Government shutdown

“If Congress fails to pass a budget, the U.S. government would effectively shut down at midnight on Monday.” This is the opening line of the article titled, “A government shutdown: What could it look like?” if this doesn’t scare you then you must be living under a rock.

This article can be found here: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/29/20745618-a-government-shutdown-what-could-it-look-like?lite

If the government were to shut down, many things would go unfunded. However some things would go as usual. Air traffic business would go as usual, social security and Medicare would continue to come as well. However there could be delays. Federal court, and your mail would keep coming. These are all okay.

 But then there’s the concern that if the government shut down at midnight this coming Monday, September 30^th, 2013, there will be problems. If you were a new patient you would not be accepted. Many food items would be on recall. Toll free help lines will be shut down. If you need a loan, sorry that will be delayed. This is just ridiculous.

Congress, we need this to not happen.

This is ridiculous. Our country is going down the tubes. We need to get something figured out. The last time this happened was 1996.

In another article on the subject, Republicans are saying this will not be their fault.

This article can be found here: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/government-shutdown-2013-gop-narrative-97521.html

“The Senate is “playing games,” Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “They need to come back.”” This is stated in the article.

This statement in particular stood out to me, because I agree. We need to make a decision. This shutdown would impact many people in America. Yes, many things will remain as they are now, but still this puts our country in danger.

However, our government needs to get things figured out and get us out of debt, so who knows maybe this will push them in the right direction. I say this with hope.

The senate needs to be pushed to listen to the people, and do what is best for the people of this country.

No child should have to live in fear

The Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, last year, on December 14^th, 2012, is still affecting people all over the United States. However, the people of Newtown are suffering the most. “Fear permeates young lives of Newtown witnesses”, a title of an article on news.msn.com, says it all.

This article can be found here: http://news.msn.com/us/fear-permeates-young-lives-of-newtown-witnesses

This article describes families with children who witnessed the shooting in their school, and in their classrooms, at Sandy Hook Elementary School, on that day. This day was just a normal school day until the school went on lockdown due to a gunman. This gunman was Adam Lanza. On December 14^th, 2012, Adam Lanza was responsible for 28 deaths and so much more fear. On that day Adam Lanza killed his mother, six of Sandy Hook’s educators, twenty Sandy Hook students, and himself.

This is sick. And as if 28 deaths weren’t enough, numerous six and seven year old students now are scared of voices on intercoms, just because they heard an intercom to go on lockdown on December 14^th, 2012. That’s not all that scares these kids. Many saw the first grade teacher they loved, or the principal they loved, or their best friend be shot. And now the rest of their lives they will live with this picture in their minds. My heart aches for these kids, and the families who lost someone they loved very much.

Many of these children are in therapy and just trying to cope. The new school, they now attend, has signs up that ask people to close doors softly, and don’t drag things in the hallways, because the slightest thing could scare these children.

This is ridiculous; no child should be scared of the sound of an intercom or should feel unsafe at their school. School is supposed to be a happy and safe place. Adam Lanza ruined this.

Children, who lost their friends, often question their parents if their friends will ever be back, according to the article on news.msn.com. Their parents are just trying to cope and be thankful their children are still alive, however they ache knowing their children live in fear. One parent in the article stats, “ ‘We talk about Heaven, he knows they’re there.’ ”

My heart and prayers go out to everyone affected by this tragedy. If we can give even a smallest glimmer of hope to this tragedy it is in that school systems around the nation have updated their security procedures in order to try to prevent a tragedy like this again.

Rest In Peace Sandy Hook Angels. Gone but never forgotten.

What if the sport you loved, caused you to take your life?

Recently, there has been a string of suicides among former professional football players. Paul Oliver, a former NFL defensive back committed suicide this week. Paul Oliver played for the San Diego Chargers. His body was found, Tuesday, at the bottom of a set of stairs. The county medical examiner said the death was a suicide by handgun.

 

Paul Oliver played for the San Diego Chargers from 2007 to 2011 with 144 tackles in 57 games.

No one is sure why he committed suicide, but in this tragedy he leaves behind a wife and two children. How tragic. I feel for this family and hope they can find peace and happiness soon.

The interesting thing about Paul Oliver’s suicide is it does not relate to other former NFL players committing suicide. Suicides of some other former NFL players involved brain injuries.

For example, NFL linebacker, Junior Seau was 43 when he took his own life in May 2012. The National Institutes of Health later found he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. CTE is a neurodegenerative brain disease that can come from getting hit in the head multiple times. From this information, I conclude that he was in too much suffering to deal with the pain anymore. Again, another tragic story.

What is sad is that this situation with Junior Seau, is that he obtained this medical disease from playing a sport he loved for most of his life. Football is a very dangerous sport, but really all sports are dangerous to some extent.

Being an athlete, myself, this makes me sad thinking that I know the feeling of loving to do something but knowing that if I got injured, I could suffer an injury that would cause me to want to take my life, is very, very scary. Athletics are very dangerous and everyone needs to take proper precautions with injuries.

Suicides are also a very serious matter. I live a very happy life so in my opinion a person has to be very depressed and mentally ill to want to take their own life. It just blows my mind to think that someone could take their life because of an injury that was causing them so much pain. But I do believe that this is possible. It’s just very sad to me that a sport that Junior Seau loved caused him this pain. Rest in Peace, Junior and Paul. Athletes everywhere feel for you and your families.

What if the sport you loved hurt you like this? What would you do?

 

An article relating to the death of Paul Oliver and with information on other NFL suicides can be found at: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/25/us/former-nfl-player-suicide/index.html?hpt=hp_t1  

Apple's technology is leading the way

Apple is the epitome of the technology world. The iPod, iPhone, iPad, Mac and many other things help people stay connected all around the world. Apple is always updating and trying to make their products better.

