The Weather Outside is Frightful...

Snow, Freezing Rain Move East To Put A Chill On The Weekend
NPR
December 6th, 2013
Author: Bill Chappell
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/12/06/249211939/major-icing-event-predicted-for-several-states-today-and-saturday



...But is it really delightful? I'm sure as the ice on my shoulder: it isn't at all. To add to that, EVERYONE has places to go, but we have no choice but to "let it snow".

I am probably the last person to enjoy a 4 day weekend locked inside of my house the whole time. However my peers seem to find happiness in being irresponsibly unproductive, and also seem to forget that we all have exams next week. I could honestly rant on and on about where my priorities lie and how my flight got cancelled to visit a college because of this so called "Icemageddon" but ill try to keep my personality selfless for a few minutes.

First off, lets imagine a world that's frozen over suddenly and the weather cancels most activity that requires outdoor trekking or travel to other places more than a few blocks away. How would the government be affected? Would the ice prevent travel by airplane permanently? Would we run out of food? What does this mean for most companies that run business based on its outdoor conditions? Would we eventually adjust? Well I guess we won't know for sure unless it happens (unless you base knowledge of these conditions on a cheap Hollywood movie). We can analyze this scenario based off of these past few days.

My family found safety in our home just in time before the storm really started and the freezing started to fall. It had already been announced by the Dallas Independent School District that school was cancelled for Friday, December 6th. It was also announced by Southwest Airlines that all flights had been cancelled, including mine, outgoing or incoming. The next day saw barren streets with only the color white to reflect off of everyone's eyes. Stores, restaurants, and public areas were closed all over Dallas which also meant that not a whole lot of people worked or received money that day. In any normal day, most of the places that civilians attend probably collect a good amount of business, but on a Friday, more people spend more money as they begin their weekend. So it isn't even a question as to whether the economy lost alot of circulating money that frozen day. But hey! You can't fight with the ice. If you lose a day, then you lose a day.

But then the ice continued to wreak its havoc and the hot chocolate drinkers grew restless of the sitting next to fire, so the next couple of days saw more cars on the road trying to beat the slick layers of ice on the road. More businesses began to open up shop and the people "reclaimed the land". However, it was found that drivers couldn't go more than a couple of blocks without finding themselves being too out of control. The dangerous roads also prohibited people from traveling on the highway and students from going to school. So how can we depend on vehicles that can only do so much against the wrath of mother nature? Well my guess is that we can't go too long without trying to find some other means of transportation that can create friction within the ice. An economy like the United States economy cannot handle a month or even a week without the safety within friction. If temperatures stayed below freezing for a long period of time, such as Antarctica, we wouldn't be able to live in those conditions.

Now of course there a large number of places in the world that function in the type of weather that Dallas is currently bearing through now, but Dallas needs to prepare itself to face this kind of weather and find a sense of "normal" in these infrequent ice storms. Everyone bust out the old snow boots, layer up on sweaters, and stay safe because one day we might be functioning in this weather.

Little Kids with Big Mouths

'Kids React To Gay Marriage' In New Video From The Fine Brothers
Huffington Post
November 4th, 2013
Author: James Nichols
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/04/kids-react-gay-marriage_n_4212543.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false



I mean my title in possibly THE MOST positive way possible. The Fine Brothers, a duo that regularly posts new content on YouTube, have done something that could possibly bring light and knowledge to the next generation. I am actually familiar with their "React" series, where kids, teens, senior citizens, and other famous YouTubers react to funny, weird, or cool viral videos on the internet. Little was it known, however, that a tool used for the purpose of entertainment could also be used to discuss serious topics about current events in a way that relates to youth on the internet.

In this "Kids React" video, The Fine Bros. show the kids a couple of videos of public proposals, in which a man is proposing to another man, or a woman is proposing to another woman. At first the kids believe it is just another funny video of some random people dancing and playing instruments in the street, but then they see the true intent of the video, which sparks some inner-conflict, as seen in their reactions.

"How does a boy marry a boy?! How does a girl marry a girl?!"

*wide eyes* "This is crazy!"

Some of the older kids and surpisingly one of the youngest kids knew about the term "being gay" and were less surprised by the proposal, one kid saying, "Are they gay?...Oh okay."

When the videos had finished playing, initial reactions to some were marveling about how "cute" it was and that it made them feel happy that gay and lesbian people are not hiding their feelings about themselves and other people. Some kids were not as accepting to the idea of same sex marriage simply because they didn't know what it meant or had never heard about it. But then when reminded that being gay wasn't as abnormal as being straight, the youth were not as freaked out. I would also like to comment that not a lot of people are accepting to ideas that have never been imagined possible, and some adults today are still not comfortable with the idea about same-sex marriage, while these kids have quickly adapted to the realized 21st century thought process.

"I don't see why anyone would be mad."

"A boy choosing to marry a girl isn't very different."

The Fine Brothers then asked a very important question that again some adults today still cannot figure out (pardon my bias, but it is kind of impossible not to be on this topic).

"Why are people gay? Is it a choice"

"I mean possibly, but i guess they were just born that way."

