White House pushes online privacy bill of rights

Matt 2
Technology
White House pushes online privacy bill of rights David Goldman
CNN February 23
(551/2)

Main Idea:

The White House is pushing for a new bit of legislation regarding the internet. This new bill focuses on protecting personal information given to corporations when people sign up for their services. Previously, corporations used a Do Not Track option for people to opt out of having their personal information stored. However, people said that this process was 'long and complicated.' This action taken by the U.S. Government is in response to an increase of online fraud and customer confusion to how and how often they are being tracked. The framework of this bill is very basic, and also carries little water, containing little phrases like, "Companies should offer consumers clear and simple choices, presented in times and ways that enable consumers to make meaningful decisions." Corporations are anticipated to sign up for this bill under 'good faith,' because they would want to protect their customers and ensure that their personal information remained protected. Those who are under this bill are then punishable by the FTC for any violation.

Conclusion:

The White House is trying to pass a bill that forces corporations to offer people a clear choice whether they want their personal information stored. There has been an increase of fraud and confusion regarding the internet, so the government is seeking to make it very black and white when people sign up for services. However, corporations not are obligated to sign up for this, so the bill isn't very strong at all.

Proview and Apple iPad Trademark Dispute

Daniel P.                                                                                                                       1

Proview and Apple iPad Trademark Dispute

Proview, Apple iPad Dispute: Lower China Court Rules In Favor Of Shenzen Proview Technology In Trademark Battle                                                                                         By Elaine Kurtenbach

The Huffington Post                                                                                    02/20/12

669 words

Apple and Proview (an American and Chinese company respectively), have been having a dispute over the trademark name for the iPad. Apple says that it bought the name iPad from a Proview affiliate in Taiwan for $55,000. They bought the rights to the name from Shenzhen Proview Technology, which is a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Proview. The Intermediate People's Court in Huizhou (a Chinese city), has ruled in favor of Proview. This ruling stated that Proview was not bound by the sale that their branch made to Apple in Taiwan. Proview has asked authorities to stop iPad sales in 40 major cities. So far some cities have been taking iPads off the shelf, but not at a nation-wide level yet. Proview demanded $10 million dollars when the dispute originally arose.

            Apple will most likely win if they decide to continue this to the upper level courts, because this is not a case purely about legal patents. Because the government is so integrated into their economy, the government’s personal ruling of this subject matter will change the course of events. The government will rule in favor of Apple, because Apple, unlike Proview, provides many jobs for the Chinese economy. Proview is in debt, and their shares have been suspended from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. However, because Proview is only asking for $10 million dollars (assuming they don't ask for more now that they've won one court ruling), Apple may just pay them off so they could get sales in China running again.

Current Event Posting #1

Danielle
New Jersey Senate Votes to Legalize Gay Marriage
The New York Times
By Kate Zernike
Word Count: 864
Published, Feb. 13 2012

Main Ideas:

There was a change in the status of the same sex marriage bill in New Jersey today. The legislation has a vote on Thursday in the State Assembly. Even if the bill passes legislation, as expected, Gov. Chris Christie will veto the bill, trying his hardest to overturn the idea of same sex marriage in New Jersey. Senate president,Stephen M. Sweeney, who abstained from voting two years ago when the bill passed through the senate, recently changed his vote. Saying, "These are human beings with feelings that love their partners and they want to be married,". The bill which was reinstated today, found a huge advance, seeing that they received 10 more votes than 2 years ago when the bill was first introduced.

Conclusion:

Although 2 years ago the same bill was passed through congress and failed, today we see a change in the people of New Jersey. Overall we are able to see that if the bill gets 3 more votes from the Senate it will go through to the governor. It is up to him whether the bill is passed and same sex marriage is legal, or if he decides to veto the bill, and not legalize same sex marriage in the state of New Jersey.

Current Event Posting #1

Kimberly
Science
What's New? Exuberance for Novelty Has Benefits
By: John Tierney
The New York Times
Published: February 13, 2012
1 page


Main Ideas:
Ms. Gallagher states that searching for novelty is a large part of human survival. This is because it helps us as humans, learn to cope with migration, and adapting to a new environment. Dr. Cloninger says that there must be a balance between this need for novelty, and the personal characteristics someone has in order to be successful. Sometimes without the assistance of certain characteristics, it can cause antisocial behavior in someone, or even attention deficit disorder.  Ms. Gallagher believes that all humans are neophiliacs, but to different degrees, and differ the regulation of dopamine, and these reactions have been linked to fast reaction times, and higher risk takers. The tendency for novelty seeking depends mostly on someone's upbringing, the local culture, and their stage of life. The urge for novelty drops by half between the ages of 20 and 60. This contributes to how much risk a person is willing to take, to change their future for the better. This new perspective can also be found in disorganized people who only do wishful thinking, hoping things will get better, but never taking any action.

