The Royal Wedding

Not since the wedding on Prince Charles and Lady Diana has there been such an anticipated nuptial event.  The April 29^th wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton has experience wide and extensive media coverage across the United States. 

Every aspect of their relationship and wedding preparations has been covered in the news somehow.  If you walk up and down the aisle of any grocery store, the tabloids are riddled with stories.  Everything from what they are wearing, to who is invited, to the cost of the event has been reported in print and on the internet.

It intrigues me as to why this event is so seemingly important to the people of the United States.  It is interesting in our country, which fought against the ideas of monarchies, finds such fascination with the British Royal family.   One possible explanation is our constant need to celebrate and elevate celebrities in society.  Another is society may still have a need to have kings and queens, princes and princesses in our world.  With all the war, tension and stress in the world, we may need to take a break and bask in the idea of royalty.  Regardless, I would not be surprised to find many people I know that are planning on waking up at 4:00 am Friday morning to watch the event live.  (This would include my wife if she didn’t enjoy her sleep so much)

Why do you think the Royal Wedding is so popular in the United States?  What do you think of the British Royal family?  Is the royal family still necessary to Great Britain?  Do we still need the idea of royalty in the world? 

Facebook in China

What would you be willing to do to gain 420 million friends?  This question is facing the CEO and executives of Facebook as they explore the opportunity to enter the Chinese market.  To date Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites are banned in China.

The Chinese government has tight control of information and information access of its 420 million citizens with internet access.  The country has a custom of restricting free speech.  Its record on not only suppressing free speech, but violating the human rights of people and organizations willing to engage in free speech has been criticized by foreign governments as well as reputable organization such as Amnesty International. 

While Facebook has been banned in China since 2008, it is being reported current Facebook executives are negotiating with Chinese officials to lift the ban.  Initial terms reported would include restricting certain content from being shared and displayed on Facebook.  Furthermore, Facebook would have to allow the Chinese government access to the search and retrieval activities of Chinese users.  The government would be able to determine what the users can view and monitor what they are searching for.  If you think it is a hassle when you parents monitor you account, imagine what it would be like to know the government will be looking in.

China’s concern over open internet usage and social networking heightened in recent months given the use of social media in the Middle East to coordinate rallies and protests of governments in Egypt and Libya. 

While the partnership is only speculative for now, Facebook has publically stated they may be willing to block certain content from some countries.  They recognize the idea of complete and total free speech may be more than some countries are able to absorb given their current cultural and social situations.

What do you think of Facebook filtering content to gain access to China?  Do you have a Facebook account?  If so, how do you use Facebook?  If not, why not?  What are some of the potential dangers of Facebook?  Do your parents monitor your activity?  If so, what do you think about them looking in?

Earth Day

April 22 marks the 31 Earth Day in the United States.  The idea for a day dedicated to the environment originated 7 years earlier by Senator Gaylord Nelson.  He was concerned over the lack to awareness and regulations of the pollutants being released into our world. 

Now more than 30 years later, Earth Day and its organizers have increased public awareness of pollutants, identified and promoted “green” acts, have leveraged our schools and communities to enhance the knowledge and dedication of our youth to the cause, and countless other accomplishments. 

The Earth Day websites is tracking personal pledged to commit “green” acts.  The pledges include recycling grocery bags, unplugging appliances, recycle paper and plastic, and buying more local food.  While each of these acts may seem futile on their own, the impact of the collected group across the globe will have a significant impact on our environment, especially over an extended period of time.  To date the website has over 80 million personal pledges. 

What do you think of Earth Day?  What are some additional ways we can support Earth Day at school and in our community?  What are things you do at home?  Are there any additional activities you would be willing to commit to at home to support “green” living?

Government Shut Down

It is a stand-off.  If congress and the president are unable to find a compromise concerning current year spending, as of Friday midnight, the federal government is no longer able to spend funds and we will see the first government shut down since 1996.

 Unbeknownst to most Americans, congress has not passed an approved budget for the current fiscal year, which began in October.  Without a budget, the government has been operating using continuing resolutions.  Continuing resolutions are temporary agreements to allow the government to continue to operate under the terms of the previous budget until congress can complete the budget. 

The current continuing resolution is set to expire on Friday, April 8^th at 11:59 pm.  Without a budget agreement or another resolution the government will force the partial shutdown of federal agencies across the country.  Only military, law enforcement and agencies providing health care activities will remain open.

The primary issue dividing the congressional parties is concerning government borrowing, collection of money through taxation and spending. The Republicans have rejected ideas to increase the government’s borrowing limits and want to slow the rate of spending. The Republican House members have proposed a $61 billion spending cut for the next six months.   They are targeting discretionary spending for agencies such as the Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency and National Parks.  Although there is talk about entitlement programs such as Medicaid and Social Security, any spending cuts are not included in this proposal.  While $61 billion may seem like a significant amount, it represents 1.6% of the federal government expenditures (roughly 5-6 days spending).

