Category: general news

Stuff having to do with the news in general.

Winter Winds.

YourcupateaLeave a comment

Autumn
Yes, Winter is coming. Although the sun is still shining in sunny California, the  temperature change does not reflect this warmth. Stepping out into the crisp, cool air it is evident that the Winter winds have began to blow and with this the cold weather has arrived.

The seasons of Winter andAutumn are really picturesque. As the tree’s leaves begin to fall and the ground transforms into a carpet of the auburns and oranges, everything else begins to turn green and return to life. Walking out among the beauty, one can’t help  but to gaze in amazement at the array of colors.

This time of year is a period when you need to put on your big coats, layer up and put on your warm boots. Now that the cold weather has come it’s beautiful to venture out but afterwards you have every excuse to stay at home and be lazy. Gather your blankets, make a large mug of hot coco, put on some classic films and snuggle on the sofa in front of an open fire.

Many complain about the cold temperature change, but for me it’s pure luxury.

Trucks Take Over

rangerthecat1 Comment

As I was driving today in the predictable evening LA traffic, I realized just how many different types of cars there are on the road. In my family alone, we have a truck, two sedans, and two vans, all by different companies. All of this thinking brought a question to my mind:

What is the most popular car in America?

I tried to answer it myself as I was driving by counting a few different types and thinking about what types of cars that people I know own. I finally concluded that it was the Toyota Prius. They are hybrids, so they tend to be very fuel efficient and are a great smallish size, and I see so many of them on the road I didn’t even second guess myself.

But, after looking up the most popular car in America, it was quite a surprise to me to discover that the Ford F150 takes the title.

I mean, in my opinion, they are beautiful. I LOVE trucks. But, when purchasing my own car, I realized that they are not very sensible (especially for a teenager) and that they are not really necessary unless a person is hauling around things or towing trailers, like some businesses do.

It’s crazy to think that a huge gas-guzzling truck would be the most popular, especially with gas prices being so high. I have seen a lot of them on the road, but it still came as a big surprise to me.

Maybe it was just my wishful thinking that people would choose more fuel-efficient cars in order to start caring for the environment!

The cutest animal

thehungryrunnergirlLeave a comment

My best friend and I were skyping and talking about what we would like to be if we could be reborn. My friend said she wanted to be a jellyfish because they don’t seem to have anything to be concerned about or to be stressed! I told her that I wanted to be an alpaca; because it was the cutest animal I had ever seen.

Alpacas inhabit at high altitude of 11,500 ft to 16,000ft in South America. It looks like a small llama. They have been domesticated for thousands of years. Alpacas protect themselves from intruders by making sharp, noisy high-pitched bray sound and attack smaller predators by kicking and spitting. Most of them spit at other alpacas, but sometimes they can spit at a human too.

Diet wise, they don’t eat as much as other animals do. The intake of grass and hay, including other vegetation that they eat per day, goes up to 1-2% of their body weight. They also try to chew on almost everything,even an empty bottle.

People in Peru have been using alpaca images in their art; they also use alpaca fiber to make knits. I have an alpaca sweater, and despite of its thinness, it is very comfortable and warm.

Why are they so cute?

OWS, Right or Wrong

frog31 Comment
The corner of Wall Street and Broadway, showin...
Image via Wikipedia

OWS or occupy Wall Street is an ongoing movement that protest against corporate greed, corruption, and the fact that 1% of Americans controls 40% of Americas wealth. OWS primary goal is to force the rich to pay taxes proportionate to their wealth.

These attacks have been criticized as merely the poor complaining about lack of work but have also been called a cultural revolution, an end to the rich controlling America power.

The problem being, of course, is it right to be angry over wealth that someone has rightfully earned. The answer cannot be answered with a simple yes or a no, we must look back on our nations founding.

Funny that the reason we became a nation was because of refusal to pay unfair taxes. (History has a way of repeating itself) When Britain decided to pass stringent tax laws, an angry group of colonist created a revolution that not only spread through their own country but to the rest of the world.

