South Africa becomes first African country to legalize gay marriage
South Africa has joined four other nations in legalizing same sex marriage. The Civil Union Act goes into effect one day before the december first deadline set by the country’s Constitutional Court. Gay rights groups are welcoming the law, although they have criticized provisions that allow clergy and civil marriage officers to turn away gay couples if their consciences prevent them from marrying them. The other four countries that allow same sex marriages to date are; Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain.
I found this article rather important considering Massachuetts is the only state in our nation that allows same sex marriage and even then, I’m sure their is some type of restrictions. It’s sad that our country claims to have a seperation of church and state yet, most decisions are influenced or based on religion. We denounce Muslims for basing law on religion, yet we do it ourselves. I’m a christian and I understand my faith, but I disagree with how religious officials interpret the writings. People tend to misunderstand a lot. Islam is not a “bad” religion, it’s the people who interpret and convince an audience that this is the “right way” to read it. I believe in the middle ages, catholic priests use to tell illiterate peasants that if they did not donate a certain percentage of their income to the church, they would go to hell. People misuse their power so much. It sickens me to see people misusing religious, politicial or social power. Truthfully, no one knows for sure if we do things the way god would want. Causing happy couples to suffer and be miserable just because they are doing something you don’t approve of is wrong.
“There will be a huge response from same sex couples who have waited
such a long time for their relationship to be recognized,” said Melanie
Judge, a program manager for the South Africa-based lesbian and gay
rights group, OUT
Hunger as Ideology
“Men of course are supposed to have hearty, even voracious appetites”
-Susan Bordo
I choose this quote because I think it best represents the different roles our culture creates for each sex. Men are suppose to be these big, strong, hungry beasts that constantly seek sex. Women are depicted as slim, slender, weak, beautiful servants of men. Women are depicted in our society as the caretakers. Not only must they take care of their children, but also their husbands. They are expected to feed, pleasure and care for his children. A woman’s career was almost non-existent in the early 20th century. I believe our society copied the cultures of the Greeks or Romans in regard to women. In those cultures and many others, women were viewed as a man’s property. He basically owned her and also in the past slavery was a legal and widely practiced. Everyone wants to be accepted whether we admit it or not. In order to gain acceptance, we feel we must live up to what we are “suppose” to be like. So, people will do horrible things to themselves and undergo pain and dieting in order to achieve what society wants, not exactly what they want for themselves. This is wrong and people have to realize what they are doing. You want to have friends and family that love and care about you, but you should not have to change to fit some model they have set for you.
I feel men are less likely to notice how our culture molds them into what a man should be. They should be masculine and what is the definition of masculinity? Being big for one. Men are expected to work out, watch football, drink beer and eat massive amounts of food. Men are suppose to be able to pleasure a woman, ever watch a commercial for natural male enhancement? Our culture feeds on male and female insecurities to perpetuate itself. Not all our culture is bad, it is only the parts that bias gender.
Britain pardons soldiers executed in World War 1
“The executed soldiers deserve better treatment than to be remembered
as cowards; instead, they should be remembered as brave men who were
willing to fight for their country in difficult conditions,” Dubs said.
British lawmakers on tuesday granted posthumous pardons for soldiers
executed during World War I, ending years of campaigning by the
families of men condemned to death for cowardice. About
300 soldiers that were executed during the 1914-1918 conflict for
failing to return to the front lines, were included in the pardon. The
government has said it is continuing research to identify other
soldiers who were brought before firing squads after only summary
trials. The decision to pardon the men was made as part of the Armed Forces
Act 2006, which only awaits the guaranteed assent of the queen to
become law.
I like the quote above and I believe it brings up a good point about the remembrance of people who died not in war, but in revenge. The nation unleashed the death penalty on these people because they refused to return to the front lines. If that is not revenge, I don’t know what is. I think Great Britain is doing a great thing. With changing times comes changing culture. What was once a horrible atrocity is no longer such. In the past during war time, it was thought that everyone should go out and serve their country. As more wars continued, people have rethought this and have come to see war as a bad thing. I myself never have supported a war, I don’t believe in killing life. (This excludes stem cells.) The families of the soldiers who were executed must have felt anger and betrayal from their country. I think any nation that kills a living breathing person for not wanting to kill should be punished. Cowardice may play a part in it, but fear is something human and we all have it. At the time of WWI, men were suppose to be these fearless, work horses who abandoned families, friends and work to fight a war for their nation. The decisions made by a man in political power helped caused others to die. I don’t like how government can control people and I do not support it. Governments should be working to provide peace, prosperity and happiness to the people living within it’s borders. Why would a nation waste time and resources to kill citizens? I will never understand some of the things that occur in this world. I grew up with a sunny perspective of the world around me. I always thought the world was a good place and everyone was good. As I got older, I found that was not the case. I will try to work towards bettering the world and the people who live in it.
