Arts and Academics Post #4

Our schools are lagging behind the rest of the world. 
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/12/20/gates-and-weingarten-fixing-our-nation-s-schools.html

3. Schools in other countries have longer school days and longer schools years, and in other countries they often times are much more competitive.


In other countries they focus on helping their teachers, and that's why this country has stayed in the same place while the others have surpassed us. 


We spend a lot of money in the wrong places when it comes education. We aren't making the right investments. They also say though that ist isn't monetary issues, its that on a quarter of the teachers are very good, and we need to the rest to be just as good.


2. How do they know who is a good teacher and not? what are the qualifications of that, and what ways are people hiring that are helpful in finding the appropriate teachers?


What types of investments with money do other countries make when it comes to education that is making them so successful? 


1. http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Stossel/story?id=1500338 The journalist says that the problem with how public school classrooms are run if is that the kids don't stay interested and the classes are just bull.

Entertainment Post #4

   
Harry Potter plagiarism case dismissed

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12134288

3. Adrian Jacobs accused J.K. Rowling for plagiarism of his work from Willy the Wizard in her book, Goblet of Fire. 

The judge said that the differences were so obvious that there was no way she could rule Rowling for being guilty of plagiarism. His only claims were that wizards had a game and they rode on trains.


Jacobs also filed a claim that another author stole his ideas.


2.
I don't understand how you came make such accusations on such broad subjects, as the idea of wizardry.


What would have happened if Rowling was sued for this, would they stop selling her books worldwide? 


1. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1193283/JK-Rowling-sued-500m-plagiarism-lawsuit-family-late-Willy-The-Wizard-author.html. This article says that Willy the Wizard was a very small book with little distribution, the likelihood of Rowling getting a hold of this book and stealing ideas is slim.

Politics, History and Current Events Post #4

Health care repeal's cost: $230 billion to deficit

http://money.cnn.com/2011/01/06/news/economy/health_care_repeal_cost/index.htm?hpt=T1

3. They say that if the bill is repealed it will cost the U.S. hundreds of billions of dollars. Those Republicans who want to repeal this bill are also saying they will decrease the deficit but because of the cost of repealing the bill, it won't help.

If the legislation stays there will be a definite debt reduction from saving in health organizations.

Republicans say the reason they want to repeal it is to propose legislation that makes more sense fiscally.


2. How will repealing the bill cost the nation so much?

What kind of legislation would they propose that would be more helpful to the U.S. seeing as nobody can really agree upon any proposals that both parties have made.

1. http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/256349/obamacare-end-beginning-avik-roy. This person, agrees that coming to an agreement is difficult when everyone is so split in American.

Arts and Acadamea Post #3

Pakistan’s Palette of Blood and Tears

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/18/arts/design/18rising.html?_r=1&ref=arts

3.

A woman opened up a museum, Mohatta Palace Museum, focusing on the blooming of Pakistani art. Often times their art is about the pain and violence there. 

Much of the art has to do with the terrorism between Islamic militants and the relationship between Pakistan and America. The artist that has made pieces based off of such things said "To hell with Uncle Sam"

All of the artists have similarities having to do with the violence they see coming from America. The woman made the exhibition to show that the city where she is from is more than violence and fear.

2.

Is it by accident that all of there art just so happens to do with the violence they experience, or does the violence have such a great impact that that is all they can express?

If her city has ore to say then violence and fear then why is that all she displays at the museum? I understand that all of the pieces have strong meanings, but maybe they can show the aspect of other people of the city not having to do with the violence and possibly the peace of the city comparing it to the violence.

1.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69G0BC20101017 

This article is one example of the violence occurring in the city of Karachi in Pakistan.

Politics, History and Current Events Post #3

Obama to sign tax deal Friday afternoon

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/12/17/tax.deal/index.html?hpt=T1 

3.

The final vote was made last week with an approval of 277:148 with an almost equal number of votes between Republicans and Democrats of approval.

It is a two-year extension of the Bush administration's tax cuts also extending unemployment benefits for another 13 months, cut payroll taxes by 2%.

Obama and the other Democrats had long opposed the wealthy's tax cuts. He complaine that the Republicans were not allowing tax cuts for the rest of the country.

