Palin Appears on CNN

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:06:43 -0500

Palin Appears on CNN
By Brandon Medeiros

Palin appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" on Wednesday to discuss the campaign, and her plans for the future. In the interview, Larry King mentioned that 49 percent of adult Americans had a favorable feeling about Palin and 43 percent had an unfavorable feeling. When asked whether or not she thought she had hurt John McCain's chances as president, Palin responded with, "If I hurt the ticket at all and cost John McCain even one vote, I am sorry about it, because John McCain is a true American hero. He's got great solutions in terms of the challenges that are facing America right now, with national security and needing to get our economy back on the right track." King later asked Palin whether or not she had any plans to run for the presidency in 2012, Palin said that she wouldn't close any doors, but that she didn't have any plans to run at the time. When asked about Barack Obama, Palin said "I have optimism. Barack Obama is going to surround himself with those who do have executive experience." She concluded with, "I'm proud of Barack Obama. I pray for him, his family, the new administration. I look forward to the good things that are in store for this nation." Palin plans to serve out her term as governor and will wait to see what the future will bring.

Bush’s Regrets On a Strenuous Two Terms

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:06:40 -0500

Bush’s Regrets On a Strenuous Two Terms By Sara Berlinger
President George W. Bush is almost finished with his second term as President of the U.S. and has some significant regrets regarding his Presidency. Now that his time is coming to an end, he is beginning to reflect on his term in office, which included many controversial events such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He is now discovering the unwise remarks he made throughout his two terms, and regrets not being more careful on what to say to the people of the Country. He misguided Americans about the war in Iraq and said that there were weapons of mass destruction when there were none. Overall, Bush made some risky decisions while in office and many people dislike him for that reason, but he is proud of himself for getting through his Presidency.  In an interview with CNN, Bush stated that he was proud of the Americans as a whole. He said that being the commander in chief of a Country where the people fight and volunteer for the war, help the homeless, and feed the hungry is something to be proud of. While in office, Bush had to make some tough decisions that America did not always agree with, placing him in a difficult situation. He was making important decisions not only for himself, but for the well being of the Country. Bush definitely made mistakes throughout his Presidency, but he is only human and history will ultimately decide whether or not they were truly mistakes.  During his interview, he talked about his meeting with future President Barack Obama in the White House. Bush stated that he was not nervous about the meeting with Obama and said that their meeting was very relaxed. They had a discussion about the rooms of the White House because Obama was concerned about his young daughters transitioning to the Presidential lifestyle. Bush told him not to worry, and said that the transition was very easy for him and his family. Bush is more than happy for Obama and his family, even saying that Obama will be a good change for the Country. When asked about his post presidency activities, he said that he and his wife intend to return to Texas and enjoy life there. He may even write a book about his experiences in office and the variety of decisions he had to make for the people of our Country.

M&M Murder

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:18:44 -0400

M&M Murder
By Daniel McCarthy
When biting into one of your favorite chocolate treats this Halloween, you may want to look further as to which company that candy comes from. Yes, some of your favorite candy such as M&M's, Snickers, Twix, Dove, Starburst, and Three Musketeers belong to a company that funds unnecessary animal testing at the University of California, killing a countless number of innocent animals.

Rabbits, guinea pigs, and lab rats are all victims to these tests which are done to find the affects cocoa has on arteries within the body. Chocolate is force fed down these animal's throats, and after, experimenters cut open the animals to view the affects, then disposing the animal after they are through. Other tests include feeding the animals high cholesterol diets, and making mice swim in a pool to see if they can find a platform before they drown. After the brutal experiments, the animals are cut open and then killed after they are used. PETA, or, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, are outraged that the Mars Corporation is sponsoring these tests, unlike many of their competitors such as Hershey, who vowed not to induce these cruel experiments. The research that has been going on is not required by law, but the Mars Company is funding these tests to be carried out and innocent animals to be murdered for unjustifiable reasons. In 2007, the company started funding these tests, however, recently PETA wrote to Paul Michaels, the President of Mars Incorporated, asking him to end the funding of the cruel tests like many similar companies have done in the past.

Fair treatment to animals is important to many, such as the millions of PETA advocates around the globe. Thousands of members have rallied to end the testing of these innocent animals for dozens of other companies within the food industry. So for all of you chocolate junkies planning on "trick or treating" this Halloween, think twice before you put those Mars products into your mouths.

Here We Go Again

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:13:09 -0400

Here We Go Again
By Brandon Medeiros

This past Sunday Sarah Palin decided to leave the script provided for her, and revisit the controversy over her wardrobe. Palin brought up the Republican National Committee's spending report, where $150,000 was spent on clothing and other miscellaneous items for the Palin family. Palin stated that, "Just like the lighting and the staging and everything else that the RNC purchased, I'm not taking them with me." The McCain party did not send Palin to discuss the matter, but a Palin aide said in an interview that the Senator had to clarify the matter, because "that's really not who she is." With tension rising between Palin and senior McCain advisers, who is running the show for the Republicans? McCain aides have said in interviews that Palin at times can go "Rogue", and her continuous habits of pursuing personal issues at Rallies only exemplifies those statements. Republican strategist Ed Rollins said that Palin had mishandled herself during the earlier part of the campaign, and as a result, "she's become a target of a lot of ridicule." Rollins also commented that, "She definitely is going to be the most popular Republican in this country when this thing is over." Without a doubt, Palin has brought much attention the the Republican Party, and whether it's good or bad is still unclear. I guess we will all find out when the next President and Vice President of the United States of America is named.