Conclusion:
Although all people are neophiliacs, only some of them are successful, while others are not, and this is because of their balance of other characteristics. To achieve this balance, people must learn to what degree their novelty seeking personality is at, and understand how to counteract it in a way that will make it productive. Some of the characteristics that may change novelty seeking to a more adequate trait would be perseverance,  strong will, regulated impulses, etc, etc. Basically to make yourself a success, you must take control of your life, and understand how to make yourself a success. You are the bearer of both good and bad news, and your life is controlled by you. Don't let your life control you.

The Great Pill Debate (Posting # 1)

Topic: Civil Rights
Article from New York Times (Title, length, and author unknown)
Published on Jan 30 2012

Main Ideas:
In the past, it has been very hard for students at catholic universities to obtain birth control pills, even for purely medical reasons because the use of birth control pills is considered a sin by the catholic church. Since the insurance provided by their schools did not cover birth control pills, students either had to pay fr them out of their already small income, or face the consequences of not taking them.  However, The Obama administration has recently implemented a new health insurance plan that requires catholic universities to provide their students with birth control pills. Catholic officials consider this to be a violation of their right to freedom of religion. In fact, several catholic colleges, such as Belmont Abbey College, have already sued the Department of Health and Human Services. The Obama administration continues to insist that requiring catholic colleges to provide their students with birth control pills is the right thing to do, claiming that if these colleges' insurance plans do not cover birth control pills, students who get pregnant will adopt unhealthy habits, such as smoking and drinking, that will potentially cause harm to their unborn children.

Conclusion:
Legal battles have begun, and they will most likely go all the way to the supreme court. This is a very controversial issue, and neither side is all right or all wrong; both the Obama administration and the catholic universities have valid points and flaws in their arguments. While requiring catholic universities' insurance plans to cover birth control pills seems like a good idea, since 98 percent of sexually active catholic women use birth control pills or other forms of contraception even though it is technically a sin, or need, this new requirement still tramples on the first amendment rights of several catholics.

Opinion:
I think this dilemma has no good resolution; it seems like a lose-lose situation. While the new insurance plan makes birth control pills easily available to thousands of women who need them but normally would not be able to afford them, it violates the first amendment rights of everyone working at or attending the catholic universities. If the colleges refused to follow this insurance plan, protecting their right to freedom of religion, many women will be unable to obtain the birth control pills that they need. Either way, a group of people who have done nothing wrong will lose something important. I hope there will be a good compromise that can please as many people as possible.

Washington Gay Marriage Bill Signed into Law

Jasper
Post #1
Civil Rights

Huffington Post
Rachel La Corte
2/13/12
928 Words

Governor Chris Gregoire signed a measure today that legalizes same sex marriage in the state of Washington. In doing so, Washington has become the 7th state to legalize gay marriage. The law takes hold on June 7, however many opponents are already preparing legal ways to overturn this new law. These include referendum 73, which 120,577 signatures to push the law into a November vote. The house had passed the bill through with a 55-43 vote last week, and the senate had approved it the week before. After signing the bill Gregoire said "I'm proud our same sex couples will no longer be treated as separate but equal.

This bill is a huge step for the gay rights movement. States such as Maine, Maryland, and Minnesota are taking steps to follow Washington's footsteps. In California, prop 8 has recently been declared unconstitutional. This is just another step toward statewide acceptance

Laura H-Post 1

Topic: Political

Title of Article: Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court Justice, Robbed While On Vacation On Island Of Nevis

Author: Mike Sacks

Publication Name: Huffington Post

Date of Publication: 02/13/2012

Length of Article: 160 words

MAIN IDEAS

This was Stephen Breyer, a Supreme Court Justice, who was robbed while in his vacation home in the Carribean. A machete wielding intruder entered his house and robbed him of about 1000$ in cash. No one was hurt. Breyer has had several previous incidents, but those have rather been accidents more so than attacks. He is currently 72 years old. In 1993, a year before joining the court, he was hit by a car, breaking several ribs and puncturing a lung.