There is a fair share of people that choose to be gay. The reasons to be spoken for those people are probably unlimited, but the fact still remains. Gender doesn't matter when it comes to being with the person that you love. A brief history of states was discussed since the controversial issue about legalizing gay marriage. It used to be illegal to roam the states free if you were black, then interracial marriage was illegal, then women couldn't vote, and this is another one of those moments in history where sometime in the future, it will probably be considered outrageous that gay people were not allowed to get married, just like we now see the old issue of racism just as outrageous. In fact, racism is probably considered more abominable than gay marriage because of how differently the current government is run than the older years of America where slavery was legal.

These very wise thoughts coming from such young people bring hope to the next generation. If these young kids are thinking this way now, then who knows how intelligent they will be in the future. I could not have said anything better than the youth have done in this video.

This is not the first time that The Fine Brothers have brought up controversial issues to young kids and teenagers. They have also talked about bullying, self harm, and abusive relationships. I seriously recommend following these two very wonderful masterminds for more than just your occasional funny YouTube video.

"It Gets Better!"

Eurmerica

Would the U.S. Be Better Off with a Parliament?
NPR
October 12th, 2013
Author: Ari Shapiro
http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/10/12/232270289/would-the-u-s-be-better-off-with-a-parliament



Seems like this government shutdown business is having its way with everyone's news (and how we are being affected by it). That or ridiculous news about a celebrity doing who knows what, so I apologize on the forefront for my redundancy.

So if it isn't clear already, then yes. The government has been shutdown. The reason why is still unclear to me because its supposed to be retaliating against the Affordable Care Act AKA Obamacare, but the bill has already been passed anyway despite the shutdown.

So the reason for the shutdown in my words? The two opposing political parties (Democratic and Republican) are just too prideful to be responsible about it and call the whole thing quits. None of this is necessary and its creating more of a bad than good outcome for most civilians in America.

In this article, the begging question is: what would America be like if it took a note from Europe's political system? Would there be improvements in our economy if we reverted to a more parliamentary law? Studies show that the main reason for such debate in every single major political action suggested by anyone is because of the very strong separation of powers that our Constitution abides by. Whenever any branch of government wants to do anything, without a doubt, their decisions have to be verified, screened, revised, etc..., over, and over again before a bill can even be close to passed. I believe personal bias also weighs in a lot with the actions that are made within the White House. Most politicians will not admit to it out loud, but the ones that have spoken the truth have outright been against the president since day one. This is why with one central office controlling all economic and social decisions, there wouldn't be as much debate when carrying out the law.

Unfortunately this is all theoretical. There would truly be a civil war if the government system suddenly decided to switch to a parliament. There are also some drawbacks to having parliament such as, losing the right to vote, not being able to impose popular vote on government policies, etc..

But when you really think about it, where has all of that gotten us anyway?

Let's Sum It Up: The Crisis

Jobs, Debt and Home Prices Since the Crisis, in Five Charts
NPR
September 13th, 2013
Author: Quoctrung Bui
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/09/13/222063196/jobs-debt-and-home-prices-since-the-crisis-in-four-charts

In this news article from NPR, we have been given an overview of the status of the nations economy after the Crisis. There is still controversy between a few people who believe that we are still in the crisis, but I think that it is safe to say that America has gotten back up on their feet.

According to Google, an economic crisis is a long-term economic state characterized by unemployment and low prices and low levels of trade and investment. In other words, the Crisis that occurred a few years ago caused a huge drop in the economy, and considering America has a very complex system as to where an economic depression is hard to come by, a lot of people, including close friends at home, experienced it.

SO! The Crisis. In five charts. In the article it states:

1) Home prices have rebounded

During the crisis, it was the worst time for many people who were moving in and out of houses to get home prices that they could pay for, and/or could make living of off. This is partly because of huge amounts of debt due to unemployment. During the depression, many companies couldn't afford to keep as many employees because they weren't making as much money to make a profit.

2) Household debt has fallen...

Since the depression, families have been able to uphold employment due to the government opening up more job opportunities in order for families to keep up necessary payments to the economy in order for bills due. More people upholding their households=a cleaner government debt.

3) ...but student debt has grown

Student debt is a form of debt that is owed by an attending, withdrawn or graduated student to a lending institution. This is also according to Google. Google is your friend. According to what we have learned so far about economics, the most expensive cost about going to college is giving up the ability to work. During the Crisis, students, no matter at what part of school that they are taking part in, were losing money and the end of the Crisis couldn't do much to help that situation. The greatest mystery about the economy is how to give experience to students who do not have any work experience. Well that situation might need to go to the government to fix.

4) Workers' weekly earnings are up, but household incomes are down...

Yes, as said before, more households are being employed with more money, but also said before is that the money is being spent on bills, student tuition, etc... There hasn't been much income for personal use of the workers.

5) ...because fewer people are working.

To sum up the whole economic Crisis, the depression, the topsey-turvey economy, yes. More HOUSEHOLDS are being employed, however the population of America has been growing and will continue to grow because many people from other countries are coming to America BECAUSE of the "opportunities" that are being offered. But how can we give such great employment to immigrants when we can't even take care of ourselves?

We will have to see in the upcoming years!