Indonesia Bombarded on All Sides

Yesterday, the people of Indonesia were struck by an earthquake two days ago. This earthquake is the most likely cause for the tsunami wave that killed 340 people and the simultaneous volcano eruption on another island. Both events have also injured and left people homeless. Their strength is something to be admired, and although the intensity of the damage is not the same as Haiti was, it is important for other nations to take action to aid Indonesia. The most unsettling feeling for the Indonesian people is the uncertainty of safety.

Ships and helicopters had been sent to the impoverished islands, along with medical teams, shelters, medicine and two electricity-generating barges, Mr. Edward said. Downed communications meant that radio was the only way to communicate with many areas, he said. He said that most of the dead were local fishermen. “People on land felt the quake and ran to higher ground,” he said. “The people at sea had no idea there was a quake.”

 The feeling of not being prepared can shake humanity as a whole. When we display empathy for other nations, we reveal that America is not a cold-hearted machine that runs with capitalism coursing through its veins. America is composed of people who would willingly help a nation like Haiti or Indonesia, but people must realize that our problems are small in comparison to those who have lost everything.

America is Left in China's Wake

Since China's rise to power, it has gained substantial, economic prowess in the eyes of the rest of the world. After several advances through technology, aided by the government, China has bested America's supercomputer. This may seem like a small drop in the bucket for everyday people, but we forget to see the contributions that supercomputers make to our current society. 

The race to build the fastest supercomputer has become a source of national pride as these machines are valued for their ability to solve problems critical to national interests in areas like defense, energy, finance and science. Supercomputing technology also finds its way into mainstream business; oil and gas companies use it to find reservoirs and Wall Street traders use it for superquick automated trades. Procter & Gamble even uses supercomputers to make sure that Pringles go into cans without breaking.

Evident in those examples, the world in its present state could not function without the use of supercomputers. A month prior to this achievement, China had become the top manufacturer for green technology, but people are seeing now that it was only a precursor for what is to come.

“What is scary about this is that the U.S. dominance in high-performance computing is at risk,” said Wu-chun Feng, a supercomputing expert and professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. “One could argue that this hits the foundation of our economic future.”

 So what is next in store for America? Will we pool our resources to finance a better future? America cannot reach a state of complacency, simply because of China's shadow, but rather, be encouraged by the competition that China supplies.

Mental Health Break

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So that's how lobbyists work...

Finally!, the Return of Nuclear Power

As the rise of gas prices comes closer, different alternatives to fuel are sought by innovative countries. Yet again, America's legal transactions and policies get in the way of nuclear progress. Luckily, the plans for the nuclear plant in Maryland will continue, but due to the complications between the two companies, Constellation Energy and Électricité de France, progress has stalled. 

Under the deal announced on Tuesday night, E.D.F. will buy out Constellation’s share of what had been a joint venture, UniStar Nuclear Energy, for $140 million. But under United States law, E.D.F. would have to find an American partner to get a license from theNuclear Regulatory Commission, and it was not immediately know what company that would be. Many American companies with nuclear expertise have backed away from the idea of new plants because of their high costs, resistance from state regulators and a depressed market for electricity that has made any decision on building new generation of plants seem less urgent. 

 It goes to show that when American companies do not have the drive to push for a better future, progressive movements are left for dust to collect. The more alternatives for fuel and energy that are created, the closer America is to being independent of "fuels from hell". People must get over past scares and stereotypes about nuclear energy if we want to move forward as the spearhead in "Code Green". The retrogression of the electric car, is a huge reminder of what big business can do to innovative energy.

Electric Making A Comeback

Although previously killed by the American government during extreme oil dependency, the electric car has returned from the grave to revolutionize the way we see transportation. The advances in the hybrid and electric technology is comparable to the NASA program that was shut down by Nixon or the green movement of Jimmy Carter, if we had continued in these fields, America's progress would be exponential. Now, the life of the G.M. Volt and Nissan Leaf are in the hands of the E.P.A.

How theEnvironmental Protection Agency rates the two cars, the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf, could have a big influence on consumers’ perceptions of vehicles that run on electricity. General Motors, which makes the Volt, and Nissan are anxiously awaiting the agency’s decision as they start production of the cars and complete marketing plans for rollouts in December.

Having the newer wave in green technology by these two companies, can result in the rekindling of America's well-known competitiveness, except this time, it's a environmentally safe competition. By allowing these cars to hit the road, all states can benefit from them, regardless of each state's individual laws.