This time they came up with a new software update called iOS7. Having an iPhone, and typing to you from a Mac book laptop, this iOS7 has caught my eye. I updated my phone to the iOS7 software this week and I love it.

The iOS7 was designed to make the use of apple products simpler. iOS7 has a new structure for the whole system. The iOS7 removed many things that weren’t needed. The iOS7 has a greater focus on the users content.

The new icons of the iOS7, in my opinion, make my phone, easier to use. The new software is more colorful and helps you navigate from app to app faster. I think it makes my phone seem like a completely different phone then I have had before.

My personal favorite thing about the new software is the weather part. The weather app that comes on your iPhone when you buy your iPhone has changed. It is easier to read the temperatures are certain times of day as well as show you if it will be rainy or sunny.

I also use my calendar on my iPhone a lot to keep track of my work, and sports schedules. I really like the new calendar, however it is a lot different then what I used to have on my iPhone and was hard to get used to. I enjoy that I can look ahead to other months easier.

Another change the iOS7 brought was all the icons for apps look differently. In my opinion I am not quite sure why this change was a necessity but I guess it was all just apart of the redesign of the iPhone.

Overall, I think the iOS7 is a great addition to Apple. Apple also recently came out with the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c. The iPhone 5c is a more affordable, iPhone that is also colorful, getting away from the traditional black or white iPhones. The iPhone 5s has a finger print sensor so that your phone is private to only you. It also has new technology within the camera.

I think Apple is in a sense a symbol of my generation and is leading us to the future of technology today. It fascinates me how much is possible with new technology. Apple technology is leading the way.

Why argue with the Pope?

Why argue with the Pope? Pope Francis, the bishop of Rome as head of the Roman Catholic Church, recently said that a person’s sexuality shouldn’t keep them away from the Church. Francis said compassion should be one of the church's main priorities.

In history, the Catholic branch of the Christian religion has been against people who were homosexual. However, in this day and age, I believe, Pope Francis should be able to make this statement. At this point in history, we should be able to love who we love and still be loved and accepted at Church. Someone's sexuality shouldn't keep them away from a religion.

Pope Francis said he had a vision of an inclusive church, a “home for all”. This contradicts what Catholics have believed for years.

An article in The New York Times has quoted Pope Francis saying, “We have to find a new balance, otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.”

This article can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/world/europe/pope-bluntly-faults-churchs-focus-on-gays-and-abortion.html?_r=0

The Pope also spoke about abortion and birth control. The traditional Catholic belief is that women of the Catholic religion should not have abortions or take birth control medication. However, in the last several years it has been debated a lot in the religion on whether they should keep preaching of this.

Also in the article by the New York Times (link above), Pope Francis said, “This church with which we should be thinking is the home of all, not a small chapel that can hold only a small group of selected people.”

I think Pope Francis, is a remarkable person for speaking on behalf of his own personal beliefs. In this day, it is not right to be against homosexuality. Times have changed, however God has always loved all. Like Pope Francis said, God doesn’t love or hate you because of your sexuality, I very much agree with this statement. God loves all his children. This is somehow forgotten.

I believe that if you are homosexual or you take birth control because you don’t want to have a child, then you should still be accepted by the Catholic Church. God still loves you no matter what and the Church should accept you for you are, if you are a follower of God. Homosexuality doesn’t define the kind of person you are. God loves you, even in sin, if you ask for forgiveness God will be there for you through it all, regardless of your sexuality.

Homecoming week, why change tradition?

This week, here at Kennedy, it is Homecoming week. The dance is tomorrow and the game is tonight, Go Cougars!

 

For Homecoming week we also had Powder puff football and a parade. Powder puff is when girls from each grade make a team and play flag football against each other. The parade was to showcase different clubs and activities at our school as well as for the Top 7 Girls and Boys Candidates to ride in.

 

So it’s safe to say that Homecoming week is very eventful and enjoyable. We also have spirit week this week, meaning everyone in the school gets to wear some crazy outfits. This year however, the tradition of the themes has changed.

 

Usually, change doesn’t bother me. This change, does. We used to have a lazy day (which we still did this year), a twin day where you matched your friends, a Crayola day, where each class would wear a different color, a spirit day, and a Just Drew It day for one of our fellow classmates who died of cancer this past year. This year we had lazy day, America day, pink day, neon day and tomorrow we have Hawaiian day.

 

            I know these don’t sound so bad but I would’ve like to have had a day to wear school colors like a spirit day. Also, I was really upset that we did not support Drew with a Just Drew It day. I feel that is disrespectful to not honor our classmate Drew, who was one of the nicest, more caring person and even had a smile on his face through all his struggle. Also, his brother is a student at Kennedy, and his aunt is a volleyball coach, so I feel like it would show the family lots of respect to know that we all still mourn for Drew.

Other students have also shared that they do not appreciate the change in tradition. Student Government at Kennedy makes the decisions for the spirit week themes. I feel that if Student Government wanted to represent Kennedy better, they would maybe hand out a survey to see what other people feel would be a good option for spirit week. It would be nice if the decisions made by Student Government were in favor of other students that are not part of Student Government.

 

Even though I disagree with the Student Government on the stand point of spirit week, I do think it is very nice for them to donate their time to help set up for then dance and other things this week. Regardless of my opinion on this year’s spirit week, Homecoming week is a fun week for all students and it is nice that the Administration, and Student Government at our school organize all these events for us.

 

My final thought on all of this is, why change tradition?