They Want Us To Be Fat!

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:01:46 -0400

They Want Us To Be Fat!
By A. Tam

Corporate America employs deceiving marketing strategies to lure adolescents into obesity using "healthier choices" propaganda of their products.

As the usual of money-hungry capitalist America, "they" are constantly researching new ideas to attract consumers, promote their products, and increase sales. The food industry is utilizing misleading marketing campaigns to convince their target consumers, teenagers to buy their products. In a new trend of health and fitness, these companies strategically alter their advertisements to persuade weight conscious teens of the nutritional and beneficial aspects of their foods. Although this may appear as a concern of the well being of America's youth, it is essentially a plot to encourage them to eat more. They have obligations to the stock holders to fuel profits in sales.

Wellness initiatives such as "Smart Spot" at first seem a positive marker in order to choose healthier choices. However this same "Smart Spot" appears on diet cola, Cap'n Crunch cereal, Cheetos, and "reduced fat" Doritos. They blend these false appearing health foods with real ones such as Quaker Oatmeal and Tropicana orange juice. Labeling on packaging is another factor which entice teens. "Zero trans-fat", "Diet", "reduced sugar/sodium", and "made with real fruit juice" are some of the examples that they use. They fail to mention how they process their products. Take for example how fresh apples are high in fiber and nutrients. When processed into apple sauce most of the fiber is lost and artificial sweeteners and preservatives are added for flavor and shelf-life. Even worse is apple juice which has lost all its fiber and most of its nutrients and extreme amounts of sugar that is added along with many calories.

Another case is vitamin water / sports drinks. In 2006, major beverage makers agreed to remove sugary sodas from school vending machines. However the industry mounted an intense effort that persuaded lawmakers to allow sports drinks and vitamin waters. They still can be packed with sugar and calories and aren't much healthier than the sodas that they replace.

Flavor enhancers are added like MSG and saccharin to replace salts and sugars in foods. They are used to satisfy the consumers' taste with little regard to their health. Some studies have linked MSG to the cause of obesity. They believe MSG blocks signals to the brain that stimulate a hunger suppressant hormone. It can cause people to over eat. Saccharin, an artificial sweetener was shown in laboratory testing to cause bladder cancer in rats.

Ultimately, it is the advertisements that are most efficient trap to influence America's youth. Celebrities, cartoon characters, catchy jingles, and flashy ads mesmerize us to buy unhelpful or unhealthy products. Whether it is on TV, in magazines, billboards, or on the net we can never be truly safe from corporal America's propaganda. Now the threat is at the expense of our health.

Match, Set, Game! Presidential Debates Turn Heads

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 22:07:00 -0400

Presidential Debates: Tennis Match or Future Presidents of the United States
By Dan McCarthy

For anyone who has tuned into the past two Presidential debates, it is difficult to decide whether you are watching a tennis match, or the opposing candidates for a future President of the United States. Whether it be in newspapers, magazines, the internet, or on television, Senators John McCain and Barack Obama are constantly battling to difer the negative attention from themselves, and onto the other person. With difficult questions arising in the debates of September 26 and October 7, it is clear that neither candidate can acquire a valid response for multiple questions asked to them. Often times, both McCain and Obama go around the question that has been asked, instead of facing the issue and responding to it directly.

In the first Presidential debate back on September 26 at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, both candidates fought head to head, selling themselves on why they would be the most qualified. Jim Leher, the PBS moderator for the debate, asked questions about the ongoing war in Iraq, tax plans, and the growing tension with nuclear Iran. When asked specific questions they would respond, slamming one another's viewpoints claiming that they are lying about how one another voted in the Senate for or against tax plans or more troops to Iraq. In the second Presidential debate which took place on October 7, in Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, NBC's Tom Brokaw repeatedly reminded the candidates to answer the questions given at the time, inferring not to heavily slam back at one another. With facing today's global economic crisis, neither candidate is willing to address the current situation with a plan on how to get out of the mess on Wall Street. Most recently, in the October 15th debate, candidate Barack Obama made a statement claiming that the American people have seen the Presidential Race as a "tit for tat" arguement when asked about the allegations against each other. Despite this statement, both members could not seem to out-do each other in the questions asked by moderator Bob Schieffer. Overall, the debates are some of the most important parts of a Presidential race, showing the American people how the candidates respond to difficult questions under pressure.

In the glorification on making themselves look better than the other, each candidate is simply displaying what politics are all about: selling yourself in favor of the people. It is interesting to think of the next scandal each player may dig up on one another in order to change the viewpoints in the last leg of the race. Come November, it indeed will be interesting to see the outcome of the Presidency.