CONCLUSION

I think it is great that Stephen is okay, and that he was not hurt during this incident. I think it is also something to wonder at how safe his vacation homes are that he got robbed apparently so easily. I also find it quite funny in the first place that there was a whole article just on this justice getting robbed. Then again, the supreme court is very important and if one member gets hurt or even killed it means that the court has to take all that time to appoint another judge.

Study questions antidepressant link to suicide in kids

Calvin M.
Posting # 1
Topic: Health
Title: Study questions antidepressant link to suicide in kids
Author: Shari Roan
Date of Publication: February 6, 2012
Length: 351 words

Main Ideas:
In 2004, antidepressants were announced by the FDA that it causes an increase risk of suicide and suicidal thoughts in children and youths up to age 25. However, data taken from 41 clinical trials involving more than 9,000 children and adults show there is no reason to believe that antidepression influence suicidal thinking in kids. For the adults in these studies, its shown while taking either fluoxetine or velafxine the adults had decreased suicidal thoughts and behavior. For the children while taking antidepressions such as prozac, suicidal thoughts and behavior neither increased or decreased. Robert Gibbions, a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago suggested that antidepressants reduce suicide rates by treating the underlying depressions. Antidepressants appear to affect children differently than adults with regard to suicide.

Conclusion:
Studies now show that antidepressants don't increase suicide. If treatment dosen't work with antidepressants suicide risk remains the same. Saying that antidepressants increase suicide was just meant to decrease prescriptions to kids.

Is there new and evolved life in Antarctic?

Barbara

Posting #1

Topic: Science

Title of article: Race is on to find life under Antarctic ice sheet

Author: Alissa de Carbonnel

Publication Name: Reuters

Date of Publication: 02/13/12

1225

Main Idea:

Russia is racing to be the first to find ancient or new life hiding under the Antarctic ice sheet. Below this ice sheet is a freshwater lake with an extremely cold climate, which has never met the sun. Scientists are hoping that reaching this lake will provide new information on the origins of evolution. Britain and United States are excited to join the Russians, knowing that any new findings will also give a glance of what life could be like on distant planets, such as Mars and Jupiter's many moons. After 20 years of drilling, Russians have succeeded in piercing 3,769 meters of ice that belong to Lake Vostok, one of the largest and most isolated of over 350 subglacial lakes. Although the Russians have succeeded in making a small break through, their lack of technology is giving an open door to the US and Britain, both having highly advanced instruments to bring to the research. Russians have been held back in making a speedy research by their choice of technology, environmentalists argue the drilling fluid Russians use could affect the pristine lake for the worst. Here is where the British and Americans come in, they have a drill that uses hot glacier water which is UV radiated and deemed more environmentally friendly. With these new developments in technology and research, all are hoping to find something life changing under the depths of Antarctica.

Conclusion:

Although these experiments are being done on Earth, it has several advantages when it comes to our advancement in space technology. The study of subglacial lakes offer insight into life beyond earth, in terms of technology, we are slowly improving our drilling (what we will have to use in other planets) and an understanding on how life evolves and what can or cannot be habitable for us in the future. Space is the next step after the studying of subglacial lakes has been accomplished.

MLK Memorial Inscription to Be Removed

Yuka
Topic: Civil Rights
Title of article: MLK Memorial Inscription to Be Removed
By Brett Zongker, Time Magazine
February 10, 2012
498 words

Main Ideas

On Friday, the National Park Service announced plans to remove an inscription from Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and replace it with the full quotation from the speech “Drum Major Instinct.” Although the executive architect of the memorial, Ed Jackson Jr. proposed adding words to the beginning of the inscription instead, federal officials decided that change was necessary. Many agreed that the paraphrase, which reads, “I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness,” did not reflect King’s words accurately. The actual quote reads, “Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.” Jackson didn’t want the inscription to be replaced, because any new granite added to the monument will not match the original granite’s color. Nevertheless, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says, “With a monument so powerful and timeless, it is especially important that all aspects of its words, design, and meaning stay true to Dr. King’s life and legacy.” When officials consulted with the King family, King’s daughter Rev. Bernice King also agreed that correction is the right decision.

Conclusion

This article stresses the importance of making memorials, and making them well. Since memorials are meant to preserve memories, it is important that they are accurate and true to the person’s legacy. Although having the memorial look appealing is important too, many people will value the meaning in King’s words more.

