Alternative Calendar

Should our school go on an alternative calendar? I don't think so. It would be devestating to the economy, specifically the tourism industry. Hence, it would kill the economies of many third-world countries whose economies are chiefly dependent on tourism, such as the Bahamas. Even if we were not in this recession, we could not allow such an industry to collapse. How can we kill the economy of an entire region of the world? If we have an alternative calendar, it would be impossible for people to take an extended vacation.
The student performance would be severely affected. Several lawsuits have been filed by disgruntled parents because their kids' schools have switched to an alternative calendar. Also, 85% of students say that they do not want an alternative calendar. If students have an alternative calendar, there could be riots throughout America. An alternative calendar is a very bad idea for the well being of students.
Summer camps everywhere would be shut down. That would not only kill jobs, but then kids everywhere could only listen to their parents' distant tales of summer romances, being able to meet new friends, and spending an extended time away from your family. Also, kids could not get summer jobs and internships, which would not only kill the fast food (and other industries related to it) industry, but cut off teenagers' source of income. If teens cannot spend money, which would hurt the entire economy, particularly malls and the like. It would also limit teens' ability to volunteer at places, which would hurt their work ethic throughout their lives. Everyone would get hurt by an alternative calendar.
That includes teachers too. My mom, who is a teacher at the Delaware College of Art and Design, and has taught at many high schools throughout her life, says that an alternative calendar would "make [her] life miserable". My father, who used to be a college professor at Rutgers University, also opposes an alternative calendar. He says that if he were still teaching, it would make it impossible to spend time with me during the summer, and at other times of the year, when I would be in school. Nobody wins and everybody loses with an alternative calendar.

The Election: Why McCain Lost

McCain lost because of George W. Bush. When times are bad, people will almost never elect someone from the party in power. No presidential candidate with the letter R in parentheses at the end of his or her name could possibly win in this election with Bush being president during the recession.

Some people say that Sarah Palin is a factor in McCain's loss. Her approval ratings were lower than that of any vice presidential candidate since then-Senator Dan Quayle in 1988. Despite this, Quayle won. However, only 35% of Americans believe that Palin was treated fairly by the media. Other people, such as Joe Scarborough, political commentator, say that the election would have been a much more distant victory for Obama without Palin on the ticket.

Demographic changes also contributed to McCain's loss. The youth vote has increased substantially, which hurt McCain big-time. Also, increases in the Hispanic population gave votes to Barack Obama.

It's all about money. Obama raised a grand total of 820 million dollars, as opposed to McCain's measly 550 million dollars. Despite claims, 74% of Obama's money came from large donors (those who donated over $200). Another 48% came from donors who donated over 1,000 dollars. Obama also outspent McCain 3-2 on television ads. Overall, McCain was too bland a candidate.

The Election: Why Obama Won

The election was very interesting. However, it was called for Obama very early. Obama won because he was running an optimistic and positive campaign. Obama's party also had to have helped him win. In any election when times are bad, people tend not to vote for the party in power. Also, when times are bad, people tend to vote for the Democrats, because of their better track record on economic issues. When times are good, people tend to vote for the Republicans because of their better track record on social issues.

Obama pushed himself to win states previously unwinnable for Democrats. States such as Colorado and North Carolina were considered solid Republican states, but Obama won them. By pushing McCain into so-called safe territory, they painted the McCain campign with an image of desperation. By doing this, the Obama campaign was portrayed as taking the high road.

Obama ran a unique campaign. He had a certain mystical charisma to him that no one could understand. John McCain was viewed as "just another presidential candidate". In a recent poll released, 76% of Americans believed Obama recieved fair media coverage. A historic candidate
also has appeal to the populace.

1.6 Million Cribs Recalled

Delta Enterprises has issued a voluntary recall on older versions of its cribs after two infant deaths. According to the company, the cribs were made between 1995 and 2007. The cribs apperantly required safety pegs which may have been lost in reassambly. Delta's web site urges consumers to return them if they were made in China before 2006 and used spring pegs. The dead infants suffocated in their cribs. In one instance, there was no safety peg, and when the crib's side detached, it left a gap that left the infant trapped. The other infant died in a similar fashion when a spring-peg failed to lock and a side detached.


Qin Gang, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said the "the [Chinese] government attaches importance to product quality, especially the quality of products relating to children." This statement seems to provide little reassurance to many, especially in light of the recent melamine poisoning of milk, which got thousands of Chinese children sick.
In conclusion, recalls from products made around the world are becoming increasingly common.

Joe The Plumber

The third and final presidential debate between Democratic candidate Barack Obama and Republican candidate John McCain occured on October 15th. There seemed to be a focus on many things, including "Joe the Plumber", Joe Wurzelbacher, who is getting his fifteen minutes of fame. He was mentioned appproximately 25 times in the debate by both candidates. John McCain, however, was the first to mention him. He was almost exclusively discussed when the candidates were debating taxes and the economy. McCain accused Obama of making Joe pay a fine and "spread his wealth around". Obama, however, repeatedly denied such claims. MSNBC tracked down Wurzelbacher. They interviewed him, and he, previously uncommited, now supports John McCain. When will the Joe the Plumber story be "in the toilet". The world may never know.

