Swine flu has taken over the news lately, so this week I decided to write a little bit about it. Just when I thought flu season was coming to an end, I now have to worry about catching a disease form a pig. The way it sounds, Mexico and the United States, as well as the World Health Organization are working to prevent and find a source of this flu, which they fear may become a pandemic. It's scary to think about, but there aren't any cases in ND.
This article states that Mexicans are warned not to shake hands and keep a safe distance from others. The article also states that some feel there's no need to take precautionary measures yet. Let's think about that... Valley City residents and businesses said the night before the sewer collapse that there wasn't need to be so cautious yet. Yeah.
I certainly don't want swine flu in my area, so why can't the WHO do something to keep those infected out of human contact? One thing I hope health officials do is prevent this disease from spreading further. Reading about this kind of stuff is all very, very confusing. I am well aware of diseases in animals that humans can catch (bird flu, Mad Cow, etc.), but I always thought that was rare. Does my dog catch a cold when I have one?! :) Anyway, apparently swine flu is being spread by human-to-human contact. This makes it much easier to spread.
To add to the confusion, this is an interesting little blog I found about the swine flu. It talks about the possibility that this flu was produced in a lab because it has genes from human flu, bird flu, and swine flu. I'm not sure how credible this is, but I thought I'd share. After doing a quick Google search, I realized that this doctor isn't the only one who has conspiracy theories in his head about the outbreak.
Do you have any thoughts on the swine flu? Do you think it will become a pandemic?
Monday, April 27, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Blog 13 (Roxanna Saberi)
Roxanna Saberi has been in the local news a lot lately, and I just found an article stating the latest news. Her sentence, which I found out about a couple days ago, might be erased. When I first learned about Saberi's unfortunate arrest, I was kind of confused. I didn't even know what press credentials were, let alone it was such a serious crime to be without them. This is sort of a how-to description, if you're curious... After learning a bit more about her case, I wondered why she was in prison. Then I wondered what would happen to her. Her story gave me the "what if it was me" feeling. I have never thought about going to Iran, but I have thought of going elsewhere in the world, and I thought to myself, what if I had broken some crazy law I didn't even know about and ended up in prison? Although, I may likely be sent back to America for punishment, Saberi, being a dual citizen isn't so lucky.
If things didn't seem bad enough for Saberi, they only got worse; she was accused of espionage in Iran. She was then sentenced to eight years in prison. Just hearing all of this makes me feel sad for her and her family, especially if she wasn't even guilty.
I read a column in the Times-Record written by Steve Browne about Saberi's situation. I can't seem to find it online, but Browne stated that his children are also dual citizens--of Poland and America. He mentioned that she may likely be punished in Iran since she's a dual citizen. He thought there was nothing the U.S. could do about it because of her dual citizenship.
In this type of situation, I think people need to think realistically, and that is just what Browne is doing. I wish there was something that the U.S. could do for this girl, but I don't think there is either. I don't know her at all, but according to what I've read, she was not spying for the United States. I really feel bad for her family, and I know they've been really worried about her. Like I mentioned earlier, sometimes things like this makes me wonder what would happen if I broke a law in another country. I just hope we can hear some good news about this situation sometime soon!
If things didn't seem bad enough for Saberi, they only got worse; she was accused of espionage in Iran. She was then sentenced to eight years in prison. Just hearing all of this makes me feel sad for her and her family, especially if she wasn't even guilty.
I read a column in the Times-Record written by Steve Browne about Saberi's situation. I can't seem to find it online, but Browne stated that his children are also dual citizens--of Poland and America. He mentioned that she may likely be punished in Iran since she's a dual citizen. He thought there was nothing the U.S. could do about it because of her dual citizenship.
In this type of situation, I think people need to think realistically, and that is just what Browne is doing. I wish there was something that the U.S. could do for this girl, but I don't think there is either. I don't know her at all, but according to what I've read, she was not spying for the United States. I really feel bad for her family, and I know they've been really worried about her. Like I mentioned earlier, sometimes things like this makes me wonder what would happen if I broke a law in another country. I just hope we can hear some good news about this situation sometime soon!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Blog 12 (North Dakota Dodging the Recession)
I'd like to start off this blog by saying I'm not quite sure I understand the difference between an editorial and a column, so if anyone has an answer, I'd appreciate it.
While looking on CNN for a good news story to write about, I found a graphic image instead. Take a look at this map of the United States. It shows the unemployment rate, the foreclosure rate, and the state budget defeciet rate. If you notice, North Dakota is always in the lowest percentage rate. A lot of good things have been said about our state lately, and this looks to be one other good thing. And according to this article, North Dakota is the only state doing well right now. Their reason? "North Dakota's diversified economy is keeping the small state afloat while most U.S. states sink deeper into economic recession." The article also states that ND has a stable housing market. While the Obama Administration is working hard to give people mortgage breaks, North Dakotans are working hard to pay for their houses the old-fashioned way...and of course saving their homeland from raging floodwaters.
If you're wondering what a mortgage bailout plan is, I found a website that answered some of my questions. The site goes on to mention that people have different opinions on this plan. Some don't like the idea because those who were irresponsible enough to get themselves into that much debt should not be bailed out. Others approve of the idea because lenders are deceptive in their practices. That's something I don't understand. I've heard time and time again that lenders like to give loans to those with poor credit because ultimately they'll make more money from them than from those with excellent credit (think late fees...). However, what happens when those who have poor credit just quit paying their loan all together? The bank doesn't make any money. So why would lenders want to deceive people into getting a loan that they cannot afford?!
Maybe it's because I'm from North Dakota, but I don't like the idea of any of this bailout stuff. All it does is let people think, "It's okay, make mistakes, the government will take care of you." Maybe it's attitudes like this that make our state the one that refuses to take part in the recession. I'm open to other viewpoints though. If you think bailouts are a good idea, I'd like to know why.
While looking on CNN for a good news story to write about, I found a graphic image instead. Take a look at this map of the United States. It shows the unemployment rate, the foreclosure rate, and the state budget defeciet rate. If you notice, North Dakota is always in the lowest percentage rate. A lot of good things have been said about our state lately, and this looks to be one other good thing. And according to this article, North Dakota is the only state doing well right now. Their reason? "North Dakota's diversified economy is keeping the small state afloat while most U.S. states sink deeper into economic recession." The article also states that ND has a stable housing market. While the Obama Administration is working hard to give people mortgage breaks, North Dakotans are working hard to pay for their houses the old-fashioned way...and of course saving their homeland from raging floodwaters.
If you're wondering what a mortgage bailout plan is, I found a website that answered some of my questions. The site goes on to mention that people have different opinions on this plan. Some don't like the idea because those who were irresponsible enough to get themselves into that much debt should not be bailed out. Others approve of the idea because lenders are deceptive in their practices. That's something I don't understand. I've heard time and time again that lenders like to give loans to those with poor credit because ultimately they'll make more money from them than from those with excellent credit (think late fees...). However, what happens when those who have poor credit just quit paying their loan all together? The bank doesn't make any money. So why would lenders want to deceive people into getting a loan that they cannot afford?!
Maybe it's because I'm from North Dakota, but I don't like the idea of any of this bailout stuff. All it does is let people think, "It's okay, make mistakes, the government will take care of you." Maybe it's attitudes like this that make our state the one that refuses to take part in the recession. I'm open to other viewpoints though. If you think bailouts are a good idea, I'd like to know why.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