The Culture of Argument in a Chicago Neighborhood Bar
“Performed argument allows people to manage this tension without perceiving it as a strategic contradiction.”
-Julie Lindquist
In the Culture of Argument in a Chicago Neighborhood, Julie, the bartender carefully observes her regulars. She begins to grasp an understanding of what it means to these people to come to the Smokehouse. Smokehouse is the name of the bar/restaurant.
I choose this quote because I feel everyone needs a place to perform argument and relieve stress. If people didn’t express themselves, we would all walk around miserable and unable to release things that bother us. Expression is one the things that has allowed humanity to prosper and grow. I believe most people have a place they go to in order to release their ideas and thoughts. I myself go to coffeehouses because the people who go there generally tend to be more educated, but not always. I enjoy talking about politics, world events, sports, cars and the lives of people. Attending a bar, pub, restaurant, coffeehouse or any communal place gives people a sense of purpose. They want to share their ideas and they want to know how others perceive their ideas. Law makers do something very similar, voting on ideas that agree or disagree with. Our world continues to be shaped by everyday arguments. Few people think of all the conversations they have in a single day. Many people get into verbal arguments without realizing it. We can essentially influence people about what they should do based upon what has been said. This reading was somewhat interesting to me because I could relate.
The FairTax plan: All of you pay or will pay taxes in your lifetime, so please read or watch about this new idea to simplify tax
Video
Go here to learn more:
Taxation has always been an issue with Americans. We boycotted British tea because of taxes. We desired taxation with representation. The only problem now that we have representation is the high level of confusion over the tax code and its unfairness between differing income levels. The FairTax plan would essentially do away with federal income tax, the IRS, social security and Medicare taxes, corporate taxes, capital gains taxes, gift taxes and inheritance taxes. They would be replaced with a national retail sales tax to be levied once at the point of purchase on new goods and services. Used goods would not incur the tax. The proposal also calls for a monthly tax rebate to households of citizens and legal resident aliens to “untax” purchases up to the poverty level. “The sales tax rate would be 23% of the total register price.” The FairTax would not change government funded programs such as social security, Medicare and Medicaid. The FairTax is even expected to decrease production costs after business taxes and compliance costs are removed. This is predicted to offset a portion of the FairTax amount.
I think this a great way to end unfairness in the tax system, do away with complicated filing procedures and promote our economy based upon consumer spending. Think of how wonderful it would be to just inherit money or win one million dollars and get to keep it all! The rich will continue to buy high priced luxury goods and in turn will finally be contributing their share.It will become more difficult to get away with not paying your taxes since every good you purchase will be contributing to your share of tax. Do you agree with or support this reform? If so, comment on it. At the bottom of this blog is a website where you can sign a petition in support of this. I highly doubt many politicians will support this plan, so it is up to us, the people to vote the supporters of this tax proposal into political office. This may be the first election most of you will be eligible to vote in. I hope you all registered and go out to make a difference.
Go here to take action:
Human beings living far beyond the planet’s means
Humans are stripping nature at an unprecedented rate and will need two planets’ worth of natural resources every year by 2050 on current trends, the WWF conservation group said on Tuesday. The article stated populations of many species, from fish to mammals, had fallen by about a third from 1970 to 2003 largely because of human threats such as pollution, clearing of forests and overfishing, the group also said in a two-yearly report “For more than 20 years we have exceeded the earth’s ability to support a consumptive lifestyle that is unsustainable and we cannot afford to continue down this path,” WWF Director-General James Leape said, launching the WWF’s 2006 Living Planet Report.”If everyone around the world lived as those in America, we would need five planets to support us,” Leape, an American, said in Beijing. People in the United Arab Emirates were placing most stress per capita on the planet ahead of those in the United States, Finland and Canada, the report said.
This article disturbed me a lot. To think in as little as forty-four years we could require another planet’s worth of natural resources. We can already see “water wars” occurring. Places that have water and dame up rivers are causing shortages downriver. The United States is doing this to Mexico, Middle Eastern countries have had this problem even longer and China’s rivers are becoming so polluted that it may soon need to seek out fresh water supplies. Just remember the United States has the great lakes which hold 20% of the world’s freshwater supply. That excludes the melting glaciers. I heard the rainforest’s produce forty percent of the oxygen in the air. Yet, they are being burned and turned into temporary farmland at an exponential rate. Climate patterns are changing and rainfall is moving to different areas. People don’t want to be aware of what is happening. They think it will all go away. What we have done in past couple centuries will take an extremely long time to be reversed if it even can. I despise America for their wasteful lifestyle. Having the biggest house, biggest vehicle and biggest waistline seem so important to American’s. In some European countries it is shameful to show wealth. When you consider how much living space you actually use and how many of you actually have a need for a truck or SUV. You can’t hide behind the I need all-wheel drive cause of the climate. Subaru and other automakers make all-wheel drive sedans! If you need space, instead of getting an SUV get a hatchback or wagon. Start recycling your trash and be conscientious of the water, food, fuel and other things you use. Remember, everyone shares the resources of the earth. When they run out, we don’t have anymore. Forget any idea you have about going into space for resources because I highly doubt that will ever happen.