2.

What will be the ending result after these drstic tax cuts?

Why couldn't the people allow for more reasonable changes in the taxes, this could easily make the debt even worse.

1.

The tax cuts seem to be making both sides upset, and there is no real way to please either side without giving up one thing.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7159453n&tag=mncol;lst;5

Entertainment Post #3

Talk show veteran Larry King signs off after 25 years

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12016273

3. 

Larry King has been a talk show veteran for 25 years. Barack Obama made a video for King saying how "he opened families eyes to the world outside of the living room".

Larry King made over 6,000 shows and over 50,000 interviews during his time on the air.

It was so touching to other entertainers that Bill Maher had to remark that, although it is the end of the show, we will continue to see him around, "it is not a funeral of a man." 

2.

What will Larry King do next? Will he continue showing up on TV? 

 Why did Larry King make the decision to leave the talk show?

1. The fact that he has such famous people such as authors, politicians and actors on the show is amazing, that even the President made a personal message to him and ending his TV talk show career.

 http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/12/16/larry.king.finale/index.html

 

Entertainment Post #2

Music and Your Body: How Music Affects Us and Why Music Therapy Promotes Health

http://stress.about.com/od/tensiontamers/a/music_therapy.htm

3.

Music therapy has shown to  benefit cancer patients, and children with ADD. Hospitals are beginning to use it to ease depression, pain, and promote movement.

Music effects brain waves in such ways that slow music will make a person more calm and music with a faster beat will make people think faster and stay more concentrated, for example, even I at this very moment am listening to fast music and it is allowing me to stay on top of this blog post.

Studies have also amazingly shown that music can lower blood pressure as well as boost immunity and ease muscle tension.

2. What if one listens to fast, somewhat disruptive music, would that have a negative impact?

The article doesn't really touch on if it makes exercising easier, does it?

1.  The other article talks more about how music can ease depression, relieve stress and anxiety.

http://stason.org/TULARC/health/alternative-medicine/Music-Therapy-Health-Benefits.html

Entertainment and Leisure Post #1

3D Cinema - Emerge of Golden Era with End of Standard Filmmaking

http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/entertainment/3d-cinema-emerge-of-golden-era-with-end-of-standard-filmmaking.html

3.
3D in cinema has existed since 1952 in a movie called Bwana Devil. The idea didn't last long and they called it "futureless".

Since 2003 there has been a steady rise in newer 3D technology for movies, and as time has been going on they have made a larger amount every year.

Because of newer 3D technology, the people making the movies have begun to use it more because they can charge $5 more for a 3D movie than a normal movie.

2.
Why did 3D technology become more popular again after its lost popularity in the 1950's?

How does the decrease in sales of DVDs have to do with 3D movies?

1.
3D isn't only quickly emerging, but so is 3D gaming.
http://www.gamerlive.tv/article/total-immersion-sees-augmented-reality-enhancing-3d-movies-and-games

Augmented Reality (AR)- live direct or indirect of a physical real world that is enlarged.

Politics, history, and current events Post #1

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11686796

US elections 2010: Democratic losses and Obama's agenda

3.
Obama recently passed the health care reform bill, but since the Republicans recently gained the majority in the house of representatives they will try to take some of the aspects away over the next two years of Obama's term.

Obama wants to slowly stop the low tax rates for the upper class and and lower the taxes for the middle class, others oppose this because they believe it will ruin the economic progress that has been made.

The president will try once again to pass a reform for immigrants to pave a path to becoming legal citizens, this reform was put down a few years ago during Bush's presidency.

2.
It seems that the republicans won't allow any chance for Obama to pass any of his reforms to help America wen they are asking for such things, why?

Why haven't any of the politicians made a plan for foreign policy issues, when we are in debt to many foreign countries?

1.
51% of people view Obama's new plans to be a good idea, but only 23% view it to be completely negative. http://people-press.org/report/490/obama-stimulus

The Three Sites

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ - History, politics, and current events (could go under all three, but mostly current events)

http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/entertainment.html- Entertainment and Leisure


http://www.princeton.edu/main/campuslife/media/blogs/- Arts and Academia