Article #3.../ 2nd presidential debate

On October 7, Barack Obama and John McCain faced off in a town hall presidential debate at Belmont University. Obviously, in such tough economic times, the focus was on the economy. Some of the questions were from moderator Tom Brokaw, some were from people in the debate, and some were from people who submitted their questions via the Internet.
Both of the candidates made attempts to portray the other as a taxer. Obama tryed to portray John McCain as a deregulator. McCain and Obama both made claims on the other's tax policy that ranked a "False", "Pants on Fire" or "Barely True" on the Truth-O-Meter run by Politifact. John McCain said that Barack Obama has voted 94 times to raise taxes or to not lower them. However, McCain's record shows that he voted that way 114 times. However, McCain has been in the Senate for much longer. At one point, the "excitment meter" of uncommitted Ohio voters was at the maximum level during one of Barack Obama's speeches about the economy.
The candidates disagreed on foreign policy. McCain showed a far more interventionist policy. However, Obama said "We must act" if there is genocide. McCain said Russia's behavior is outside the norm, and that Russia is "kind of" evil. He also expressed moral support for Georgia and Ukraine. He also said that we must support Israel if they are invaded by Iran. Barack Obama said that killing Osama Bin Laden and crushing Al Qaeda is our number one security priority.
Obama said that there are three top priorities in domestic policy. 1. Energy Independence. 2. Health Care. 3. Education. McCain said that "We can take on health care and energy with one bullet". Both of the candidates discussed helping out lower gas prices. Barack Obama said that the environment is the biggest challenge, and the biggest opportunnity. Both of the candidates agreed that every American deserves health care, but they disagreed on how to handle it.

Second Article

Vice Presidential Debate on October 2nd

On October 2nd, vice presidential candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin debated. Overall, on the excitment meter of uncommited Ohio voters, Joe Biden scored higher. Most people in the interviews thought that Sarah Palin exceeded expectaions, but Joe Biden won. Democrat Mary C. Byrd, who attended the debate, thought that both candidates did an excellent job of connecting, but Joe Biden clearly won.
Sarah Palin focused on Alaska's importance as a state in issues such as energy. She insisted that Alaska's proximity to Russia and Canada helps her with knowledge on foreign policy issues, however Tina Fey mocked her on Saturday Night Live. Sarah Palin was praised for her ability to connect to your everyday "Joe Six-Packs", however criticized for being too phony. She was also mocked by Tina Fey for repeated use of the word "maverick". Many political cartoons focused on her statement about the "gotcha" media.
Joe Biden scored very high on thte excitement meter with men, and fairly high with women. At one point, the orange line (which represented the men) on the meter was at the very top. Despite this, many members of the mainstream media said that Joe Biden was "ranting" and the excitement meter went down. Joe Biden was also mocked on Saturday Night Live for his adamant support of gay rights, but opposition to gay marriage.
Most of the time, the candidates focused on their running mates. However, they kept on using the terms "Obama-Biden Administraion" and "McCain-Palin Administraion". Mrs. Byrd says this was because people don't vote for the vice presidential candidates, they, at the end of the day, always vote for the person at the top of the ticket.
Moderater Gwen Iffil was accused of bias toward Joe Biden. However, Mrs. Byrd thought that she was too soft on both of the candidates. Her reasoning is that neither of the candidates would really answer the questions. The mainstream media has had much debate over such bias.
Overall, most people think that this debate won't matter because it is only the vice presidential candidates debating, but overall a lot of people I have talked to thought that this was a very interesting debate.

First Blog

Hi Mr. Mayo. this is Jonathan T.'s first blog. Word.

Here is my article:
Palin picked as McCain running mate, daughter is pregnant


Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, was recently chosen as McCain’s running mate for the vice presidency. This is widely believed to be a move to appeal to both disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters and the main conservative base of the Republican Party, who have been somewhat dubious of McCain. However, Palin’s daughter, Bristol, age 17, is five months pregnant. “Life happens”, says McCain advisor Steve Schmidt, in response to the announcement. The McCain campaign is hoping that the fact that Bristol will marry the boy who impregnated her, and will carry the child to full term will appeal to the social conservative base.
In a respite from partisanship, Democratic candidate Barack Obama has said that “People’s families’ are off limits, and people’s children are especially off limits”. Joe Biden, Obama’s running mate, has issued similar statements.
Also, for the Alaska probe, a Republican-dominated state legislature is investigating whether or not Palin dismissed public safety commissioner Walt Monegan because he refused to fire her sister’s ex-husband. Palin's claim is that Monegan intimidated her. Monegan has repeatedly denied such claims, however this claim did rate a "Mostly True" on the Truth-O-Meter run by Politifact, an independent organization. Now, since Palin has been picked for the vice presidency, 5 Republicans in the Alaska House of Representitives are suing to stop this investigation, despite a unanimous bipartisan vote to go forth with it.
Overall, Sarah Palin is a very interesting vice presidential choice who could really affect the outcome of this election.