1.17.2011
1.08.2011
President Obama : 2010
The Pres. has received significant amounts of criticism since he took office just two years ago. Many believe that by now the country (which was in dire straights) and all the enormous issues that evolved yeasrs prior should've have been "fixed". But there are also people that believe his 200+ accomplishments over his two years are extraordinary and unprecedented.
Now we all know that the media plays a huge role in what gets reported - essentially what we know. Oftentimes Obama's accomplishment were severely under-reported -- leading to this negative view of his performance. If you wanted to really find out what was going on in the White House - the past two years - more than ever, it was important to research the truth (using non-partisan media outlets). He did a lot - and was put through quite a lot . . . but we've definitely got a long way to go!
4. Appointment of Justice Elena Kagen. In addition to appointing Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic to the Supreme Court in 2009, President Obama similarly appointed former Solicitor General Elena Kagen in 2010.
Now we all know that the media plays a huge role in what gets reported - essentially what we know. Oftentimes Obama's accomplishment were severely under-reported -- leading to this negative view of his performance. If you wanted to really find out what was going on in the White House - the past two years - more than ever, it was important to research the truth (using non-partisan media outlets). He did a lot - and was put through quite a lot . . . but we've definitely got a long way to go!
President Obama's Top Accomplishments of 2010
(in no particular order)
1. Childhood Obesity Act. Primarily spearheaded by the First Lady Michelle Obama, the Pres. signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. This bill is purposed to subsidize free meals in low-income areas, to ensure that children receive well-balanced and nutritious school meals, to provide free or reduced-price meals to nearly 31 million low-income children and to ultimately reduce childhood obesity.
2. DADT Appeal. The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal Bill allows gays to serve openly in America's military for the first time in history! Statistics says that more than 13,000 military personnel have been released under the DADT since 1993.
3. Fair Sentencing Act. A few months ago I posted about the inequality that existed between the sentencing of crack and powder cocaine. The Pres. signed the act to reduce the racial inequality that has historically existed relative to the sentencing of people caught with crack cocaine vs. powder cocaine. It used to be that crack users needed to be caught with just 5 grams of the drug to be sentenced with the same charge that powder cocaine users needed to be caught with 500 grams. Now, to be charged, crack users need to possess 28 grams of crack cocaine to 500 grams of powder cocaine.
4. Appointment of Justice Elena Kagen. In addition to appointing Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic to the Supreme Court in 2009, President Obama similarly appointed former Solicitor General Elena Kagen in 2010.
5. Wall Street Reform. This bill was established to put an end to taxpayer-funded bailouts, create a new watchdog agency within the Federal Reserve to protect consumers in financial transactions, give the government more power to break up failing companies and create greater congressional oversight over the central bank.
6. Health Care Reform. This was probably the MOST controversial and historic bill. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 will result in health care coverage for over 30 million additional Americans and lowered cost for most Americans. It will also preclude insurance companies from placing lifetime limits on benefits and from denying coverage to individuals and family members with pre-existing health conditions.
7. HIRE Act. The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act included $17.5 billion in tax cuts, business credits and subsidies for state and local construction bonds, and moved $20 billion into the highway trust fund for spending on highway transit programs. It also exempts businesses that hire unemployed workers from paying the payroll security tax through December of 2010.
8. Iraq. More than 90,000 combat troops were withdrawn from Iraq by August 31, 2010.
9. Tax Cuts. The enormous tax cut bill will extend the Bush era tax cuts for families at all income levels through 2012. It also consisted of a new payroll tax cut for wage earners, numerous tax breaks for businesses and extended jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed.
10. HBCU Funding. The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities includes a $98 million funding increase. It will also provide funding for the repair, renovation, and construction or acquisition of educational facilities, instructional equipment, research instrumentation, and physical infrastructure.
The Atlanta Post
1.07.2011
commercials. at its best.
MJ is one of my idols. I adored this man when I was growing up as a kid. I used to have this red and white chicago bulls jacket that I would never take off - and I got crazy upset when it was time to part with it. My first pair of sneaks were Jordans! I know every line of the Space Jam movie (I watch it every summer at the basketball camp I coach at). He was like no other - I mean his mentality, his athleticism, his suaveness (is that even a word??), and the way he could just take over a game was just out of this world!!! So I was looking at old MJ interviews and commercials and came up with - what I think are the best MJ commercials of all time! Man, I wish I was a kid again!