Todays “revolution” is not only changing Wall Street but has” spread to more than 250 American cities, [and] more than a [hundred] countries — every continent but Antarctica.”

Now the only question that remains will the months of protest pay off or will it go down in history as a misguided folly. I believe that it will pay off; obstructing the largest financial center into the world is bound to force Obama and congress to act.

Then again the chance of such a “miracle” occurring in congresses current climate, is not likely. (Partisans these days.) Only time well tell if the protestors months of effort will pay off.

Our Army

therightliberalLeave a comment

With the “Kill Team” in the news, I thought it would be a good idea to write about the US Armed Forces.

In case you have not heard of the “Kill Team“, specifically Sgt. Calvin Gibbs, then here you go. It is a group of US Army soldiers who killed Afghanistan citizens for fun, not just the baddies, innocent people too.

The Armed Forces takes a lot of heat for their actions. They are constantly looked at as being the evil doers in our wars. But is it their fault?

I think not.

Most of the people who join the US Military are joining to serve their country, to protect the people, and to get a pay check. They do not go to foreign countries to kill innocent people or to fight wars that are not meant to be fought.

I was recently having this same argument and the main point that I heard was that the people who are fighting must believe in what they are doing. But I for one am not convinced.

We sitting home in the US see the war as an overall thing, a (fairly) complete picture. But individual people fighting overseas are just doing what they are told to do. Should they be blamed for following orders?

It is our governments fault for putting the soldiers in these positions. The “Kill Team” should face very strict punishment; they should be put in prison for the rest of their lives. They were not following orders, they were killing for fun.

But the soldiers who face criticism for following orders, that is just not fair. The are trying to protect the lives of all the people at home. They put their lives on the line daily for American interests.

It IS wrong that they are in that position, they should not be fighting overseas for pointless reasons. The US government should be held responsible for all the killings that they ordered. They are putting these young people overseas with big guns and small amounts of supervision, they should have to face the consequences.

Occupy Wall Street 2.0

therightliberal1 Comment

I last wrote about the subject of Occupy Wall Street when  it was a relatively small protest in New York.

And then bang!

The protests started spreading throughout the country, with people even protesting overseas. It has turned in to quite the movement, with the media giving the protests quite the coverage (despite my complaints about their reasons).

But I still have some concerns. I agree that the top 1% needs to stop hiding and start being more responsible. That small population controls such a large percentage of the money in the country that they can control most of the goings on. And with things going so poorly with the economy, they need to stand up and explain why and give some solutions.

But the protesters have not been clear on what they are looking for. The go around marching with 1% signs but they have no specific demands.

There may be a good reason for this: they don’t (and most Americans don’t) know what the answers are, only that we are in trouble.

It is quite obvious that the general public is upset at the state of our economy. We need change. But what change do we need?

Here is what the protesters should be demanding:

Higher taxes on the wealthy. They are wealthy which means they have excess money. Why not tax them and help the country? Obviously giving the rich tax breaks have not worked because look where we are now.

Education. Our education system is quickly system towards the middle of the pack, and that’s a big problem. If we want to have a wealthy country that leads the world in most areas, we need to have the most and best educated young people. Let’s cut spending from other programs if we need to (defense spending) and use it wisely; on education.

Inaction. What has been done by the wealthy to help? To be honest I do not think it is the individual’s job to voluntarily help but the job of the government to enforce their help. Politicians in Washington have been so busy bickering over every small issue that they have forgotten that we need progress now.

I support Occupy Wall Street and I think that the people out there are doing a good job of showing the people’s frustration with the government.

That being said, I highly suggest they focus their protests and start suggesting solutions. By doing that, they could really make a huge step and make some large changes in our country.

North Korea, again?

frog3Leave a comment

The United States (in its infinite wisdom) has begun, yet again, another series of peace talks with North Korea, in a desperate attempt to end the hostile nations nuclear program.

