Study Shows Crude Oil Is Huge Factor To War After All

We have all heard the so-called "crack pot" (and occasional scholar) insisting that Iraq was only fought for the oil that was abundant in the area. Most people dismiss this kind of person as "insane" or a conspiracy theorist.

However, a new study conducted by British universities takes data from a series of 69 countries who have had civil wars between 1945 and 1999, and the outcome suggests some of these conspiracy nuts aren't nuts after all.

So what was the overarching result? That foreign oil drives external intervention of civil war. Not just by a small data budge either. In fact, in countries with crude oil reserves, outside intervention was almost 100 times more likely in civil conflict.

So what does that say about the military intervention of countries in these wars? 

It shows that, although misguided by the words of scheming politicians, many people are being fooled by those they've elected to see military involvement in foreign affairs as a moral-favor. However, that may not be as much of the case as people are lead to believe.

That's all I have to say today, but I'll be back tomorrow.

"Anyone who has ever struggled with being in poverty, knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor." -James Baldwin 

Facebook Surrenders.

On Monday, it was reported that a Turkish court ordered Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg to remove photos of the prophet Mohammad. If he refused to comply, Turkey threatened to remove access to Facebook altogether. 

So, of course, Zuckerburg rolled over in compliance with Turkey's decision. This is the same Mark Zuckerburg who so readily announced, not even a month ago, "je suis Charlie" in an act of free-speech defense. 

We almost let North Korea keep us from releasing The Interview.
We almost let extremists tell us what we were allowed to write in newspapers.
Now we're going to let a Turkish court tell us what we're allow to view on Facebook?

The idea that anyone should be able to get offended, and by association, remove content from the internet or the eyes of the public as a result, is utter insanity. It goes directly against the ideals of free speech and free press.

Zuckerburg's hypocrisy is one more factor in the forming of a dangerous precedent working against a free-speech-society.

That's all I have to say today, but I'll be back tomorrow.

"If you love two people at the same time, choose the second one. Because if you really loved the first one, you wouldn't have fallen for the second." -Johnny Depp

Hereford v. Huntsville Board of Education

The case between Sunny Hereford and the Huntsville Board of Education has been one on the subject of desegregation. In this case, the Court declared that certain practices by Huntsville City Schools needed to be reviewed, as Huntsville was under a federal desegregation order.

From this case, a Consent Order was drawn out to provide a pathway toward change. There are many changes being put into place, and to help better understand some of these changes I will help summarize and simplify this outline that has been drawn up.

Normally, teachers would do their best to explain these sort of issues, however, students will not be able to rely on them for this information. Their (always intelligent) superintendent has given them a gag order, assuring they are not able to pass any judgement on the matter.

I will start with the schools being affected by these changes. There will be a series of schools closing and opening. Of these, there are:

• Johnson (2015) and Butler High School (2016) will both be closing.
• Jemison High School (2016) will be opening.
• Hereford Elementary School will replace University Place Elementary.
• A New (Unnamed, as of now) school will close to replace Morris Elementary and Westlawn Middle School.

However, those are not the only (or even close to) the only students affected. The Majority-to-Minority transfer system will be revised, and more students will likely be moved out of their home-districts as a result of these revisions.

Magnet schools have been a large part of Huntsville's system for a long time, but their usage, number, and role will be raised. AAA, ASFL, Lee's Creative and Performing Arts Program, New Century's Technology Academy, and Columbia's Baccalaureate Program will remain.

However, there will be a new program known as "College Academy" which will begin in 2016 at Jemison High. This academy will let students simultaneously earn a high school diploma, as well as two years of college credits to very specific universities in Alabama. The priority of slots to College Academy will be given to McNair Junior High School students, however, anyone can enroll.

The Law Academy will be discontinued once the class enrolled as of 2016 (the opening of Jemison) has graduated 12th grade. After this, the classes of Law Academy will be come non-magnet extracurricular classes of Jemison High.

Huntsville City Schools will also set up a Pre-K class for every elementary school in the district, to ensure children have a grasp on basic concepts before they begin elementary school.

Huntsville City Schools will set up a Central office administrator to oversee elementary school gifted education programs.

They will set up a more promising and beneficial AP and accelerated mathematical curriculum, as well as implementing new benchmark assessments for said classes.

