority although they will be just under it. It's shocking and surprising because for so long white people were a majority and soon they won't, which shows that America is changing and becoming more accepting.

I think with all of the changes happening now that the world is in a way becoming better and accepting. I think it will make the U.S better and have more power around the world.

This article makes me think about many things. One of the things I think about is are Americans going to and living in other countries like people in America are. I could find this by looking up the population and consensus of other countries and seeing if it is a lot of Americans in other countries.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

In the article "Give Lance another chance?" by CNN they bring to light that some people think that cyclist Lance Armstrong should have another chance at cycling. He recently was proved guilty of cheating with steroids. Some people think he should get another chance for admitting it, but some think he shouldn't have cheated at all and shouldn't get another chance.

This article includes quotes from many different people. Some people think he still has a chance to redeem himself because he's done so many good things also. Something that stood out is that they said he's too old to get another chance. It's shocking because it's never too late to get another chance.

I think Lance shouldn't get another chance because he was accused of it and he denied it and threw shots at them. Before I read this I thought he should get another chance but now he shouldn't because he denied it and wasted other people's time. I think this is an important topic because steroids and other HGH's are a big topic in many sports. A possible solution is to do a test before every big race for banned substances.

This article makes me wonder about things. Something is if you're competing and you think you have to cheat to win, quit and give somebody else a chance who's confident in themselves. If you're an athlete and you compete on a global level you should have confidence in your own ability. Why don't they have confidence in themselves?

Wednesday, January 23, 2013


In the article "Civil war in Syria Raises Questions about when to Intervene" by Ja'anai Delaney they point out that the war in Syria could affect the U.S as much as it can affect them. With the war in Syria, citizens are being forced to move and are taking away food from nearby countries. They don't have a choice though because they would be caught in the crossfire if they stayed in Syria.

In this article the details that are used are facts and quotes. The facts are about the Syrian civil war. One shocking thing is that they are working with the Al-Qaeda and the U.S may get involved. This is shocking because they are a terrorist group who attacked the U.S and I thought the U.S would leave them alone.

I think we should leave them alone and let them handle their problems themselves. This is not our problem and we should allow other people to handle their own problems. We have our own problems to handle and we should begin with ours first.

This article made me think about plenty of things. It made me wonder about why do we not handle our own problems before we try to help out other people. I could find the answers by interviewing adults and asking them their opinion on the subject. Also if the Al-Qaeda is working with them would they retaliate and attack us again which would put all of the citizens in danger.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

In the article "All work and No Play: Why your kids are more anxious,depressed" by Esther Entin, she brings to light that kids are not as active as they were before. Parents are not allowing them because of the dangers many neighborhoods face. Also this may lead to depression and children not knowing how to make decisions for their self like they would when they are an adult.

This article includes many quotes, details, and speculations. Some quotes are from professors with PH.D's. One surprising thing is that children can learn how to control their emotions and make decisions with play. It's shocking because I only did it for fun but it actually helped me become better.

I think this article has some truth to it because parents are worried about their child's safety and don't want them to be at risk to danger. I think they still can learn to make decisions without play but with it, they would be better off and maybe learn quicker. I think we should allow the kids outside but with an adult watching them closely, not interfering and letting the kids work out their own problems unless someone mysterious appears.

This article raises a lot of questions. Should the kids be outside with so much danger around? How can we protect the kids and the neighborhood better and make sure that everyone is safe? I think to find these answers we have to talk with the neighbors and figure out some sort of plan that's easy and inconspicuous .


Friday, January 4, 2013

In this article "Philadelphia superintendent identifies schools he intends to close" by Kristen A. Graham she brings to light that the superintendent intends to close schools. He intends to close 22 elementary, 4 middle, and 11 high schools. More than 2,000 staff members would lose their job, but mostly principals will be affected not teachers.

The article includes quotes from the superintendent of the Phila. school district and Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter. Something that shocked me is that Shaw middle school could fit about 1,000 students but only enrolled 193 students. This shows that some buildings are underused and should enroll more students or shut down.

I think that so many schools should not get shut down or closed. Some should but not all, many students will be affected and will change them drastically. The students would be put in a very difficult position, changing schools, losing friends that went to your old school, and meeting new people. They say they are closing schools so they can pay bills, but now schools will be stuffed and fights may occur more often.

This article made me wonder about plenty of things. One of the things is why is the school district owes so much money to people. I could find the answer by googling the question from multiple sources. Also who thought of closing schools first. Was it around in the air for a long time and people knew it was coming or was it sudden and shocked many people.