Farm Land

 

 

Keep Farmland for Farmers

 

This article in the New York Times touches on the issue of lack of farmland around the country, particularly in the northeast.  I found it interesting that the article was written by farmers themselves, and members of the Farmer's Coalition at that.  They say that a lot of potential farmland is not available because bigwigs on Wall Street purchase the land and use it to build luxurious homes.

 

The authors say the solution is the Vermont Land Trust, and the efforts of the state of Massachusetts, to create stricter land laws so that farmland remains in the hands of farmers.  They suggest that every state takes the same measures.

 

This article was very biased, as it was written by farmers, however it isn't necessarily a bad thing.  Reading this article opened my eyes to an issue I didn't know existed. 

 

 

 

 

CONTENT: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/01/opinion/keep-farmland-for-farmers.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&ref=contributors&adxnnlx=1382579448-z1IjLAkshl1jgI6D/JPyrQ

 

 

 

PHOTO:http://www.esri.com/news/arcuser/0402/preserve1of2.html

Decline in Extreme Poverty

“The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics, whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were and ask, why not?” -John F. Kennedy

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/opinion/the-end-of-poverty-soon.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

 

 

In this article states that the amount of people in extreme poverty is decreasing, however slowly, throughout the world.  Also, this decrease is directly related to the growth in a third-world country's infrastructure.  I found it interesting that Sachs' found a correlation between the introduction of cell phones to African society and the decline of poverty in small villages. 

 

Also a fact in the article that appalled me was that some people in extreme poverty make as little as $1.25 a day per person(in international currency). It makes me feel grateful that in America we have a high minimum wage rate, and systems in place to help citizens in poverty(even though some people take advantage of this system, but that is a different discussion).

 

The author of this article seems optimistic that the world-poverty issue is slowly being solved by modernizing third-world countries. This logic makes sense to me, when more systems and businesses are set up, more jobs are available to the public. 

Participation Trophies Fail

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/opinion/losing-is-good-for-you.html?ref=contributors
 

 

 

The author, Ashley Merriman, states that rewarding children too much for behavior that doesn't warrant praise is not helping in the long run.  So many parents fight for everyone in their children's classes, or on sports teams to get trophies just for participating.  The logic is that no kid will feel left out, but id this practice really helping kid's self esteems?

 

 

The author, and myself, would have to scream "NO!" as a response to the previous question.  If every kid gets a trophy for participation, there is no motivation to exceed expectations.  The children who excel will not be recognized for their efforts, and those who do not meet the minimum expectations, but receive recognition regardless will never strive for greatness.  All this system is doing is breeding a generation of average masses, and not exceptional individuals.

 

 

I thought is was interesting that the trophy industry is now worth $3-billion a year.  While these companies may profit from the abundance of rewards distributed to todays youth, in the long run America will suffer from lack of potential leaders and entrepreneurs.

 

 

CONTENT: Merryman, Ashley. "Losing Is Good For You." Op-Ed. The New York Times, 24 Sept. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/opinion/losing-is-good-for-you.html?ref=contributors.


PHOTO: http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/MjAxMi0zMGZhMmYwOGYxM2Q4NGU5

Social Media and Social Events



http://www.berkshireeagle.com/editorials/ci_24127880/party-Stephentown

For this article I delved into the Berkshire Eagle, one of the local newspapers.  This piece talks about the recent rager that was thrown at a former New England Patriots football player's second home, at which he was not present.  Teenagers entered the home and threw a huge party, causing massive amounts of damage to the property. However the real kicker is that the parents of these miscreants are now attempting to sue homeowner Brian Halloway because of his actions after becoming aware of the situation.

The teenagers used social media sites, mainly Twitter, to spread the word of the party and invite more people.  Then later there were pictures of them destroying the place, and about all the "fun" they were having at the empty house.  Halloway collected the names of all these "Tweeters", the pictures as well, and made a website to publically call attention to what happened.

The fact that parents aren't morbidly embarrassed and apologetic about their children's behavior is very appalling.  And like most Americans today they took to a vicious legal route.

The article implied that the increase in social media lead to the high level of destruction the kids caused.  Because everyone is so accessible via the web, the word about the party was able to spread like wildfire.

CONTENT: http://www.berkshireeagle.com/editorials/ci_24127880/party-Stephentown
PHOTO: http://myfox8.com/2013/09/20/over-300-teenagers-party-at-trash-ex-nfl-players-home/

The Violent Culture

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/opinion/luhrmann-the-violence-in-our-heads.html?ref=contributors

 

 

  This article, by T.M. Luhrmann, compares and contrasts the schizophrenic behaviors of Americans affected by the mental illness, and those in India.  Schizophrenia is a mental disorder where a person may hear voices in their head, and it can sometimes lead to violent or abnormal behavior. While hearing voices was common amongst the groups involved in the study, it was determined that the patients in San Mateo, CA, heard more violent voices than those in Chennai, India. 

