Tunnel Collapse in Japan

On Sunday December 2, 2012 a tunnel in Japan collapsed on many cars, starting a huge fire and killing at least three people and seven of them are missing. It took the firemen three hours to put out the fire and rescue as many people as they could. This is not the first time a tunnel has collapsed in Japan, the first incident was in 1996 killing around 20 people. Japan needs to take action and make better structures for their tunnels, if this has happened before, they are obviously not sturdy enough and yes this may happen in other places but this cannot happen twice within a span of less than 20 years. The architecture of these tunnels may not be strong enough for them to hold and this is why they keep collapsing. Another reason would be the placement of the tunnels, if they are not in a place that can easily be secured then they shouldn’t be there in the first place. The collapsing of these tunnels is causing too many unnecessary deaths that could be prevented with secure architecture. These tunnels may have been unsecure because of natural disasters but should have been checked before they started using them again.  This is in no way anyone’s fault but because this is not the first time this has ever happened they should start making precautions when it comes to some of their structures so it does not cause any more unnecessary deaths. Before they start building they should make sure where they are building is a safe place to build. They should also make sure that the structure is very sturdy when before they let anyone drive underneath it. If the area is not safe for people to be driving, even though it may be faster, it should be left alone. I think I would rather take the extra 15 minutes to get somewhere then risk my life going under an unsafe tunnel. (327)

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/01/15606290-japan-tv-at-least-three-dead-after-tunnel-collapse?lite

Abortion in Ireland

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/29/world/europe/ireland-abortion-controversy/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

Recently in Ireland a woman by the name of Praveen Halappanavar passed away from a blood infection after her unborn child had died in her womb after pleading with doctors in Ireland to abort the baby while she was alive but in a lot of pain, because of the extreme Catholic community in Ireland they refused to abort her child and now that she has passed her husband is trying to take legal action to make sure this does not happen to anyone else again. Because of this Irish parliament is debating whether to legalize abortion in Ireland or not. This situation could have been prevented, this woman did not have to die, she was in a lot of pain when the doctors refused to give her an abortion, it is not the doctors or the hospitals fault because of the strict rules but in the end this woman did not have to die. I understand that Ireland is a very strict Catholic community but when the use of abortion can save a woman’s life without killing two lives, I don’t think that it’s a bad idea to legalize abortion. This does not mean that they should legalize it for everyone but I believe that in extreme medical situations it would not be that bad if they were to abort the child. They should legalize abortion in life or death situations or if a woman can not physically carry a child. Some Catholics will be angry about it in the end and they will try to justify the woman’s death but in reality this woman could probably still be alive today if they allowed her to abort the child. There may be some backlash from the legalization but they can legalize abortion without making it available to every woman in Ireland. In the end aborting this baby could have save 1 life instead of killing 2. (317)

HIV and AIDS Spreading to China?

In the past year China has seen a rapid increase of cases of HIV and AIDs, it has skyrocketed 8.6 percent causing around 17,740 deaths this past year. Chinese Vice Premier  Li Keqiang has been personally affected by this epidemic, his wife Peng Liyuan was diagnosed with AIDS this year and they are now awaiting the results of their child’s test results for HIV right now. They believe that she caught this by giving blood in 1997 because her school encouraged her to give blood, well now she is paying the price. This is a great example of how the use of needles and other medical utensils need to be better taken care of, in order to not cause disease. This woman was encouraged by her elders to give blood and now her and possibly her child are living with diseases that were completely preventable. Needles cannot be reused and never should be, because of this she is now suffering. The United States had a similar epidemic in the 70s and I think that China should be taking a few lessons. They need to carefully dispose of every needle that they use so none of them get reused. They also need to make it mandatory for everyone, especially those that have given blood to get tested so they can stop the spread of this life threatening disease. They also need to go in to some or most of the hospitals to make sure they are disposing of these items properly, you have to start with the source of where the disease is coming from. They should start to spread the awareness of the disease to everyone but especially children so they do not have to repeat history, they need to go to the schools and inform students that this is easily preventable and that they do not have to go through the same thing their parents may be experiencing right now. Overall they need to try to control the epidemic by making sure all medical facilities are taking all precautions and are being clean and they need to inform everyone about it today. (353)
http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/30/health/hiv-china-li/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

Growing Up is Scary

                Remember when you were in Elementary School and your biggest worry was whether you had gym class or music class for today? When you had naptime and recess every single day? Those were the good days. Now you have to worry whether you got all of your homework done last night after you had to go to work, soccer practice and Spanish club.

                When we were little we thought it would be so much better if we were older, because being older was so cool. They could drive and their homework wasn’t that much harder than the stuff you were doing right now because you had no idea, and they always seemed to be with their friends all the time! It sounded like the life when you are 6 years old when you thought it was a horrible thing to be forced to sleep and draw all day after you had played with your friends outside for a half hour. Now looking back I wonder why I didn’t sleep when it was naptime and wish I could go back right now and have naptime during the school day. I also wish I could just spend a whole day coloring, that would be the best day at school. Ever. Not having to worry about anything but getting inside the lines. But now that I am 17, its time to grow up, yes it is scary to think about but I have to do it sometime, it’s bound to happen, becoming an adult. It’s scary to think that in less than a year, I will be a legal adult, being able to vote and live on my own. YIKES. That is a frightening thought.  If you are anything like me you are worrying about all this college stuff and how in a couple years you will be on your own. Also if you are anything like me, it’s beyond worrying it’s freaking out. Well all I can say is that you are not alone and I do not want to grow up either, but we have to face it sometime, it’s coming. My suggestion is to start looking and researching what colleges you would like to go to now and start planning your college visits now, I personally already have a list of colleges in order. My best suggestion is to start getting organized now and don’t hold off just because you don’t want to grow up, trust me I don’t want to either, it’s scary but it is coming and it is coming fast.