"Like Mike"
"23 versus 39"
"Let Your Game Speak"
"Bird - Jordan"
"Failure"
"Tell Me I Can No Longer Fly"
"Air and Hare Jordan"
"The Bible of Jordan, read by Spike Lee"
"Jordan & Mars Blackman: Is It The Shoes?"
I can't get enough of this man...
1.05.2011
Photos from the November Issue's Lacrosse Magazine Shoot
"Better late than never. But never late is better."
Sanford vs. Chester High - High School Basketball at its best!
Hooking Up.
This past semester I took a class called Human Sexuality in a Social Context and we talked about everything under the suns. Just thought I'd share some things with you. Thoughts are appreciated!
Hooking Up. When I began college 4 years ago hooking up I understood hooking up to mean making out or passionately kissing and that was it. Little did I know that I was a little behind the time with my definition of hooking up. I quickly found out that hooking up could actually mean having sex! I was completely shocked and amazed and a little confused that the term hooking up was used to represent something that I had seen as a precious and memorable could be described so casually. I must admit that it has taken me almost my entire college career to fully understand and accept this definition -- for a while I really looked down upon it.
When we talked about hooking up in class we talked about why partnering has evolved into this and what function it serves in society. In college, this culture is extremely prevalent and on campuses such as Brown it has essentially taken the place of dating. It seems as though people are either hooking up or are in a serious relationship at Brown. Gone are the days of going on dates or getting to know someone in ways that don't include sexual intimacy.
Hooking up provides young men and women the sexual benefits of being in a relationship, with none of the commitment or responsibilities. Hooking up in most cases is not seen as exclusive and in most cases women often have a much more difficult time handing these types of situations than men. While men can more easily have sex for the physical pleasure, women often associate sex with a more emotional connection to the person, creating somewhat of discrepancy between what men think/want and what women think/want.
It was also very interesting when talking about 'who' we hook up with. It never crossed my mind that the people that people hook up with would be any different from the people they choose to date or marry. I discovered that there are different qualities that are sought out for hook up, usually revolved around more physical appearances such as: physical attractiveness, body, face, hair, etc. Whereas in relationships, people want a partner, someone they can talk to freely, someone who is motivated, caring, etc -- all qualities that aren't important when looking for a hook up. We ended the discussion talking about whether hooking up can evolve into a committed relationship and it seemed that in most cases hooking up doesn't evolve into anything more than a hook up.
Hooking Up. When I began college 4 years ago hooking up I understood hooking up to mean making out or passionately kissing and that was it. Little did I know that I was a little behind the time with my definition of hooking up. I quickly found out that hooking up could actually mean having sex! I was completely shocked and amazed and a little confused that the term hooking up was used to represent something that I had seen as a precious and memorable could be described so casually. I must admit that it has taken me almost my entire college career to fully understand and accept this definition -- for a while I really looked down upon it.
When we talked about hooking up in class we talked about why partnering has evolved into this and what function it serves in society. In college, this culture is extremely prevalent and on campuses such as Brown it has essentially taken the place of dating. It seems as though people are either hooking up or are in a serious relationship at Brown. Gone are the days of going on dates or getting to know someone in ways that don't include sexual intimacy.
Hooking up provides young men and women the sexual benefits of being in a relationship, with none of the commitment or responsibilities. Hooking up in most cases is not seen as exclusive and in most cases women often have a much more difficult time handing these types of situations than men. While men can more easily have sex for the physical pleasure, women often associate sex with a more emotional connection to the person, creating somewhat of discrepancy between what men think/want and what women think/want.
It was also very interesting when talking about 'who' we hook up with. It never crossed my mind that the people that people hook up with would be any different from the people they choose to date or marry. I discovered that there are different qualities that are sought out for hook up, usually revolved around more physical appearances such as: physical attractiveness, body, face, hair, etc. Whereas in relationships, people want a partner, someone they can talk to freely, someone who is motivated, caring, etc -- all qualities that aren't important when looking for a hook up. We ended the discussion talking about whether hooking up can evolve into a committed relationship and it seemed that in most cases hooking up doesn't evolve into anything more than a hook up.
What do you think?
Danny Vola: look ma, both hands - the mixtape
if you liked the acoustic version of no hands...this guys has put out a mixtape of other songs!
here's the link: www.dannyvola.com
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