Saturday, November 6, 2010

Election results might not be a trigger to cheer

There were some surprises within the 2010 election outcomes. There were some non-surprises too. The House of Representatives, for instance, is now thoroughly shot via with Republicans. The Senate is still mostly Democrat. The Tea Party Candidates had a mixed record. This may be the beginning of a hung congress, not able to achieve anything due to partisan stupidity. Article resource – Election results is probably not a cause to cheer by Newsytype.com.

Might turn out to be bad to have election outcomes

Republicans may have majority in the House of Representatives. This is only if the 2010 election voting results are correct. Neither party is being very cooperative now that the Republicans can have some power. It’s being deemed that the officials are just standing on principle. It is somebody good for them but bad for children though. Since neither party will work with each other, nothing will get done. Congress will end up in a deadlock. That might be thought of as a good thing, however it’s not. It’s bad. It needs to be avoided. Sarah Palin has been bashing people for being realistic, which doesn’t exactly do credit to the people we consider authorities.

It's not just here

Great Britain had some troubles earlier this year. A hung parliament is what happened. A hung parliament is when an election puts nearly equal numbers of representatives to the legislature. Business ends up not being taken care of since no party had a majority. The United Kingdom and other parliamentary governments have tried to avoid it although the Tea Party says it is great. America is intended to be special in what occurs in it although something bad tends to be bad everywhere.

Cannot deny what it is

Boehner will always do the opposite of things Obama wants. However, he even realized that to "meet within the middle" is typically the best option, the Huffington Post accounts, when it comes to these issues. Being able to compromise is important for officials to do. That is what democracy is all about.

Articles cited

Huffington Post

huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/03/john-boehner-election-obama_n_778407.html



Friday, November 5, 2010

National Collegiate Athletic Association female's basketball enables transgendered athlete to contend

The controversy over George Washington University student Kye Allums has reached a fever pitch. Kye Allums can play women’s basketball next year. This is controversial because Kye is a female-to-male transgendered person. The decision was made in cooperation with the NCAA and George Washington University.

Allums changes to a male identity

The woman that matured as a tomboy had been Allums. He goes to George Washington and is 21 years old, and he stated that he "always felt like a man trapped in a woman's body" in some interviews. Over the last few months, Kye has been transitioning to a male identity. Kye is a 5'1'' guard. He had been quoted saying, "I did not choose to be born in this body and feel the way I do."

Women's basketball is what Allums is doing within the NCAA

Playing on the NCAA women's basketball team for George Washington University had been what Allums is presently doing. This is because she had a scholarship to do so. The transgender issue makes it hard for the University and NCAA to know how to proceed about this. Kye would like to continue competing in basketball. The school had been talked to by the National Center on Lesbian Rights and Women's Sports Foundation. The compromise reached allows Kye Allums, who is nevertheless physically woman, to continue competing in women’s basketball as long as he doesn’t undergo testosterone or drug therapy. The natural production of testosterone is all a woman can have in her body. This is what the National Collegiate Athletic Association rules state.

The difficulty of gender-divided athletics

The transgender issue has been talked about although the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball issue with Allums is the first. The Olympic athlete Caster Semenya had been questioned. The physical gender had been the concern. Lana Lawless, a male-to-female transgender golfer, is suing the LPGA for the right to contend as a professional woman golfer. Then some question the whole idea of separating men's and women's sports. They think the whole thing ought to end. The gender issue of transgender athletes will continue to be an issue unless all athletics become co-ed.

Data from

CNN

cnn.com/2010/US/11/03/transgender.basketball.player/index.html?npt=NP1



Alcoholism one of the most damaging form of substance addiction

Alcohol, not narcotics or crack cocaine, is the most dangerous of all well-liked drugs, a recent study has found. Other popular drugs ranked as more lethal, however alcohol’s effects on society as a whole put it at the top of the list. The study, which examined 20 drugs for the damage they do to users as well as others, found LSD and ecstasy to be the least dangerous.

Alcohol is the most dangerous drug there is

The cost of alcohol to society makes it one of the most harmful substance being over used within the U.K., based on a study published in the British medical journal Lancet. CNN reports that a panel of experts within the study factored within the physical, psychological and social difficulties caused by certain substances. A scoring system created to evaluate the degree of danger gave alcohol 72 out of a possible 100 points. 55 points was how much heroin got when crack cocaine got 54 points and was 3rd. The lowest were cannabis with 20 points, ecstasy with nine, Lysergic acid diethylamide with seven and mushrooms with five. They hardly even scored.

Precisely why booze beat heroin and crack cocaine

Booze is probably the most harmful substance to society, before narcotics and crack because it is one of the most abused drug and is legal and accessible in society. The study determined that heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine were one of the most damaging substances to individuals. Nine factors related to harm for the substance user were examined, such as dependence, injury and mortality. Harm brought on to others was one more just what had been crime, economic cost and environmental destruction were judged under. BBC News spoke to co-author David Nutt who said that many will go to "extraordinary lengths" to abuse alcohol as thousands in Britain are addicted to it.