The school district will also create an entirely new program of "PSTs" or Problem Solving Teams, where students who are at risk of not graduating will be granted assistance through individual strategies, including not suspending students for skipping of being tardy.

There are many, many drastic changes that will be set in place for students in Huntsville City Schools, and I heavily encourage every person involved to either read the entirety of the consent order or (much more reasonably) the summary of said order.

These changes are vital to Huntsville to say the least, and it is important that we understand there are definitely good and bad parts to this order. We must see it as such, and be willing to fix it's issues, embrace its strengths, and focus on what is best for the education of the coming generation of kids.

That's all I have to say today, but I'll be back tomorrow.

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." -Nelson Mandela

Koch Brothers Plan On Spending 900 Million Dollars in 2016 Elections

Until recently, it seemed as though most people had never heard of the now-infamous Koch brothers. However, their family has been active in the corporate world, as well as the political world, for quite some time. Once their father died, however, the overwhelming privacy faded away, and now Charles G. and David H. Koch are political celebrities.

The brothers have now come out and said they plan on spending as much as 900 million dollars in the upcoming 2016 presidential elections. Not only do they plan on spending 900 million, but they plan on putting money into both sides of the race.

The Kochs and all their political and economic affiliates have built a strong operation that aims at every statistic, including young voters and minorities.

If you're unaware of the numbers of politics, in the 2012 election the same Koch brothers spent 400 million, which at the time was an astonishing amount of money.

So why does this effect the average public? Well, it proposes a modest question which we all must ask ourselves? That question being; is corporate money circulating around politics safe for liberty, the economy, or anti-corruption efforts.

Although money is one key factor, and necessity, during campaign elections, thus being the pro, with such large quantities like 900 million dollars, at what point are the parties and electorates no longer in control of themselves? At what point are they simply marionettes being danced around by large corporate giants like the Koch brothers?

That's all I have to say today, but I'll be back tomorrow.

"If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It's fatal." -Paulo Coelho

Greek Election Results In: Left Wins

The poll results for the general election came in, and the left-wing Syriza party, lead by Alexis Tsipras, has taken victory. This wasn't a particular shock considering a partial poll showed that the Syriza party held around 36.5% of public favor, while their head opponent, the right-wing, New Democracy party, only held around 27.7%.

Upon victory, Tsipras said that the country's group of constant lenders is "finished", in a jab at his right-wing opponent and Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras.

This new victory means that the party will take 150 of the 300 seats in Greek Parliament, just one shy of an overall majority. Following the victory, hundreds of supporters went to the streets waving flags in support of the recently-powered party.

Although this is of vast importance in Greece, why does it pertain to the more Western countries? The answer is worldwide economics.

Greece's economy has been one of the worst off of the developed first world countries, borrowing a vast amount of money from the so-called "Troika", including a 240 billion euro bailout in 2010.

"The verdict of our people means the Troika is finished."

So, the world will watch and wait to see what this new shift in power means for the people of Greece.

"Maybe this is why we read, and why in moments of darkness we return to books; to find words for what we already know." -Alberto Manguel

 

 

31 Dead and 7,000 Arrested in Bangladesh Unrest

Civil unrest in this day in age are far from uncommon, stretching from Palestine to Greece and from Missouri to Venezuela. This is no different in the small, South Asian country of Bangladesh, where 31 have been killed in mass, violent protests in support of fresh parliamentary elections.

The majority of these dead were killed in arson attacks on buses, unlike the two most recent victims who died in the hospital as a result from injuries received by a bomb attack.


These oppositions are lead by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party allied with 19 other political parties, and call for the nationwide protest and blockade of roads, railroads, and river transport. The now-passed elections were boycotted by the BNP and the former Bangladeshian Prime Minister Khaleda Zia who said the elections were going to be inevitably rigged by the
government, and demanded the elections be conducted by a neutral party.

This system of neutral care taking was the method of choice until it was scrapped by the governing Awami League in 2010. This change, along with the Awami leader, Sheikh Hasina, refusing to meet the B.N.P.'s requests, lead to more than one-half of the 300-seat parliament going unchallenged in the election.

To most citizens in the United States and other non-involved countries, this may simply sound like another headline that drifts across a news anchor's monotone voice, but to 31 families this is the definition of true tragedy.