 

 

I found it interesting that the subjects in the US heard violent voices, whereas those in Chennai heard voices telling them to do chores, and sometimes sexually explicit voices.  This proves the point many try to make, that Americans are violent people. Social media, entertainment, the news, and icons in America all portray an image of violence.  Growing up in a violent environment could lead to more violent voices in schizophrenia sufferers.

 

 

On the other side of the spectrum, subjects in India typically experience sexually explicit voices or voices telling them to do chores.  While the gender and age of the subjects are not included in the article, I believe this can be related to the Male-Dominant society in India.  Woman fear the men, so therefore if they have schizophrenia. The voices they hear will cater to their fears. 

 

 

The main observation they made after the study was that local culture shapes the way people with schizophrenia interpret the extra auditory inside their own minds. The author provided enough evidence to convince me to agree with their findings.

 

 

 

CONTENT: Luhrmann, T. M. "The Violence in Our Heads." Op-Ed. The New York Times, 19 Sept. 2013. Web. 19 Sept. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/opinion/luhrmann-the-violence-in-our-heads.html?ref=contributors>.

The War Waging Within



http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/04/opinion/dowd-shadow-of-a-doubt.html?_r=0


This article, also from the New York Times, urges the readers and political officials to take notes from America's history regarding the upcoming military movement against Syria, so we don't make the same mistakes we did in the past.

Dowd brings up an interesting point when she says "The president who got elected on his antiwar stance is now trying to buck up a skittish Congress and country about why a military strike is a moral necessity."  Barak Obama was the one to bring our troops home from Iraq, and I can imagine he is facing a difficult decision now, especially when America can still remember the effect Operation Desert Storm had on the troops and their families back home.  We are all afraid Syria will be another difficult time like that was.

However. on the other side of the coin, it is Un-American to just sit back and watch others suffer at the hands of a corrupt government.  Even if it is not our fight, we have always been the ones to step in for the people.  The decision  to attack Syria is a war waging within us; we fear it will be another Iraq, and yet we cannot let our morality slip. 

Also there are practical national safety elements to discuss, such as whether the Syrian government truly does have the chemical weapons it boasts of, and what would happen if they fell into the hands of a more capable enemy of the free world.  Obama might be anti-war, but he may have to base his decision on a broader picture; our security here in the States.

I believe that America was founded based on the kind of morals that can't and should not be set aside, even if we fear the worst.  What separates us from most of the world is our fundamental need to help others.  If even one more school, church, or library full of people gets gassed to death in Syria while all these American politicians are making up their minds, then its a crying shame.

ARTICLE: Dowd, Maureen. "Shadow of a Doubt." Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 3 Sept. 2013. Web. 8 Sept. 2013.

Medical Mischief

How a Cabal Keeps Generics Scarce- The New York Times

 

     In summation this article is about how there is a shortage of needed pharmaceutical drugs in the American healthcare system, which the authors of the article insist could be prevented by demolishing the "anti-kickback safe harbor" system. Basically, this is when big pharmaceutical companies can buy out brands of medication, making their company the sole distributor of that drug, thus limiting the production to one or two companies. 

 

     I agree that we need to do away with this system and restore a "free-market competition",  allowing all pharmaceutical companies to have rights to all drugs.  The limited supply of drugs we have is hurting American citizens, myself included.  Some drugs are more expensive, because there is no generic or otherwise cheaper choice, and some are less effective.  I had to be prescribed antibiotic steroids this year due to a respiratory infection, and I was shocked to say the least when I picked them up at the pharmacy.  There were no cheaper options, and not buying them would have meant my condition got lethally worse.  Maybe its time these pharmaceutical corporations realized that the majority of Americans can't afford the drugs they are trying to sell to us.

 

     The article touched on the effect the drug shortage has on anesthesia.  Some hospitals have been forced to improvise, using an inadequate drug that may not keep a patient asleep during procedures, and some patients never open their eyes again. 

 

     Allowing people to suffer due to high priced prescription drugs and a shortage of any other options is outrageous to say the least.  The price of good health in this day and age to too high, and if these big-wig pharmaceutical companies cant meet our demands, then bring back the free market competition!  With more companies having rights to certain drugs, it would mean more options, more supply, and less demand for the people of the United States.  If the only downfall is that the CEOs of these companies have a few less yachts to take out in the summer, then its more than a fair price to pay.



 

 

PHOTO: "Pharmacy Cartoons, Cartoons About Prescription Drugs | Randy Glasbergen - Today's Cartoon." Randy Glasbergen Todays Cartoon RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Sept.

 

 

CONTENT: Clapp, Margaret, Michael A. Rie, and Phillip L. Zweig. "How a Cabal Keeps Generics Scarce." The Opinion Pages. The New York Times, 2 Sept. 2013. Web. 3 Sept. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/03/opinion/how-a-cabal-keeps-generics-scarce.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss>.