Parents+Facebook=Not ok.

                Facebook, twitter, tumbler, instagram and maybe even MySpace, these are all social media sites that we as teenagers has been introduced to over the past few years and now are parents have discovered them as well. Yikes. Before Facebook was the place where you could talk to your friends and see what all of them are up to without actually being with them and you could say things that you didn’t have to worry about your parents seeing it. Well now you do because parents and our elders have joined Facebook as well and if your parents are anything like mine they have tried being your friend on Facebook as well.

                In the beginning when my parents first got a Facebook I didn’t think much about it, they didn’t know what the hell they were doing when they went on there so it didn’t matter. But when they actually got on their accounts more than 2 a month and actually figured it out is when it got scary. They wanted to add you as there friend and comment on your photos, status updates, and post things on your wall. Not ok. I don’t know about all of you but when my dad requested to be my friend of Facebook I denied it.  He still tries to constantly add me as a friend but it’s not going to happen. You can give up now. Not that I don’t love my parents but they don’t need to comment on everything you do, yes it’s great to know that they are proud of you but there are ways you can do that, that is less embarrassing for your children and more age appropriate for them.  For example I posted pictures from homecoming with all of my friends and family and my mother was so kind as to post on one of my photos “My beautiful baby!” super embarrassing. Thanks mom.

                Yes it sound like I am being harsh but honestly at this point, I have accepted the fact that my parents are on Facebook and that they have fallen in love with it. I’m pretty sure my mom goes on Facebook way more than I ever have but oh well if it makes her happy go for it, I can deal with the embarrassment. (381)

Iowa Is Real

Have you ever traveled somewhere and while you are traveling have someone ask you where you’re from? Then when you answer and you say where you are from and then they look dumbfounded or they automatically think you are a hick? Yeah if you are from almost anywhere in the Midwest or especially from Iowa or Nebraska you will understand. People that are from big cities don’t understand that there is a world outside of where they live! Just because we don’t live in a huge city or state doesn’t mean we live on farms or don’t know what it’s like in to live in a big city. When I used to get this question I was very hesitant to answer but by now I state it with full confidence because even though I am from the Midwest does not mean that I have been living under a rock for my entire life. When I get asked this question, almost every time they ask me if I live on a farm after they have stopped laughing, and you may think I am over exaggerating but it has happened to me before. Yes I live in Iowa but no I don’t ride my cow to class that’s held in a cornfield. Thanks for asking though.

                Another bias that people who live in big cities have against people in the Midwest is that we are all stupid or incompetent, and that’s not true. The Midwest has the highest test scores than all of the states in the US. We are not incompetent, stupid, people and to be honest if it weren’t for these states the US would be agriculturally starved. So whenever you get the question when you are out of town of where you are from, and they laugh at your response, just laugh right back at them for being so stupid and not living outside of their “world”. (318)

Really High School Relationships?

Serious High School Relationships?  What are those? What is the point of being in a serious relationship in High School? You most likely won’t marry that person, so what’s the point of being in a relationship? Being attached to one person in High School, when you’re still a teenager is a little ridiculous, you are still a kid, and you don’t know what it is like to be in a serious relationship so why do you call it that? You don’t need all of the attachments and commitments in High School, its High School, have fun! You don’t need to worry about whether your boyfriend is mad at you because you didn’t send a smiley face in that last text or because you forgot to see him before class started earlier today. It’s just a hassle. When you are in High School you should be worried more about what your friends think other than what your boyfriend thinks. This may sound really nerdy but you should be focused a little more on school then thinking about that date you have Friday night. I’m not saying you shouldn’t hang out with someone of the opposite sex or not care about them but don’t spend your entire high school life worrying about it because in 10 years at that high school reunion when you see that hot guy you used to have a huge crush on in high school is going to be fat, garbage man that is balding by the age of 30 and is going nowhere in life.

Teenagers also have a tendency when they are in relationships to post it on every single social site invented. What is so great about being FBO anyway? So everyone knows you’re in a relationship? Trust me if they like you they will already know whether you are in a relationship or not, there is no need to post it on several social sites as well. Not to mention when you look back at what you put on Facebook about your high school boyfriend will still be on the web 20 years from now and when you look at what you said, you should or will be really embarrassed. Why does everyone need to know that Luke loved Sarah on October 8^th and that they went on a date to Buffalo Wild Wings? Who cares? No one and you shouldn’t care that much to tweet it or put it on Facebook.

                In the end High School relationships almost always end and even though the thought of getting  married to your High School sweetheart sounds so cute, it’s most likely not going to happen. Not to be a Debbie Downer but you should be enjoying your High School career not worrying about whether your boyfriend/girlfriend is still mad at you from what you said last night. (472)