That is all I have to say today, but I'll be back Monday.

"There are all kinds of love in the world, but never the same love twice." -F. Scott Fitzgerald

Happy Birthday

I will not be posting anything today as it is my birthday and I will be spending it with my family.

Thank you.

Some Highlights of the State of the Union Address

Politics is a brutal and often tragic (but simultaneously inevitable) part to the life of every American citizen. However, even as the non-ruling class of the era, it is extremely important for us to see all that our predecessors accomplish (or don't) and learn (or disregard) from the mistakes and strengths they employ.

So, with that, I have taken some of the highlights and quotes of 2015's State of the Union Address, and will do my best to illustrate these highlights.

"That is why I'm sending Congress a bold new plan to lower the cost of Community College (applause) to zero!"

I have previously stated my overwhelming support for this plan of free higher education which would induct America into the many countries that have already taken that path. The movement toward free higher education would mean a more educated society, and as a direct result, cultural and scientific progress that the world undoubtedly craves.

"If you truly believe you can make less than 15,000 dollars a year and support a family, try it."

This statement regarding the heightening of nationwide minimum wage was truly a bold way to start of the Address. This remark was quite the shot at Congressmen who are against the proposition, which has long been a key point for Congressional Democrats.

"I intend to protect a free and open internet."

I was personally thrilled to hear this from the president as that same ideology has been under attack more times in the past 5 years than I could count on my fingers (including but not limited to SOPA, CISPA, CIPA, PIPA, DOPA, and the like). However, the president also introduced the issue of cybersecurity later in his speech, and it is often hard to have safety in both areas. So, like all things, we will have to keep close watch on it.

"That's how America leads. Not with bluster, but with precision and resolve."

This moment was much more sentimental and a line that hit American's right in their exceptionalism glands. Regardless, it did provide the President with the much needed humanity he must show towards his citizens.

"With Cuba, we are ending a policy that is long past its expiration date. (Applause) When what you're doing doesn't work for fifty years, it's time to try something new."

This addressed the controversial decision and movement toward destroying the Cuban-American embargo that has separated our countries for so long. He held up a great point in this moment when he says that a fifty year long, non-working plan is just that. Non-working.

"A better politics isn't where democrats abandon their agenda, or where Republicans simply embrace mine. A better politics is where we debate without demonizing each other."

This statement could not be more true. Politics in America has become a lot of gridlocked jargon that benefits absolutely no one involved. Moving past this ignorant history of bitter arguments is the first step in assuring a safe future for the coming generations. 

"My fellow Americans, we too are a strong tight-knight family. We too have made it through some very hard times."

This is another line that was designed to hit Americans right in their sentiment and ideally give them a sense of unity. Fortunately for the President, it most definitely worked. Perhaps it is due to the fragment of truth within the statement. America is working its way out of hard times and will only be able to do it together.

That's all I have to say today, I'll be back tomorrow.

"What makes you a man isn't having the ability to conceive a child. It's having the courage to raise one." -United States President Barack Obama

Charts That Have Americans Scratching Their Heads

Recently a series of economic and social statistics were collaborated together and have Americans wondering what exactly is going on. Naturally, as we should always remember, economics are never black and white and there are several factors you can never fully take into account. However, the numbers do not quite add up.

Within the past 35 years (since 1979) worker productivity has gone up 80% and the income of the top 1% has increased 240%. However, (adjusted for inflation) the average American wage has hardly moved, only going up about 8%.

picture via Mother Jones News

So the conversation has begun to float around politics and a more progressive economic agenda could be on the rise. Some will likely argue that the reason could also be a result of government intrusion on the economy. Regardless, the result will indoubtedly vary.

picture via Worthwhile.Typepad.com

Meanwhile, economic growth has picked up following the recession, but job employment has failed to do so. Although economics is no simple matter, those numbers are not deniable. (These numbers are specifically the G7.)

picture via World Policy Forum

Here you can see that 1. America is one of the few countries in the world that does not give its workers a designated amount of available time off a week. Growing up in America that concept may be rather alien to most readers, but America is one of only 15 countries in the world without that worker benefit. 2. American is also one of only 8 countries in the world that does not guarantee its workers paid leave every year. 3. America is one of only 5 countries in the world that guarantees its workers paid maternity leave.

