#7 Change

safety.blr.com "California passes cell phone law" september 28 2006. March 19 2009 http://safety.blr.com/news.aspx?id=101975

(this is a really stupid change topic, but i couldnt find anything else)
well basically califronia passed a new law that prohibits the use of cell phones while driving. this was in effect july, 1, 2008. the first fine for breaking this law is a $20 ticket, and each one after that is $50. but.... the driver is allowed to use mobile devices while driving only in the case of an emergency.
Drivinglaws.org "The Minnesota Cell Phone Law & Text Messaging Ban" July 31 2008 (?) March 19 2009
http://www.drivinglaws.org/minn.php
Minnesota also passed this law, and it became effective August 1, 2008. in MN the violation of this law can cost up to $300 rather than $20 or $50.
this article says that 25% of all crashes are caused by drivers being disctracted because of using a mobile device while behind the wheel.

I think that it was a good idea for this law to be passed, because it is a big cause of car accidents every day. i just dont think that MN needs to charge so much for violating this law. even though it probably will encourage more people not to use their cell phones while driving..

#6 Hope

Grady, Denise, "After a devistating birth injury, Hope". Feburary 23 2009. March 19 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/health/24hospital.html

In Tanzania, two teenage girls are suffering very much, and themselves, and people all around them are having hope for them to get better. They both were pregnant and were in labor around the same time, both in labor for days. only to end up with a dead child. since the labor was so long, it inflicted a dreadful injury on the mothers. an internal wound called fistula. this is when there is an prolonged labor occurs. mostly when the child is to big to go through the"birth canal" when the baby dies, and most of the time so does the mother or they will produce a fistula. they both had 2 painful operations by 2 different doctors and both failed. they recently had another operation done, and they are hoping the best for it

#5 RELIGION/belief/non-belief

Rabin, Roni. Religious belief influences end-of-life treatment choices. March 17 2009. March 17 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/health/18faith.html?_r=1

i read an article from NY times. about religion.. this one is called "Religious belief influences end-of-life treatment choices" basically this article is saying that less religious people are more dependent on the doctors to keep them alive rather than god. (obvioulsy) and that the non-religious patients want the doctors to do everything possible to keep them alive. also studies show that religious people are less likely to sign something about their will, because they say live is sacred and that its their "duty and obligation to stay alive as long as possible."
I have a different opinion about things they talk about in this article. i think that no matter your religion or if your even religious or not, that you should have done what ever you need to so that you can stay alive as long as possible. unless you will be suffering the rest of your life. unless you choose to. also i think that no matter what the doctors should just do their job in helping the patients. because this article also says that it is more likely for a religious person to be put on a mechanical ventilator to maintain breathing during the last week of life, and i think that even if you arent that religious this should still be done for every patient that needs it.

#4 Gender roles

Sklar, Benjamin. Gender roles, marriage, and anger. June 10 2008, March 15 2009. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/gender-roles-marriage-and-anger/

In this article that i read from NY times. talks about gender roles.. obviously... well.. it talks about same sex relationships homes, and opposite sex relationship homes. it says that same sex couple homes usually split the household work evenly, but in a heterosex couple most of the househould work it for the women.. (like "back in the day") and when a heterosex couple live together but are not married the relationship is more egalitarian, like a married couple. apparently most women who's partner is a man, often feel angery about the amount of household work they have to do.. along with most of the "relationship work"
i agree with this, i think women have the right to get angry, sure men feel as if they need to be the support of the family, but that doesnt mean that they cant help out with household work also. and i also think that is more likely for a same-sex relationship to have equal work, becaue technically neither is the man or women.. so they cant go by that "rule"

#3 culture different from my own

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E0D9143AF934A25753C1A9629C8B63

this article from newyork times, talks about Indian women wearing their traditional dresses as an "act to honor the past" The author of this article doesnt think that they need to wear these traditional dresses because being in their culture shouldnt be a cultural duty to have to wear them. He also thinks that wearing these dresses puts them in danger. i thikn that he thinks this becuase in America people are very critical and might think that some one is a terrorist or some one who isdangerous and harmful to the US if they are wearing clothing of their culture while in the US. HE is also worried about different cultures dying. i agree with this, since so many cultures are mixing together, especially in the US, soon some cultures will be gone, maybe not 100% but none of them will ever be the same.

facing a difficulty: food chain in the midwest

 Midwest facing coice between crops and water

The middle east and places in north Africa have been forced to choose between being able to grow more crops, or preserve their supply of water. Their population has already increased rapidly within the years and is predicted to reach  nearly 600 million by the year 2050. And this isnt a good thing, because each persons amount of food is already scarce, and by the year 2050 it will be about half of what they get now. I think that this is a very hard choice to make, because water is a must, and so is food. i think that either way they go it will lead to disaster. 

Naturaly Disaster: Heat waves

Most deadly of the natural disasters: the heat wave

Did you know that heat waves in the united states kill more people than all other natural disasters combined?!? thats amazing! but sad... about 1500 people die each year in the US from heat waves, and less than 200/year from tornadoes, earthquakes and floods. the most deadly heat wave in recent years (in the US) was in Chicago, in July 1995. This heat wave lasted about a week and killed 739 people! People who are most at risk to die from a heat wave are "the poor, the old, residents of abandoned and violent neighborhoods who lived alone, lacked access to transportation and lacked air conditioning" (quote Dr.Klinenberg) Also it is predicted that by 2050 that heat deaths could increase from 1,500-3,900.  Dr. Klinenberg see's this as a big problem, mostly because there is already a high death rate in alot of cities that dont even have high enough temperatures for a heat wave. also that most people dont take heat waves seriously, and they should start to. he says that if this many people died from a huricane then people would remember it, and if you ask some one about an old and very dangerous heat wave that they wouldnt even remember it. 

I agree with his opinion. I never thought about heat waves before, and i never knew how deadly they were.