Yaws: New Treatment Found for Tropical Disease That Was Once Countered With Penicillin

Leigh
Posting #1
Topic: Health
Title of Article: Yaws: New Treatment Found for Tropical Disease That Was Once Countered Penicillin
Author: Donald G. McNeil Jr.
Date: 2/13/2012
Length: 258 words

Main Idea:
Yaws is a disease that is closely related to Syphilis. This disease is passed through skin contact, it leaves behind a painless skin sore on the spot that made contact with the disease. The sore on people's body is said to look like raspberries, hens comes the nickname "Framboise" which translate to raspberry in French. Most common way that people contract this disease is by sharing a bed, but it is not a STD. It is mostly found in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. If it is left untreated it can spread to the bones causing discomfort and ache. The number one way they use to treat this diseases was with a shot of Penicillin, just like the way they treat Syphilis. But now instead of taking a shot, you can have a pill of Azithromycin and it will work just as well. The only worry that Doctors have is that Yaws will develop a resistance to the Azithromycin just as some strains of Syphilis has.

Conclusion:
The message in this article is to keep inventing more and new ways to create medicine. By having this pill it will one be cheaper to make a shipment of pills, rather then shipping liquid Penicillin. Secondly it will be easier for people to take a pill then going into a doctors office to have a shot.

"Dear Leader's" Funeral

The tyrannical dictator of North Korea, Kim Jong-il, recently died in his home in the capitol of North Korea, Pyongyang.  The North Korean government reported his cause of death as "over working".  The aging tyrant's health has been on the decline for quite some time now.  In recent pictures he has been seen as weak and frail so it is not a very large surprise that he as passed away.  Earlier in the week his funeral procession was held in the snowy Pyongyang streets.  The entire population of the city, and many people from other cities, were present in the streets, and as the "Dear Leader's" funeral caravan drove hysteria began to spread in the normally quiet streets.  The procession was led by the dictator's son and successor, Kim Jong-un.

I find it very strange that the people were so sad and hysterical at his death. The people of North Korea have a very strange relationship with their old leader, Kim Jong-il.  During his reign North Korean's have experienced food shortages, long blackouts, and a terrible standard of living.  But somehow he still managed to endear himself in the hearts and minds of nearly all of his people.

iPad as a study tool?

Miko
Current Event Posting #1
Technology
iPad a solid education tool, study reports
Christina Bonnington
CNN.com
January 23, 2012
1 page

Main Ideas:

As the world is advancing, so is the technology in it. With these advancements on technology, schools are finally catching on updating their own arsenal of teaching tools. One item that is beginning to become hot in the teaching world is the use of iPads in school. App engineers are teaming up with textbook makers to create new interactive text books making things more appealing and easy to use for students. There have been some studies done regarding the use of iPads versus textbook users, and the numbers say it all, iPads are definitely the way to go. At this point in time more than 600 different school distracts has mad the switch to a 1:1 iPad program for their school, and that number keeps on growing. The only downside to all this is price, these gadgets cost about $500 per unit, a pretty hefty price if a district were to buy one per student. Hopefully when the next iPad comes to surface, the price of the older iPads will go down and ultimately make it easier for schools to adopt the iPad.

Conclusion:
To summarize, the introduction of the iPad to the school environment is a definite advancement, but price and acceptance is the next step to overcome. It is obvious that these new devices are causing a lot of talk among the education community. We are taking a big step towards the classrooms of the future. 

Mystery Disease Kills Thousands in Central America

Caroline
Current Event Post #1
Mystery Disease Kills Thousands in Central America
Huffington Post: Political - Health
1/12/12


Main Idea:
In central America a mysterious illness is killing thousands. It attacks the kidneys and is believed to be caused by doing manual labor with a lack of hydration. Most of the victims are involved in some sort of manual labor. Some start as early as ten and the continuous strain that is put onto them is another factor in them being more susceptible to the illness. There was a health department emergency and it was requested that other come in and help due to the overload on the health care system. One victims level of creatinine was twenty-five times the normal amount. 


Conclusion:
There may be a link between the cane cultivation and harvesting and the mystery illness. A problem being faced though is that those who have damaged kidneys cannot do anything else but this. They will take false ID's and go to work, or they will steal those of their healthy sons and go to work. Or they will go to work for subcontractors who have less regulations on what they can or can't do for the work. Because there is no proven link between the two nothing much can be done. 

Andrew
Posting #1
World
Risks of Afghan war shifts from soldiers to contractors
by Rob Nordland
publication name: The New York Times
published February 11, 2012

Main Ideas:
A lot of the traditional military jobs in this war have been shifted to the private sector. Private contractors work in Afghanistan as soldiers and bodyguards. More civilian contractors working for American companies than American soldiers died in Afghanistan last year for the first time during the war. Last year 430 american contractors were reported killed in Afghanistan. While the military announces all of its deaths in war, private contractors frequently do not. Most of the contractors deaths are unknown, and their families are uncompensated.