That's not to say that companies do not necessarily provide these benefits (most do not, some do) but it is not required of them.

So although these statistics are shocking, be sure to take them with a grain of salt as much of the world of economics is not as simple as any politician or economic "expert" makes it out to be. Regardless, there is definitely something to be said about the numbers that are at hand.

So, that is all I have to say today, but I'll be back tomorrow.

"Waste no time arguing what a good man should be. Be one." -Marcus Aurelius

Fox News Apologizes For Fabricated Comments

It has been a rather rough week for Fox News after they made some rather moronic comments on air. I say moronic with very loaded language, but perhaps not loaded enough considering it was so dishonest even the Prime Minister of Great Britain had to speak up against Dox's ignorant remarks.

Fox's terrorism "expert" Steve Emerson had repetitive conversations about so-called "No Go Zones", or certain neighborhoods in Great Britain that were so Muslim-populated the police would not go there and non-Muslim citizens were smartest to stay away from them as well. According to Mr. Emerson there are:

“actually Muslim religious police that actually beat and actually wound seriously anyone who doesn't dress according to religious Muslim attire.”

No, there actually aren't.

Prime Minister David Cameron was upset to say the least.

"When I heard this, frankly, I choked on my porridge and I thought it must be April Fool's Day. This guy is clearly a complete idiot."

Emerson later apologized for his unfactual commends, and Pirro furthered an apology stating that she should have challenged his statements, as they were not rooted in any real knowledge what-so-ever.

That's all I have to say, but I'll be back tomorrow.

"People often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when it is served up." -Tyrion Lannister

Man Receives 1000 Lashes For... What?

Imagine a crime so disgustingly vile that it called for 10 years in prison paired with 50 public floggings, once a week, for five straight months. A crime that terrible would only be reserved for an extremely hanus crime at best, naturally. That is, unless you are blogger Raif Badawi of Saudi Arabia.

Badawi, a father of three, was charged for "insulting Islam" when he set up a public website for open debate and discussion.

An eye witness described the scene thusly;

“Raif was escorted from a bus and placed in the middle of the crowd, guarded by eight or nine officers. He was handcuffed and shackled but his face was not covered — everyone could see his face. A security officer approached him from behind with a huge cane and started beating him. Raif raised his head towards the sky, closing his eyes and arching his back. He was silent, but you could tell from his face and his body that he was in real pain.”

As the man was brutally lashed, the crowd surrounding him repetitively shouted "Allah-hu Akbar" repetitively. His wife had this to say;

“Raif told me he is in a lot of pain after his flogging, his health is poor and I'm certain he will not be able to cope with another round of lashes.”

Following his arrest, his wife and children fled for Canada.

Although this kind of punishment should not be surprising from the country of Saudi Arabia, there is no doubt that it shocks the world every time it witnesses such a putrid crime against humanity. The quote that repetitively comes to mind for me is that of writer George R.R. Martin in the shape of his character Tyrion Lannister;

"When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar. You're only telling the world you fear what he may say."

I wish there was more to be said on behalf of Raif Badawi, except that he is simply one more victim in a long war against the freedom of speech and the freedom of press. He deserves the utmost support along with any help we can give him. With that said there is a petition to free him, although I do not know how efficient it could be, I will link it here regardless.

That's all I have to say today, but I'll be back Monday.

"We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope." -Martin Luther King Jr.

Why We Should Not Parallel Muslims With Terrorism

We've all heard the phrase "Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims" thrown around once and a while. This includes the time, of course, that Fox News Reporter and idiot-with-a-microphone, Brian Kilmeade, said it in a follow up discussion to an O'Reilly appearance on "The View".

It's an assumption that many people (not well educated on the matter) would assume, and often do. However, people may be surprised to find that those who have committed terrorist attacks in Europe and the U.S.

This is wild to assume, as the majority of people have been wildly mislead by the mainstream media. Then how many were religiously motivated? Recent statistics show that less than 2% of recent terror attacks were committed by Muslims. In fact, the large majority were committed by separatist groups according to the European Union Law Enforcement report on terrorism.

These groups are people such as France's FLNC, Greece's far-left Militant Popular Revolutionary Forces, and Italy's Anarchist group the FAI.

