Don't Ask, Don't Tell

In current news, the White House and Congress are actively examining the remaining issues of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT). Recently, the United States Department of Defense to immediately stop the enforcement of the policy. The Justice Department is only allowed 60 days to appeal this action, but they have not yet made the decision towards if they are going to. As noted, the final decision does not effect President Obama. In regards to the Democrats and Republicans, the entire Republican caucus filibustered (talking out a bill) a defense bill that included the measure to repeal this controversial policy. The ultimate decision of this policy will result in thousands of men and women being booted from the service because of their sexual orientation. Last month, a ruling took place by the U.S. District Court Judge Virginia A. Phillips interpreting that the DADT policy was not only unconstitutional, but it would take a direct effect on the military. In Yahoo News, this worldwide injunction by the federal judge has caused numerous to protest and attempt to persuade the Justice Department not to appeal the decision already made. Also, many believe that the decision made has been the perfect one towards the right step because apparently Congress has been taking too long for them. According to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network mentioned to gay troops that they should not have exploited their sexuality just yet. Eventually, they have come to the realization that the Justice Department may appeal the ban on the policy. Barring this appeal, previous service members may possibly be getting their job back because they resigned from their position before. The decision made by the Justice Department has notified most that banning opening gay troops from the service is a violation of the first amendment. As of now, a major concern involves the recruiting process being directly interrupted because of sexual orientation. Until the hopeful appeal of the policy, Gay Rights Activists and service members will be on the edge of their seats in regards to their careers.

KEEP YOUR HANDS ON THE WHEEL!!

In response to my first blog, I agree with the both of you. It is ridiculous Tamara, and laws would be extremely helpful, Owen. Therefore, there is a law that was taken into effect on July 1st to ban texting while driving. This law was enforced to decrease the hazard of accidents and deaths. According to CBS, 30 states, including the District of Columbia partake in this law and banned texting while driving . Although, according to CBS again, the ban is not being very effective. To be honest with you Owen, no I don't think there is a way that police officers could actually enforce this law. I think that everyone should obey the law and not text while driving out of spite just because there is a law banning this. Many are putting their lives at stake when not obeying this law. According to an article on texting while driving, 5,870 people died in car crashes in 2008 due to texting while driving, compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Also, according to the same article, adults outnumbered teenagers in texting while driving, 47 percent adults and 34 percent teenagers. This article shows the many statistics of texting while driving. There are many alternatives and ways to avoid the deaths and accidents that occur, only if people will use them. What is one way you think that can help decrease the rates of deaths due to texting while driving?

Get Granny From Behind The Wheel

In response to my first blog, I agree with all of you. I can really understand you. Yes, it is wrong to take the license of the elderly who are in healthy conditions. My grandmother is pushing 75 and she is still driving. She works part time, cooks, keeps up her garden, and attends as many sports events as she can. Her main problem is driving under the speed limit. She can also be hazardous to those who are driving the speed limit. However, there are still many elderly drivers who are trying to beat the system. In Manuel’s article he made a valuable point about renewing your license. He stated, “So if when anyone turns 21, they go and renew their license they can get it for 10 years. That means that they will renew it again at 31, 41, 51, and 61.” Unfortunately, the law has changed for the state of Georgia. According to the Georgia Department of Driver Services you can only renew your license for either 5 or 8 years. I believe that this change is due to the fact of unsafely drivers. In the article, Elderly Drivers-Is Your Loved One Driving Safely, there is a list of signs for a person to checkout to make sure that their driving is safe. In some states there is a required driving retest that for drivers over 70 if they are involved in two or more car accidents. I however feel as if this may be too late. It only takes one accident for some to be seriously injured or worse killed.

Calm Down With the Coffee All Ready

As I said in my last post, there are many negative side effects that could possibly come from drinking large amounts of caffeine. But there are certain doses and uses that could help us manipulate the effects of caffeine for our benefit.
Don't drink caffeine after 12 pm. Because of the importance of sleep, caffeine should be limited to the earlier hours of the day. Caffeine can stay in the "system" for 3-12 hours which means that your sleep will be adversely affected. Even if you can sleep, the caffeine will still disrupt your R.E.M. sleep.
Drink caffeine before physical activity. The hormones affected by caffeine are also affected during exercise. The release of stress hormones, particularly, is increased by both of these things. So if you exercise after a caffeine intake, your body will feel like the hormones are being released for a reason.
Don't "take" too much. Caffeine is fine in limited amounts, a few cups/cans/bottles/glasses, at large intervals, before the later hours of the day will make you feel alert and awake. But if you drink caffeine constantly throughout the day, you will, without exception, start to become dependent on it, which will make you feel all jittery and headachy without it. But to fix this, you can control your doses. Four to seven caffeine moments are the minimum for the day. And they should be "taken" at regular intervals, not consistently.
Caffeine rocks, but everyone needs to remember that the only way to be truly alert and awake is to get enough sleep, and that caffeine should only be used when this can't be achieved.