Talks have been “positive” according to Stephen Bosworth (the top US negotiator on North Korean Matters). Bosworth believes, “We are moving in [the] [right] direction.” As we have seen in past attempts at negotiation, having positive talks with North Korea would not be saying much, nor does it give off the impression that the discussions are making progress. North Korea and its foreign policy nations have been tenuous at best.

How can anyone forget the unprovoked attack that occurred last year when the South Korean military, practicing an artillery exercise, fired into neutral waters and were  subsequently accused by North Korea of instigating war.

North Korea in response began bombarding Yeongpyeong, a small series of islands located approximately 12 kilometers from North Korea. This attack killed four South Koreans and injured 19.

It was after this atrocity that communication between North Korea and the US collapsed, turning the vicious attack into an international controversy, sparking talks discussing the possibility of attacks from North Korea against other nations.

Now once again ambassadors from the US and North Korea are once again sitting around a “table” discussing North Korea’s nuclear policy.

The fact that this situation is even occurring demonstrates the failure of the US to stop playing politics and finally act on the injustice that occurs. A country that carries a blatant disregard for international laws should have never had access to nuclear technology in the 1st place.

But perhaps our “ glorious” nation will surprise us by resolving the “Nuclear Crisis” and preventing further nuclear activity in North Korea.

Earthquake strikes Turkey

thehungryrunnergirlLeave a comment

An earthquake of magnitude 7.3 hit Turkey on the 23rd of October. The death toll is going up, although the initial report is that at least 217 people died.

According to CNN, rescue teams are looking for people who are missing right now. The city of Van, located on the South East near the Iranian border, is suffering the most. According to U.S Geological Survey, the earthquake struck at 1:41PM and at least 350 people were injured. People are still trapped under debris.

Turkey is one of the countries subject to frequent earthquakes. In 1999, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 struck the North Western area and more than 17,000 people died.

I’m hoping the number of victim will be as few as possible.

VP: Does it Mean Anything?

therightliberal2 Comments

Being Vice President of the United States seems like a big deal. I mean, by the title, it seems to be the second most important job in the US. But is it?

No. It really is not to be honest.

Let’s think about how much power Joe Biden has. If there is a deadlock in the Senate, he has the tie-breaking vote. But because everyone knows which way he will vote, there never ends up being a need.

Nowadays the VP doesn’t even show up to the Senate, they always elect a President pro tempore. So what else are the VP’s duties.

Well really not anything. They are the first up in the line of succession so they need to keep up on all the goings on just in case the President becomes unable to serve. For the most part they go around campaigning and enjoying a nice pay check and some media coverage.

But I think there is a role for the VP, and Joe Biden does a good job of it.

Biden is really an average Joe (lots of pun intended). Listening to him talk in an interview is like listening to a local politician talk about Washington. And with the general population growing more and more uncomfortable with intelligent politicians (just look at the GOP field) it is good to have someone who can converse with the general voter.

To be honest, if there was to be a huge disaster in the US, I would want Biden to talk to the people, because he would be honest and to the point. He does not seem to be too motivated by the politics of Washington (most likely because he is not involved) and he understands Americans.

Dick Cheney was quite the opposite. While Biden comes off as a goofy and  an average guy, Cheney was the evil Sith Lord who was pulling all the strings in the executive office.

And that was the problem. Cheney was never supposed to have the power he had. The VP should not be the one controlling the country, they should be the one at the local bar getting to know the people. They should be the ones who go around the country campaigning because they have nothing better to do.

Cheney had so much power that he could not even be called VP. He was more Evil Overlord of America. Cheney is a very smart man who saw opportunity in the VP position. He realized that Bush was so weak that he could take over control of both the White House and much of the Senate.

So to answer the title of this blog, yes, the VP position CAN mean something. Chances are it doesn’t, but there are certain pairings of President and VP that turn it in to a meaningful post.

But for the sake of the country, let’s keep it meaningless. Let’s fill it with down to earth people who are able to stay attached to the real world instead of becoming entwined with the mysterious world of politics. Let’s have more Joe Bidens.