It is no mystery as to why we so rarely here of groups being responsible for incidents like these, especially when even the slightest hint that Anders Behring Breivik was a Christian terrorist, people were absolutely outraged, including, but not limited to, Fox's Bill O'Reilly.

What we should take from these statistics is that we are much too quick to paint a face onto extremism. These men who kill innocent people to try and press their values onto a people are not doing so in the name of an entire people. They're doing so out of ignorance and shallow thought.

We must remember that Muslims, often oppressed by uneducated stereotypes such as these, are often just as great of victims as anyone else involved.

That's all I have to say today, but I'll be back Monday.

"When men are pure, laws are useless; when men are corrupt, laws are broken." -Benjamin Disraeli

Ted Cruz Now In Charge of NASA.... WHY?!

With the overtaking of the branches of government by the Republican Party this term, reassignments are an inevitable occasion. Ideally positions in power, such as the heads of Senate Subcommittees, would be given to members who have proper credentials and experience in the field that that subcommittee has reign over.

Now, that would be ideal, but government has never worked the way that we would consider to be logical. This precedent was unshaken by Texas Republican Ted Cruz, one of the most outspoken deniers of climate change and was solely responsible for NASA's two week shut down (while he tried to extend it's shut down to, you know, forever when he attempted to slash their budget in 2013), was put in charge of the Senate Subcommittee of Space, Science, and Competitiveness.

Not only did he attempt to swipe at NASA's budget which would have effectively crippled the space agency, he remains hypocritical on the matter by saying that it is "critical that the United States ensure its continued leadership in Space."

Well, that is all well and fine, but it would be hard for the United States to maintain Space leadership without a Space Agency. 

That is all without even touching the climate-change-denying side of Ted Cruz with a ten foot rod. It isn't uncommon (as a matter of fact, it's almost guaranteed) for a Republican to be against climate change, but Senator Cruz clings to the far extremes of his part on the matter.

He believes, not only is climate change not man made, but that it is not happening at all. He avidly denies the existence of the changing climate of Earth, despite these past 14 years containing 13 of the hottest years we have ever recorded.

That's not just sticking to your guns, that is pure blissful ignorance and disregarding of data, which is, as you may have guessed, not science!

I hope, for the sake of the progression of science in the United States, this trend does not continue and Senator Cruz takes this job extremely seriously.

That's all I have to say today, but I'll be back tomorrow.

"The good thing about science is that it's true, whether you believe it or not." -Neil deGrasse Tyson

Hypocrisy Is Abundant In Paris March

Although the overwhelming support for the Charlie Hebdo newspaper is more than amazing for free speech and free press supporters, unfortunately there is trouble in paradise. This past Sunday in France around 3.7 million leaders and citizens marched together in support of the newspaper shooting victims' families.

However, the hypocrisy of some attendants is absolutely undeniable and far-beyond unignorable. Many of the political attendants are either personally responsible, or are direct representatives of those responsible, for the violent and aggressive suppression of free speech and press.

We'll take the time to cover a few;

The Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom: Recently, in act of clear free speech violation, carried out the absolute destruction of documents held in the basement of The Guardian. They then threatened the newspaper with judicial prosecution if they continued to report on controversial surveillance uncoverings of the U.S. and the U.K. The Guardian later reported that the authorities forced them to destroy several documents containing documents that were leaked by Edward Snowden.

Prime Minister Kopacz of Poland: In an act of complete aggression against the mere idea of freedom of speech, Polish authorities raided a local magazine which was posting the conversations secretly recorded between Polish politicians. The authorities declared aim to obtain the recordings and "secure" them. The editors initially refused to give up their computers citing their constitutional rights (via the Polish Constitution) to protect their sources. Their editor-in-chief refused to surrender his laptop, had a brief struggle with an officer who tried to destroy the computer when the editor resisted, and showed what the word "secure" really means for police.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas: In Palestine there was recently a journalist jailed for a one year sentence on the charge, the second in 2014, for "insulting" the Authority President by comparing him to a character in a TV show playing the role of a French spy.

Prime Minister Samaras of Greece: In the recent Greek protests (and following riots) police beat and seriously injured two different journalists during the same demonstration.

These are only a few of the many countries who are beyond hypocritical for these actions including The United States, Qatar, Bahrain, Mali, NATO (Not a country, but still a participating plaster saint), Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Tunisia, The United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Russia, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, and Jordan.