Foreclosures Still Flooding

So in a summary of the 'home-front' of our financial situation, The housing market plummets, tax-payers cannot pay the enormous loan that the banks want back, the banks fail or come close, and the Obama administration supplies the necessary bailout money so that the economy can be remotely salvageable. It is to my understanding that instead of plugging the metaphorical dam that is the financial crisis, the administration and Congress cannot stop the overflow of current foreclosures. This overflow is resulting in sloppy work by the banks.

The Times’s Eric Dash and Nelson D. Schwartz reported in Thursday’s paper that in their rush to process foreclosures, banks hired inexperienced workers (“Burger King kids” as one former banker derided them) who barely knew what a mortgage was.

So where does that leave the middle and lower class that are struggling to make ends meet? Obama has our back...right?

Throughout this crisis, the Obama administration has been far more worried about protecting the banks than protecting homeowners. The big weaknesses in the administration’s main antiforeclosure policy is that participation by lenders is voluntary and homeowners have little leverage to get better terms — especially reductions in loan principal when the mortgage balance is greater than the value of the home.

So the ship is sunk. If we are in a deadlock with the banks about payment options and the government is not too keen on solving the problem readily, then the options are slim to none. This problem directly relates to whether or not the government should have a say in regulating the banks for the needs of the people. America cannot maintain the policies of pre-2008 because it is that naivety that makes this nation look weak. Thorough investigation is obviously needed, but current action is more important so that Americans can rebuild what was taken from them, their sense of security. 

The Dawn Approaches in Chile

The families of the Chilean workers, the nation of Chile, and the entire world have waited for this moment. Miners were slowly, but surely, being rescued by with the mining capsule being sent down every 45 minutes. Although there were some minor adjustments to the system, the miners were finally all brought to the surface on October 13th. The news has not only comforted the miners' families, but has swept across the globe in a media fire that set off a celebration of life in general.

As the miners were rescued in a pageant that moved their worldwide audience — watching on television, computers, even cellphones — to tears and laughter, glimpses of their personalities, their struggles to maintain their spirits during their subterranean ordeal and even the life that awaited them back on the surface began to emerge as well.

The perseverance of these 33 men has taken the world by storm and is a reality check for those who have a safe job without life-threatening situations. Chile must be applauded for its determination to save the men by any means. Utilizing every technology available and doing the job right, required large amounts of funding and patience, but the reuniting of the miners with their families was more than worth it.

Political Quiz

Here is my results for the political philosophy quiz. Overall the quiz said I am a hardcore democrat. 

The following are your scores. They are based on a gradual range of 0 to 12. For instance, a Conservative/Progressive score of 3 and 0 will both yield a result of social conservative, yet 0 would be an extreme conservative and 3 a moderate conservative

Conservative/Progressive score: 9
You are a social progressive. You generally consider yourself a humanist first. You probably think that religion and patriotism go too far in society. You probably consider yourself to be a citizen of Earth first rather than a citizen of your country.

Capitalist Purist/Social Capitalist score: 12
You're a Social Capitalist, you think that, left to its own, Capitalism leaves a lot of people behind. You think that Health Care should be free to all, that the minimum wage should be raised, and that the government should provide jobs to all that are capable of having them. You likely hated the Bush tax cuts, and believe that the middle class has gotten poorer, and the rich have gotten richer over the past several years. The far extreme of social capitalism is socialism.

Libertarian/Authoritarian score: 6
You're a Moderate. You think that we all have certain inalienable rights that must be protected, but that sometimes laws need to be made to protect the majority's lives or quality of lives. You might think that the 2nd amendment isn't necessary anymore because letting everyone a gun is extremely dangerous to the community. You might also be against illegal drug use or public pornography because of its possible harmful effects to society.

Pacifist/Militarist score: 3
You're a Pacifist. You are angered that the United States thinks it should dominate the world through its military force. You think that the only time war is necessary is when we are in direct danger of being attacked. You also believe the US spends way too much of its money on defense, as we can practically cut it in half and still easily defend ourselves, and use that money to fix all our economic problems.

Overall, you would most likely fit into the category of Hardcore Democrat

Jon Stewart on Political Ad Funding (Mental Health Break)

With the recent political ads on television and the escalation of mudslinging, Jon Stewart provides some humor to the monotony of the advertising of candidates.

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