Blogs

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/religion/july-dec10/religion_10-12.html

On October 12, 2010 PBS news hour, there was a video called Despite Religious Roots, Americans Struggle to Understand Others' Beliefs. The video was about how Americans on average do not know a lot about the other religions of the world specifically Islam. This did not surprise me at all considering that Islam has been seen in a negative light ever since the 9/11 attacks. for example people were against the Islamic cultural sender that was going to be put near ground zero even though they have every right to put it there. people in general do not no there own faith that well ether. most religious people do not realize that in Christianity, working on the Sabbath day is punishable by death (Exodus chapter 31).

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2010/10/bigdog-and-the-rise-of-the-robots.html

Today on PBS news hour, there was an article on the newest advances in robot technology. one of the robots that it was showing was called big dog. it is a robot was designed for the military in order to walk along side soldiers and maneuver on any terrain. the big dog was fitted with a gyroscope and state of the art software so it can stay balanced. the video was fascinating to watch and showed the increasing demand for robots to handle more and more work. The video also talked about Robonaut. a robot that was designed by NASA in order to assist astronauts in space walks.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2010/11/the-morning-line-15.html

Election day has come and pass and the results are mostly in. Some states do not have there results finalized yet.The Republicans took the house but they did not take the Senate. the Republicans have 240 seats in the House of Representatives and the Democrats have 184 seats so far. In the Senate, the republicans have 46, and the Democrats have 51 seats. It also seems that the next Speaker of the House is Rep. John Boehner. I am a little disappointed that the Republications won the House of Representatives but it is mostly do to the fact that I am a liberal. America is a democracy though and there is always the chance that the apposing side wins an election.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/july-dec10/news_11-01.html

On November 1, 2010, 58 hostages were killed inside a roman catholic church during mass in Baghdad. the group who are claiming the responsibility of this act clame that they want to get rid of all Iraqi Christians. the group is a subsection of al-Qaida. I was shocked to hear this story but not really that surprised. People will do some of the worst crimes for there religion. This comes from the mentality that gods laws come before human laws. this is preached about in churches and mosques alike. This is a problem because a fundamentalist will be willing to do things that we find despicable. Looking at the bible, we find that it is not a very good book at all. We find that the god of the bible is a jealous and hateful god who promotes genocide and slavery.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec10/boehner_11-03.html

On November 3, 2010, John Boehner made speech for becoming the speeker of the house. he mentions that americans want a smaller government. Wile I can under stand why some one may want a stronger government, some of the other things he stands for I strongly disagree with. For one, he wants to get rid of the healthcare bill because he bealeaves it will hert jobs. Eaven if this staitment were true (which I doubt it is), what he is bacikly saying is that the extra money in someones pocket is more important than human lives. Also Boehner's colleagues accused the Democrats for not lissining to the American people when all the republicans have done is appose everything the President did and then said that Obama was infective. He is also from the same party which has spread lies and misinformation about the healthcare bill. these are people who generally can't be reasoned with, it is ether their way or the high way. You must mold youself around our values otherwise you are our enemy.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/jan-june11/technology_04-08.html

In North Carolina, a school has started to move a way for textbooks and on to digital learning. Everything from the fourth grade to high school level is being taut with laptops for every child in the school. This model has some benefits such as saving money on paper and textbooks and the fact that it appeals to all types of students. The visual learners can learn from images and videos on the internet, and the auditory learners can learn via podcast. Also the district is reporting higher graduation rate and lower suspension rate. According to Mark Edwards the superintendent of the school, it is the responsibility of the school to stay up to date with technology.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-june11/vatican_05-27.html

The Catholic church is now holding a conference in Rome about the spread of HIV/AIDS around the world. This appears to be a reaction to Pope Benedict's statements about condom use and the spread of AIDS. He even went so far as to say that they make the problem worse. Many speculate that the Vatican may switch it's stance on condom use in the prevention of AIDS. However it is also possible that the Church will stick to its original teachings.