Miami Heat, Contender's or Pretender's? (part 2)

The Heat are a NBA team loaded with talent. Much like the new era "Dream Team" the Heat have many superstars that are going to be expected to play together and play together well. In the 2008 summer olympics, the USA had an amazingly talent basketball team, a "Dream Team" of sorts. This team had every ego in the book, but they were brought together by the great Coach K ( Krzyzewski). Coach K is known to be one of the greatest basketball coaches of all times, but when he took the national job he knew it would be a challenge. Despite all of their diversities and the clashing ego's, Coach K rallied these superstars to win the Olympic Gold medal. Looking at the roster of this medal winning team, we will find all three of the Heat's supertars. This would tell some people that they can play together and they will succeed because all of them know how not to be selfish. If you look deeper into the situation you will find some flaws in these facts. First of all The had the great Coack K, who has been known for allways bringing the purity back into the game of basketball. The Heat have a coach by the name of Erik Spoelstra, and although he is a NBA coach, he is no Coach K. Coach Spoelstra may be able to keep the Heat going for a few weeks of the season, but eventually someone will get unhappy and coach Spoelstra will lose controlof his team. The second flaw that we find in the Heat's so called championship run is in the length of the season. In the Olympics the big ego's of the "Dream Team" were only together for a few months, meerly a fraction of what the NBA season consist of. So, looking back at all the evidence we know that the Miami Heat are stacked with talent, but we also know that they will not be proceeding past the first round of the playoffs, if they even make it at all.

Death or Life

After further research, the death penalty may still be abolished. It won't be abolished because of the debate of whether or not it is ethical, but due to the United States' budget. According to Associated Press, life imprisonment is "tens of millions of dollars cheaper" than executing a criminal on death row. Associated Press also reveals that criminals wait "an average of 20 years from conviction to death row." Richard C. Dieter, Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center claims that "everything needed for an ordinary trial is needed for a death penalty case, only more so." This includes more "pre trial, more attorneys, jurors will have to be quizzed about their knowledge of the death penalty, and the case will take longer." Even though surveys have shown how life imprisonment will be more cost efficient, others like Dudley Sharp, Death Penalty Resources Director of Justice For All, still disagree. Personally, I believe the system of the death penalty needs to be refined. There are no reasons that a criminal should wait for their time of being punished. A revision in the way criminals are executed would cost less than life imprisonment. Why don't we use such approaches as Chris Clem, Attorney at Samples, Jennings, Ray & Clem, PLLC says? "Executions do not have to cost that much. We could hang them and re-use the rope. No cost! Or we could use firing squads and ask for volunteer firing squad members who would provide their own guns and ammunition. Again, no cost."

HELICOPTER PARENTS - Stop Hovering ME!!!!

The article, "The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting", gave a simple message stating "Less is more; hovering is dangerous; failure is fruitful. You really want your children to succeed? Learn when to leave them alone. When you lighten up, they'll fly higher. We're often the ones who hold them down." I could not agree with this statement more. In response to the comments, I am not directly blaming the parents for the behaviors that their child acts upon nor am I saying that teens rebel because they know that their parents do not want to see them hurt. I am making a claim that parental "hovering" behavior is a factor in what allures children to want to rebel and participate in things that they know they should not. Of course, it is only natural for parents to want the best for their children, I did not mention otherwise. If the child chooses to communicate to his or her parents, would the parents listen? Based on their helicopter mentality, they already know what is best for the child and will most likely continue their habits, disregarding the expression of their child. Perhaps hovering is not that bad! Helicopter Parents Reconsidered," provides from a review of research studies by the Harvard Family Research Project, that teens whose parents play an active role do better in school and are more likely to enroll in college. That research also states that hovered children earned lower grades. What could this be the effect of? From parental pressure? Some younger children will even use their parents' parental "protection" as an advantage, especially when education comes into play. Instead of speaking to a teacher about tutorial sessions or wondering why they make a certain grade, they do not confront the teachers on a student-to-teacher level. They just say "Here, talk to my mom." They are not sure whether what they are doing is correct or not, so they got to their mother to confirm. Does not this hinder him or her from speaking up for their self? Will they always depend on a higher authority to make a decision for them? This sure does not sound like good parenting!