The Reporters Without Borders have expressed their disgust at these events on several occasions, and rightly so. This repulsive show of complete disregard for the freedoms of press and speech are a worrisome trend that we, as citizens, must face.

So I stand with Charlie Hebdo, not in some overly romanticized aspect, but thoroughly in the way of speaking what you desire to speak. That is something we all must be willing to fight for no matter what the price is, because if we don't no one will.

That's all I have to say today, but I'll be back tomorrow.

"How odd I can have all this inside me, and to you it's just words." -David Foster Wallace

Boko Haram's Deadliest Massacre Yet

Recently, in Paris, there was horrific tragedy as a result of an attack on freedom of speech and the nature of satire. The outcry against the group and it's effects were phenomenal and the public has stood with the victims.

However, the public has a much greater tragedy lurking in the shadows, with much larger demons to answer to.

In an act of Islamic extremism, the terrorist group known as Boko Haram launched its most deadly attack in its short history. 

The group attacked and seized a town on the border of Chad known as Baga, where they seized a key military base, and later attacked again. District Head Baba Abba Hassan said that most victims of the attack were children, women, or the elderly who could not run fast enough once the group charged the town and shot assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades at citizens.

The total count, as of now, is somewhere around the number of 2,000 innocent civilians dead as a result of the attack.

I am on the edge of speechless over these kinds of acts of terror. 2,000 lives completely erased, 2,000 libraries burned to the ground, 2,000 lights doused, and all so that a group of heartless monsters could try and make an outdated, uneducated political statement.

The issue that we will always see after a disgustingly horrific event like this is people desiring a group to point the finger at. We must remember that these people do not represent the ideology of the majority of Muslims. They spit on the name and beliefs that they so thoroughly "support", and present an incorrect facade for the rest of their people.

So do not be so quick to point fingers, for these people are not Muslim. They are simply monsters.

"Sleep is good, and books are better." -Tyrion Lannister, Game of Thrones

Obama Proposes Huge College Plan

Norway, Sweden, and Germany are all very well known for their free higher education programs offered to citizens. Naturally, there are upsides and downsides (but a whole lot of upsides) to this completely free method of education. But now, America may be making movement to join these countries.

America's higher education (specifically, college.) has always been known to be extremely costly for their citizens producing all sorts of economic problems for many years following. 

However, that may soon become less of a problem due to President Barack Obama's new proposed plan he intends to push forward.

In this new plan, community college would be free to any person who could maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher. In an extremely rare act of bipartisan showmanship Republicans Bill Haslam, Lamar Alexander, and Bob Corker will be joining President Obama when he announces his proposal in Tennessee today.

The idea here is clear, and that idea is that President Barack would like to extend standard education from K-12 to K-College.

I put my wholehearted support behind this plan and anything we can do to see to it that we can economically and politically accomplish this goal. Although every plan has holes, I have said on several occasions that there is nothing more crucial to a society than the education of its citizens.

With that, I am excited to hear the extent of this proposed idea and all that we could benefit from it.

That's all I have to say today, but I'll be back tomorrow.

"Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor." -Alexia Carrell

America Stands With France

Early on January 7th, 2015 in Paris, France there was a tragic and horrific shooting on a French satirical newspaper, killing twelve people. The newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, was attacked by masked, armed gunmen stormed the office and killed the twelve, whose names were later posted in Le Monde and Le Figaro newspapers.

The attack was directly related to a cartoon drawing poking fun at the Muslim prophet Muhammad. This link was most obviously shown due to the gunmen screaming "avenged Muhammad".

Among those killed were Stéphane Charbonnier, 47, who was known professionally as Charb; Jean Cabut, 76, who used the pen name Cabu; Georges Wolinski, 80; Philippe Honoré, 73; and Bernard Verlhac, 57, who wrote as Tignous, Bernard Maris, a columnist, Elsa Cayat, a psychoanalyst, Michel Renaud, Frédéric Boisseau, Franck Brinsolaro, and Ahmed Merabet.

There are no words for the true tragedy that takes place when an event like this rises through the news, as innocent lives are taken away. 

So, John Kerry's message on the incident rings truly in my ears when he told the French people that America stands with them. 