The alcohol destruction done

The National Institutes of Health explains that there are a ton of alcoholic adults. In fact, 17.6 million are alcoholics. Addiction expert Dr. Jeffery Parsons told the NY Daily News that because it’s lawful and socially acceptable, numerous of these drinkers don’t think it’s a issue for them. The reason the reason why alcohol is one of the most over used is because individuals can abuse it and still feel like a valuable member of society. Unless they get arrested for drunk driving, they’ll never know it had been a problem.

Citations

CNN

cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/01/alcohol.harm/index.html?npt=NP1

New York Daily News

nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2010/11/01/2010-11-01_alcohol_is_more_harmful_than_heroin_or_crack_study.html?r=news

Medical News Today

medicalnewstoday.com/articles/206300.php



Lenders of small loans cannot afford to purchase elections

Like any other group or business, small loans providers and payday advance lenders can make campaign contributions. That said, some people don’t think it is morally right. Any contribution, according to some, by any business amounts to bribery. One such idea is that if a candidate or official does not want payday cash advances banned or capped within an inch of their life has been bought and sold by the industry. It’s an awful double standard, and loan lenders do not have access to that type of cash lying around to start with.

The small loan sector is purchasing officials some say

Trade organizations put a lot of cash into politicians in order to make sure they’re represented. Small cash loans lenders like payday loan and payday installment loans providers are able to do this as well. Members of these organizations make campaign contributions, which they are legally allowed to do. Officials are invited to come to conferences that are hosted by them. Many businesses will lobby for incumbents or candidates this way. Yet, numerous don't approve of it. It seems like a double standard. The brand new Mexico Independent accounts that there was a recent New Mexico debate where Democratic candidate Diane Denish got mad at Susana Martinez since she had been supposedly bribed by cash advance loan companies since Martinez had some of the alternate financial services business throw a fundraiser for her.

Where the rules come from

A sector making contributions to a candidate doesn't mean too much. Some businesses are considered more acceptable to give donations. Who decides this? Payday advance and small loan providers don't really have much money to spare. Buying off somebody costs lots of money they do not have. The 2010 election fund, from the whole payday lending organization, ended up having Congressional Representative Heath Shuler of North Carolina getting $57,900. $152,100 went to Senator Christ Dodd. This had been within the 2010 election and all came from the Royal Financial institution of Scotland. Anyone can look at lobbying data on OpenSecrets.org, and might be surprised at what they discover about their own representatives.

Just the small contribution

The contributions small loan lenders can make as a sector are dwarfed when it comes to other lobbies, for instance banks and high finance. Election campaigns end up with unions paying out the most. That's where the majority of the contributions come from. Looking at history, unions are hardly squeaky clean by any stretch of the imagination. Contributions and bribes are different. They cannot be counted as the same. Want to know more? Just check out facts and statistics of payday financial loans record on Personal Money Store for the info.

Citations

New Mexico Independent

newmexicoindependent.com/65582/the-men-behind-martinezs-payday-loan-fundraiser



Thursday, November 4, 2010

Discovery shortly to see its final space shuttle launch

The second to last space shuttle launch to ever occur will begin soon. The next to previous mission on the space shuttle launch schedule can be the liftoff of the space shuttle Discovery on Wednesday, Nov. 3 from Cape Canaveral. The mission for Discovery will take it to the International Space Station, and it seems a nondescript ending for the craft. The Discovery is set to be mothballed and replace the Enterprise in the Smithsonian after it returns. Article resource – Preparations begin for final Discovery space shuttle launch by Personal Money Store.

The previous Discovery space shuttle launch

On Wednesday, Nov. 3, the final space shuttle launch for Discovery will lift off around 3:52 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, based on MSNBC. The International Space Station will get to see six astronauts that will come within the space shuttle Discovery. National Aeronautics and Space Administration has used Discovery for more missions than other things and it is not the last shuttle mission, just the last mission for Discovery. Once this launch is wrapped up, there will be only one more National Aeronautics and Space Administration launch of a space shuttle. The govt has not announced a replacement for the shuttle program, however it is presumed to be looking into solutions from the private industry to find a “space taxi” of sorts to ferry astronauts into orbit.

Now we see the era ends

There is a reason why the space shuttle program is ending. The Space Shuttle Columbia is part of this reason. Columbia disintegrated upon re-entering Earth’s atmosphere in 2003, which caused then-President Bush to cancel the shuttle program, based on ABC. The replacement program brought Apollo-size rockets and capsules back and was called the constellation program. The Obama administration cancelled that though. The program was cut because it was believed to use old ideas, and since the goal was to revisit the moon, it was just a rehash of the Apollo program. Still in design stage is the Hundred Year Starship. That could be something different though.

What National Aeronautics and Space Administration will do now

NASA has been working with contractors on something new. A new way of transportation is being looked into. One of the contenders is the Falcon series rockets from Space X, a business founded by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk.