Conclusion: The risks of the war in Afghanistan are falling upon more private contractors than soldiers. Since a lot more of them are employed in Afghanistan than soldiers there have been a lot more deaths of contractors, most of which go unnoticed in the U.S. This is bad that a lot more U.S. contractors are being killed because their families arent getting financially supported after they die.

Newt's Moon Colony: The Cost?

Thomas
Current Event Post #1

Topic: Science

Title of Article: Newt's moon colony: What would it cost?

Author: Blake Ellis

Publication: CNN Money

Date: 1/30/12

Words: 823

GOP candidate Newt Gingrich hopes to establish a base on the moon, though the cost could be staggering. Despite public criticism, especially from fellow Republicans, such as Mitt Romney, Gingrich has persisted in his call for setting up a colony on the moon. He has even gone as far as to suggest eventually turning the moon into a tourist destination, as well as utilizing it for commercial purposes. In defense of this proposal, Gingrich emphasizes the importance of showing the world that America has not given up on the space race.

Former President Bush was of like mind; he began a space initiative in 2004, one of the goals of which was to put a base on the moon. The cost was projected to be 100 billion through 2020. It was canceled by Barack Obama because it was dragging and racking up expenditures. In consideration of the significant scientific challenges that the current project would entail, it could be many years and trillions of dollars before Gingrich's fantasy could become a reality.

Private business seems to be warming to the concept. But Gingrich will not stop with a mere research base; after the population of the moon is 13,000, it "can petition to become a state."

Conclusion

Though Gingrich's plan for a base on the moon has generated a generous measure of controversy in the public sector, he is sticking to his story, claiming it will spur innovation and demonstrate the power the United States. One of the main concerns is the financial question; is it a feasible investment? Many other technological obstacles are also yet to be confronted. All in all, it is a safe bet that the project is far from its realization.

Opinion

I consider this proposal is as ridiculous as it appears on first sight. My general philosophy regarding human space exploration is simple: we shouldn't go shooting around in space until we have solved the problems we have down here on Planet Earth. Even setting aside personal opinions, I think it can still be widely agreed that the project is a colossal waste of money and effort.

Obama Budget Seeks Job Training at Community Colleges

Sigonee
Current Event Posting #1
Topic: Education
Title of article: Money Urged For Colleges to Perform Job Training
Author: Tamar Lewin
Publication Name: The New York Times
Date of Publication: February 13, 2012
Length: 425 words

Main Ideas:
Obama has proposed an $8 billion "Community College to Career Fund" in order to train two million workers for well paying jobs in high-demand industries. The fund would need to be approved by Congress and administered by the Departments of Labor and Education. The goal of this bill is to reinforce partnerships between community colleges and businesses to train workers in different career areas, such as health care, transportation, and advanced manufacturing. In 2009, community colleges only received $2 billion for job training from the Obama administration. However, this new plan that was announced at Northern Virginia Community College would support community college based training to meet the needs of employers in "high-growth sectors." The fund would support paid internships for low-income community college students that would allow them to earn credit for work based learning and gain employment experience. Obviously, republicans were skeptical of the president's new proposals in his budget. The chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, John Kline, Republican of Minnesota, said he was skeptical because the president is retreating from the proposal that he announced less than a month ago in his State of Union address.

Conclusion
Under the Community College to Career Fund, states would be able to seek out money to improve the skills of employers' work force. It would provide support for regional or national industry sectors to identify their needs to develop solutions, such as the training of new technologies and standardization of industry certifications. This way, industry employers can hire work force from such students from community colleges, that would translate into their career pathway.

Shark Scales Used for Artifical Skin for Swimming

Emma
Posting #1
Science
Title: Shark Scales Inspire Artifical Skin for Swimming
Publication: Huffington Post
Date: 2/9/12

Recently at  Harvard University a Bioroboticist, George Lauder, and a Graduate student, Johannes Oeffner have been studying shark skin to see if the tooth-like scales it is made of increases the speed at which the sharks swim. The two scientists got mako shark skin from a market in Boston and created a small robot in which they coverd in the shark skin. They ran a series of tests on this robot which included shaving off the toot-like parts of the scales to see if the smooth skin made the robot swim faster than the toothed skin. They found that the shark skin with the tooth-like scales made the robot swimm 7.2% faster than the skin with the scales shaved off. These scientists are performing this reserch to see if they create an artifical skin based off of the shark skin that could enhance the speed of underwater robots or that could be used as a swimsuit material. Lauder and Oeffner tested Speedo Fastskin material that utilizes some textures that are similar to that of the shark scales but they found that the material did not enhance swimming speed.