President Obama stated:

"The fact that this was an attack on journalists, attack on our free press, also underscores the degree to which these terrorists fear freedom of speech and freedom of the press [...] But the one thing that I'm very confident about is that the values that we share with the French people, a belief - a universal belief in the freedom of expression, is something that can't be silenced because of the senseless violence of the few,"

He couldn't be more correct in saying that we share the belief of freedom of expression, and we will always be willing to fight for that.

That's all I have for today, but I'll be back tomorrow.

"I am not afraid of retaliation. I have no kids, no wife, no car, no credit. It perhaps sounds a bit pompous, but I prefer to die standing than to live on my knees." -Stéphane "Charb" Charbonnier

Boehner Back As Speaker of the House

The newly Republican-controlled Congress got off to a rather rocky start today when 24 case-and-file Republicans voted against John Boehner retaking the position of Speaker of the House.

There will always be 1 or 2 anti-conformists in most political situations, but for 24 Republicans to vote against what was assumedly the main choice amongst most Republicans shows some splintered loyalties in Congress.

This shows that, although the vast majority are still clinging to the leg of their mothers, there are floaters in Congress who are truly ready to make proper change. That can be assumed based on the fact that Boehmer has never practiced much above partisan hackery, especially as Speaker in his past two terms.

So maybe this does show that there is a small faction who desire to move toward a bipartisan system where both parties can actually work together in the desire for the best of the citizens. However, if that's the case they are still in the far minority of their party.

With numbers like having the most hated Congress ever, sitting at 11% approval rating from their constituents, but 96% re-election ratings, there is no doubt that the citizens desire for change to come. However, you don't make change with 96% re-election of the same people, so perhaps it's attributed to citizens desiring change but fearing to grasp it, or perhaps it's attributed to the majority of young people refusing to vote.

Whatever the case may be, this Congress has assured us they want to move forward, so we'd be smart to hold them accountable to that promise.

That's all I've got for today, but I'll be back again tomorrow.

"It's very important to actively seek out and listen very closely to negative feedback." -Elon Musk

NYPD Decides That Peace and Lawfulness Is Not Worth It

On December 27th, Officer Liu and Officer Ramos of the New York Police Department were shot and killed by an armed shooter who connected himself (quite falsely) with the I Can't Breathe and Black Live Matter movements.

At their funerals, Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke to the attendants and on both occasions the New York Police officer's who attended turned their backs to the Mayor in a silent protest. This happened much more so at Ramos's funeral (which came first) than at Liu's, but it occurred both times.

They did this in protest to Bill de Blasio taking the side of citizens during the police brutality protests of late. The Commissioner stated several times that there was "blood on the hands" of City Hall and Mayor Bill de Blasio.

So, the officers decided to suit up into their uniforms, attend a funeral, and then make their political statement.

Although, I do consider it necessary in every situation for the public to protest and voice their opinion, this backlash from the NYPD is absolutely absurd.

All political reasoning aside, these officers used another officer's funeral as a time to spark their protest against the mayor. It does not matter what the situation is, that is nothing above disrespectful.

Also, the reasoning has been applied repetitively that the Mayor should stand by his police department at all costs and deal with issues behind closed doors. Although the logic there is reasonable, the Mayor is hired as a voice of the people, and he is suppose to represent his constituents.

As well, one retired officer, Tom Burke, who reflected on the NYPD's philosophy of the situation stated that Mayor de Blasio has "always been a cop hater" and drew a parallel to his friendship with Reverend Al Sharpton as evidence of his claim. That alone seems borderlining ignorance.

So although protest and forming educated opinion is important, this entire situation is entirely melodramatic. Officers Liu and Ramos will be remembered, but asking a Mayor to not stand beside his citizens is entirely ridiculous.

That's all I have for today, but I'll be back tomorrow.

"The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable." -James A. Garfield

What To Know About North Korean and America

There is not doubt that amongst the disputes over The Interview and the typical hatred speak between North Korea and the United States, there is a lot of confusion as to what exactly is going on.

First, America has recently issued all new sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, barring them from the U.S.'s financial system and entrance into the country. These are not the first of the sanctions, which also includes those that were placed due to the country's nuclear program.

So, some North Koreans believe that these sanctions give Kim Jong Un and his administration the ability to take less responsibility for its weak economy and its millions of starving citizens.