The achievement of desire
“Without extraordinary determination and the great assistance of others–at home and at school–there is little chance for success.”
-Richard Rodriguez
I feel this quote best describes the need for others. Without friends, family and teachers, their is little chance for success. Our relationships help determine who we are. They shape and mold us into the people we become. In “The Achievement of Desire,” the point Richard seemed to make is that you need human relationships in your life. As much as you try to push away your parents, without them you probably wouldn’t be where you are today. He explains to us how much he his parents cared about their children. They sacrificed to give their kids what they never had. Richard tells us of his obsession to become educated. Even if it meant he didn’t really care about what he was learning. He didn’t seem to appreciate his family until he got older.
I had a hard time understanding Richard, since I abhor reading anything I’m not extremely interested in. I remember in second grade, I had to see the school psychiatrist because my teacher thought I had a learning problem. I got the card and ink blot tests. I passed them and confused the hell out of the teacher and psychiatrist. They couldn’t understand why a child would refuse to read. It amazed my parents that I would fail a spelling test on purpose during third grade then next week, get a ten out of ten. I would do this to play with teachers minds. I loved to make them think I studied and improved myself. The difference between me and Ricard is that I spent my time playing with my friends. I built strong relationships, but they always seemed to be broken by my own lack of determination to keep them together. I let my friends move away and I never called them like they asked me. So, I would say the quote is true in the sense you need both strong relationships and determination to be a success.
North Korea Nuclear Blast
Air samples gathered last week contain radioactive materials that confirm that North Korea conducted an underground nuclear explosion. Negroponte’s office also confirmed that the size of the explosion was less than 1 kiloton, a comparatively small nuclear detonation. Each kiloton is equal to the force produced by 1,000 tons of TNT. “Analysis of air samples collected on October 11, 2006, detected radioactive debris which confirms that North Korea conducted an underground nuclear explosion in the vicinity of P’unggye onOctober 9, 2006,” the statement said.
This worries me a lot to think North Korea would be willing to detonate nuclear weapons. I don’t think they realize how dangerous the radiation produced from the detonation is. The initial blast is nothing compared to radioactive material produced. What’s worse is that the material can travel in the air and contaminate other countries. I think it’s in China’sbest interest to agree with the U.N. on punishing North Korea. Their actions are not appropriate fora nation today. I truly hope we can prevent nations from seeking nuclear weapons. I believe nations see these weapons as a form of power but they fail to realize that nuclear weapons have not been used against another nation since WWII. Their is a reason for that. They are extremely dangerous for everyone.Nuclear fallout caused so many deaths in Japan back then and even today it is hard for the descendants of people exposed to the blast to find love. Fear that they may pass on damaged genetics as a result of nuclear exposure. I wish we could create a weapon that deradiate nuclear material. I don’t believe any such thing exists. The power struggle can cause nations to act without thinking of the repercussions of their actions. A lot of nations feel the United States tries to prevent them from gaining nuclear power because they would become a challenge. While this may be true, I doubt that is the reason. Being the only nation to attack another nation with nuclear weapons, we understand what can happen. I hope the U.N. can solve this crisis before it blows up their face.
My favorite commerical
My favorite commercial that was not ridiculously funny was for Honda Motors. It involves a series of parts all laying around with one gear that starts moving. It reminds me of cartoons were someone would buy a complicated machine. The commercial goes into every detail and part of the car which work together perfectly. Honda is my favorite automaker because they have a reputation for environmentally friendly, fuel efficient and slightly sporty vehicles with good reliability. I find that concentrating on one aspect of a vehicle causes problems. GM focused too much on performance and that may have contributed to their decline. Whenever a gas crisis hits, you want to be ready as an automaker with a variety of vehicles that will achieve good mileage. I find that perfection is having a little bit of everything. That is the reason I love Honda’s. They have everything you could ask for. They have even added a truck, although I don’t find a truck would ever be necessary for anyone. I hate trucks, suvs and minivans even though I wanted an suv at one point. The reason I dislike them is because under our current laws being considered a light truck lets them get away from the strict emission requirements that are imposed on cars. I love Subaru’s too, but the fact they reclassified their outback to light truck status so they would not have to meet the fuel efficiency standards of cars sickens me. Light trucks are completely classified as a different species of vehicle. Our government lets them get away with so much. I wish an independent would win the 2008 election. I’m sick of both political parties.