They are trying to reach common ground, but resolution seems more unlikely as we approach Friday.  According to a NBC/New York Times poll, 37% of the population blames the Republican congressional members, 20% blames the Democratic congressional members and 20% blames President Obama.  Even with the political pressures from polling, neither side appears to want to give in as of yet.

What do you think about our government operating without a budget? What do you think about the idea of spending decreases given the nation’s current economic situation?  Who will you blame if the government is forces to suspend operations on Friday?  If the government is shut down, how do you think it may impact you?

Fighting in Libya

Beginning this weekend, the United States and other allied forces have joined together in an effort to protect the rebellious civilians from Colonel Gadhafi and his Libyan forces.  This show of force comes weeks after many of the Libyan citizens began protesting the current government and demanding massive reform.  Their cries for change have been greeted with violence from Gadhafi. 

In early statements Gadhafi has claimed to be a patriot, fighter, revolutionary and a martyr.  He has vowed to burn the country to the ground before he would be willing to give up his reign.  He has held true to his words and continues to promote violence while protecting his power.

While the United States is not the only country committing troops to this action, President Obama’s actions have come under criticism at home.  Congressional members are questioning the president’s authority to commit troops to military actions without congressional approval.  Constitutionally speaking only Congress can declare war.  But is this war or is this military action required to halt an actual or imminent threat to civil liberties?  Presidents throughout our history have called the military to action without congressional approval when facing probable threats to the safety of individuals. 

The War Power Act of 1973 allows the president to utilize military force only when the United States in under attack or once Congress has voted to engage in war.  Every president since Nixon has questioned the War Powers constitutionality.  The president is constitutionally allowed to protect national security and protect and promoted the United States interest in foreign policy situations.

What are your thoughts concerning the United States and military action in Libya?  Do you think President Obama was justified in calling our military forces into action, or should he have asked for congressional approval first?  How would you like to see things end in Libya?

Tragedy in Japan

As people across the United States woke up on March 10, we were informed by the local, national, and cable news channels of the devastating earthquake which shook Japan and created a tsunami which made its way all the way to the coast of California.  The 8.9 earthquake was the fifth largest in recorded history and the biggest to ever shake Japan. 

The initial earthquake struck at 2:45 in the afternoon.  The epicenter was on the northeastern coast of the island nation.  Its effects were felt as far as Tokyo, hundreds of miles away.  The nation not only received substantial damage from the quake, its strength triggered a 23 foot tsunami.  The tsunami wreaked havoc on everything in its path including boats, cars, farmland, highways, airports, and rails. 

Japan continues to feel the aftershocks.  About every fifteen minutes aftershocks, some registering more than 6.0 on the Richter scale, have continued to disrupt the nation.

We are now many days past the event and the bad news continues.  In addition to surmising the devastation, thousands of people are still missing.  The death toll constantly increases as more people and bodies are discovered.  The people are without electricity, shelter, and basic necessities.  If you are lucky and have the means, you can wait upwards of five hour to purchase gasoline.

In addition, there is an ongoing threat of nuclear meltdown.  Japan has invested in nuclear energy to power its nation.  While a reasonable alternative energy source, it comes with concerns.  Those concerns are front and center in the cities across Japan as nuclear meltdowns become a possibility.    There have been multiple explosions within the plants.  The crews have worked diligently to prevent dangerous levels of radiation from being released in the air.

This story is far from over.  The death toll will continue to rise, the tragic tales seem to be endless, and while foreign and domestic aid will be there to help, it will be many years before Japan will be returned to it prominent state.

What have you heard about the earthquake in Japan?  How should the United States help the Japanese people?  What can we do here at St. Joseph’s to aid the people of Japan?

Idaho Education Reform

The most dominating story in our local news has to be the education reform bills proposed by Idaho Superintendent, Tom Luna.  The series of bills are intended to address to stagnant or even declining performance of our state’s school along with looking for ways to address budget issues.  The budget issues not only include reducing the total amount of money spent on education in the state, but further review where is the money best spent.

The highlights of the bill include increase the average class size across the state, reducing the number of teachers by over 700, and increasing the usage of technology in our education system by providing laptops access to high school students and requiring a certain number of classes to be taken on-line.

The proposals have caused uproar from parents, teachers, administrators, and students.  There are many questions about the research, rationale, and benefits from the proposal.  While most public debate has been civil, there have been a few acts of vandalism committed against Tom Luna and his family.  Most recently, high school students have organized walk outs from school to protest the bills.  While the pessimist would say the students left school for the sake of leaving school, the optimist says it is great to see students take an active part in their education.

What have you heard about education reform in Idaho?  What do you think about people’s reactions to the bills including the recent student walkout?  What do like about your education to date?  What do you think could be done differently to enhance your education?