To conclude, though some companies have already tried to create material that utilizes similar textures that help sharks swim faster there is still a lot of reasurch that needs to be done before any real strides will be made. I personally think that this is a worth while endevor that could help increase technology and lead to further discoveries.

Google's new device

Juan

posting # 1

science/ technology

Title: Google's new "entertainment device" is coming

Publication: CNN

Date: Feb, 10, 2012

By: David Goldman

Length of article: one page

Google is going to come out with a new device nicknamed "Project Tungsten" it is a music hub that can connect you your speakers or home sound system via Bluetooth . it can be powered by an iPhone, or iPad, as well as other devices. it can also connect you your other devices to play music through out your house. Google unveiled a prototype at the San Francisco developers conference last may. it is also rumored that Motorola is building the device since Google spent 12.5 billion dollars buying them out.

CONCLUSION:

This new device is going to be able to link up all you your current devices and be able to play the music you have on them through out you house via Bluetooth.

A Blog as Therapy for Teenagers

Julia
Posting #1
Health

Blogging as Therapy for Teenagers by Pamela Paul
New York Times, January 27 2012
505 words

MAIN IDEAS:

     Recent studies have shown that blogging may be beneficial to teenagers.  Diary-keeping as always been encouraged as therapeutic, but in this world of new technology the advantages of therapeutic blogging are now being studied.  It seems that blogging can be even better for a teen than diary-keeping was.
     Two groups of teens were assigned either to blog about their social difficulties with one group allowing comments to their blog.  Two other groups were assigned to blog about anything they chose, with one group allowing comments to their blog.  Two other control groups kept diaries or did nothing at all.  The results showed that those who blogged and allowed comments showed the great improvements in mood.  Apparently, when teens blogged about their stress levels, commenters exhibited lots of support, which in turn raised the spirits of the bloggers.
     Bloggers who did not participate in the study also added that reading comments on their posts also helps them relax.  This goes to show that blogging can be therapeutic in the real virtual world as well.

CONCLUSION:

     Overall, it seems that blogging is the new diary-keeping -- online.  Diaries have always provided a place for teens to spill out their emotions, which helps take the stress away.  However, blogging seems to be even more beneficial because of the option to allow comments.  People who allow comments usually get support from the commenters, letting them know that they are not alone.  It also helps open others' eyes to troubles that someone else is going through.

OPINION:

     I completely agree that blogging is therapeutic.  Now that we have moved past the diary-keeping-age, it's time to start blogging.  I think people who write diaries sometimes wish others could see what they write.  It's very human to want someone to understand what you're going through, and blogging is a great way to make that happen.

Colorado considers ban on trans-fats in schools

Justine
Posting #1
Health
Title: Colorado Lawmakers Consider Trans-Fat Ban in Schools
Author: Kristen Wyatt
Publication: Huffington Post
Date: 2-2-2012 
Length of Article: 550 words

Colorado is the state with the lowest amount of obese people, so it makes sense that they would be the first to completely ban trans-fats from schools. By completely banning them, they really mean completely; not just in cafeterias, but in after school and fundraising activities as well. This new ban comes from worry about an increasing number of obese children in the state, which would cause the state to loose it's 'leanest state' title. Although there isn't an exact estimate on how much money would be required to help schools get healthier, nutritionists say it would not be difficult. In fact, schools in Boulder are already trans-fat free and they are eager to set an example for the est of the state. If approved, the ban would go into effect next year. There would be possible extensions for districts unable to comply as quickly, and exceptions for certain concessions tat raise money for the schools. The hearing for the bill will take place next week.

The bill that Colorado is considering to ban trans-fats from it's schools would help the state stay lean, as well as help set an example for the country. The bill would not be difficult to comply with, but it is still controversial because some think it gives the government too much power. The hearing will take place next week for us to see how everything will work out. Personally, I think it is a great idea that would increase the health of the children in Colorado. Hopefully it will take well in Colorado and other state will follow with similar bills. The obesity rates are staggering in this country and it all starts in childhood, so it is important to stop the problem before it can claim more children.