Articles cited

MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com/id/39948971/ns/technology_and_science-space/

ABC News

abcnews.go.com/Technology/florida-unemployment-acute-space-coast-jobs-threatened-end/story?id=12019380&page=1



Halliburton cementing job failed at Macondo well

Although Halliburton tests showed that a cement mixture was unstable, it was used on the BP Macondo well regardless. Halliburton’s failure to acknowledge the failed cement tests had disastarous consequences. A faulty Halliburton cementing job is emerging as a primary cause of the well blowout that sank the Deepwater Horizon and started the Gulf oil spill. Halliburton’s negligence is being investigated by a presidential commission and could result in action against the company by the Justice Department.

Halliburton knew cement was unstable

Halliburton’s decision to use the unstable cement is one of the first conclusions drawn by the commission investigating the cause of the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. Halliburton said that the cement mixture was shown to be stable through tests before, reports the Associated Press. The disaster has caused companies to start blaming each other one another. Halliburton and BP are two of these companies. The Macondo well only had oil and gas come out of it because of the cement mixture, BP states. The response Halliburton gives is the well design and drilling operation by BP are to blame.

Cement critical to prevent oil well blowouts

The oil spill commission is investigating the cement mixture that was supposed to secure a metal casing that goes around pipes and drill bit in oil drilling while they penetrate all oil and gas under the floor of the ocean. Oil and gas should be prevented from leaving the well with the cement as well. The Los Angeles Times reports that in a section of the Macondo well 13,000 feet under the ocean floor, BP chose to use a cement mixture made and recommended by Halliburton. Mixing the cement mixture together is a hit and miss process. This is why testing it to determine its stability throughout is essential.

Halliburton cement fails every test

The Halliburton cement recipe had been something the oil spill commission wanted to test. The Chevron laboratory got samples for testing as a result of this. As outlined by the new York Times, the Halliburton mixture went via nine tests that mimicked the conditions at the BP well. All nine of these were failed though. As a result of this, the oil spill within the Gulf of Mexico 2010 has data that "strongly suggests" that Halliburton cement had been part of the problem the commission said. The disaster didn't take out all of the cement on the Macondo well. Just a little bit is being kept as evidence for when the criminal investigation needs it.

Articles cited

Associated Press

google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5igahXC3SkTTf2b4nKNp9VZuv6Mew?docId=505ad7273f504a769b2da63b5fb4332

8

Los Angeles Times

latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-naw-deepwater-cement-20101028,0,2151247.story

New York Times

nytimes.com/2010/10/29/us/29spill.html?src=me



Wednesday, November 3, 2010

It's National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month

The month of Nov is set aside as National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, writes McKnight’s, and hence it’s a time to remember those impacted by the disease and continue to drive the fires of medical research to aid in future prevention. The number of individuals with the disease is expected to skyrocket over the next few years. Thus, keeping a steady stream of money trained on research and prevention is essential.

Alzheimer’s disease possibly a $20 trillion problem

The piece "The Age of Alzheimer’s" by the NY Times explains that baby boomers will start getting higher chances for Alzheimer’s starting Jan 1 when a baby boomer will turn 65 each and every eight seconds. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has a husband who has Alzheimer’s and explains that means more than 4 million each year will end up with the disease. The risk could possibly be eliminated by simply looking into more drugs that could combat the disease. The Nationwide Institutes of health explain that Americans will pay a ton for Alzheimer’s patients. By 2020, the amount paid in taxes for this can be $172 billion. By 2050, the number ends up being $20 trillion.

Action is evidently needed to reverse the trend, which is what National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month is about. Alzheimer’s researchers see major medical breakthroughs being possible by 2020 however not without the needed funds. O'Conner from the Times explains that a $2 billion bill for Alzheimer’s disease research is something Congress had been asked to create legislation for.

Facts about Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's disease is currently incurable. It’s just a bit of dementia. The disease is given to some terminally as they are over 65. Typically everyone younger is not given the disease. The first symptoms just look like an individual can't form new memories. Anything most recently taking place is hard to remember. A related condition called sundown syndrome – extreme agitation and disorientation that occurs within the later afternoon or early evening – is common among Alzheimer’s patients, writes the Alzheimer’s Disease Support blog. Ultimately that person will die after confusion, mood swings, language breakdown, long term memory loss and loss of bodily functions all sets in. These are other symptoms. You need to be comprehending and caring with an Alzheimer'! s patient. This is very important. Yet the process of care can be almost as debilitating, particularly when family members and loved ones take on the responsibility of in-home care.

Articles cited

Alzheimer's Disease support

alzheimers-disease.net/2010/02/15/sundown-syndrome-and-alzheimer's-disease/

McKnights

mcknights.com/alzheimers-awareness-month-sheds-spotlight-on-treatment-prevention-efforts/article/189888/

NY Times

nytimes.com/2010/10/28/opinion/28oconnor.html

Don’t forget National Memory Screening Day on Nov. 17

youtube.com/watch?v=lwlddM3r9IE