This shouldn't be particularly surprising to anyone as it has been made very clear the country will use all outside-events and, very particularly, sanctions placed against it to fuel its strong anti-American agenda and propaganda.

Regardless, we should all accept that these sanctions likely will not drastically hurt North Korea, who has been under sanctions for over a decade now.

The new sanctions target 10 North Korean government officials and 3 corporations, including Pyongyang's primary intelligence agency and arms dealer. However, it's unlikely the sanctions will greatly shake the North Korean's government soundness, as the tasks of those targeted will likely just be passed off to another corporation or individual.

However, we can all sleep soundly confident that this whole situation will likely not affect the situation between North and South Korea, who have been communicating back and forth more frequently in an attempt to strength ties between the two countries. 

The two nations have always had a very strong love-hate relationship which can maintain well-oiled communication while simultaneously sending hate speech and threats back and forth to each other.

That's all I have for today, but I'll be posting again tomorrow.

"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." -Friedrich Nietzcshe

A Look Back At 2014

With 2014 now at an end, we all like to form new "resolutions" or tell ourselves all that we will change about ourselves in the coming year. Although the New Year provides (often short-lived) inspiration for these changes, it is always important to remember our pasts and all that we have lived through. With that, I would like to take the time to look back to 2014 and all that the year provided us.

Ebola

The great spark up of Ebola in East and Central Africa was a shock for many, and sparked panic in the hearts of many citizens around the world. The initial shock eventually wore off and suddenly the average citizen began to understand that although this was a serious issue to be dealt with, the common person was in no real danger. We could also take from this that we often dramatically overreact to tragedy, especially in cases such as Governor Chris Christie's uneducated (shocking) quarantine of nurse Kaci Hickox.

Ferguson and Staten Island

These two similar, yet simultaneously dramatically different, cases shook the foundations of American lives and gripped the throat of many politicians. With the death of Michael Brown, protests sparked up in Ferguson, Missouri and the militaristic-style response from the police lead Americans to wonder exactly what it was they were allowing their law enforcement to become. The protests turned violent and quickly became riots, and suddenly everyone was willing to point fingers.

Then, with the death of Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York City came a case much like Michael Browns (in the way of police-brutality and unnecessary use of force on a minority) only without all the vague details of Michael Brown's case. There was no disputing autopsies or unreliable witness statements, but instead there was a video for everyone to see for themselves. Despite that, the cop still got off without any sort of punishment. This problem has, unfortunately, not been taken care of once and for all, and I thoroughly believe will continue to be a subject to talk about for years to come. We must remember to be willing to draw the line in trusting law enforcement, and blind faith.

Russia Invades Ukraine

This dirty trick played by Russia left most people scratching their heads and wondering: "Are... Are they allowed to do that?" Of course, the answer is no, but despite condemnations from the West, Russia was never truly punished for the notorious act that was invading their bordering-neighbor. At first, Russian President and shirtless legend, Vladimir Putin, denied their involvement with the Russian-speaking and Russian-uniformed men who claimed they were Russian stating they were "local self defense units".

Naturally, that excuse fell apart and a full scale war erupted between the people of Ukraine and anyone willing to step on their agenda. As of now, Russia is losing it's international grasp economically and can no longer afford full-scale war on their neighbors.

Robin Williams Dies

Although Robin's death did not involve the invasion of a small country, a racial segregation movement, or the outbreak of a deadly disease, Robin Williams' death had a significant impact, even if it hurt the public a little to swallow. Robin Williams was a comedian and actor whose deep-smile could have lifted the spirits of any downed soul. That is why when the public heard of his suicide via hanging, the large majority of people were taken back by the details.

From this, never forget that there is always much more to people than we can ever initially see at first-look. Each life is individual, intricate, and complicated as yours and mine.

Me

I close my year knowing that within the past few months my life has changed so dramatically in so many ways, including this blog. I am no professional writer or artist, but I love doing what I do. One year ago, I was in ROTC and near-positive that I was going to join the military immediately after high school. One day, I decided I wanted to read more broadly and discover more things than what I had heard growing up my entire life.

Because of that decision I am vastly and permanently changed in ways that I would have never seen myself changing. Now, I'm a pacifist who loves art, reading, and writing.

One year is a long time, so make sure that it counts for something. With that, I officially close off my year of 2014, and start the New Year.