On Hiatus

Happy Birthday President Obama! Today he turns 49! Also, over the weekend former President Bill Clinton's walked his daughter Chelsea down the aisle to marry the 'love of her life' Marc Mezvinsky.

 

^(due to college apps.) I will be back soon. ^

Hmm..

     I know i'm late on this but rumors are surrounding singer, Wycef Jean, and his possible run for Presidency of his hometown country of Haiti. Jean was born in Haiti and probably the most visible contributor to the Haiti relief fund. He was also a tremendous supporter of his country years before the 2009 earthquake. Jean also established the Yele Haiti Foundation in 2005. He has until August 7th to announce his candidacy! I think he would make a great President if he can truely commit all his time and energy. Although, it is clear that Haiti has remained a high priority throughout his life. Elections are Novemeber 28th. Wishing him the best.      
      Shirley Sherrod, as mentioned in a previous post, still remains a headline topic. Just recently she decided to file suit against conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart. Speaking Thursday at the National Association of Black Journalists convention she exclaimed, "I have not recieved an apology from Breitbart and no longer want one." She also announced that she would be suing him for the video he posted of her on his blog, where he portrayed her as racist towards Whites. Will she win in court? What is the precedent she is basing the suit on? There are countless questions swarming her decision. I personally think she has every right to sue him, and hope she wins. However the biggest question may be whether it was his freedom of speech to post the video in any form, edited or not. He is a "journalist" after all. Her stance is that he published the video with "actual malice" and targeted her specifically; leading to her ultimately being fired from her job. I do not believe her lawsuit is specifically attempting to dismiss the First Amendement, as Breitbart is using to his defense. We'll see what happens within the upcoming weeks.

      (Sorry I haven't posted lately I've been in DC, and no wifi >:[ )

Americans with Disabilities Act

  Today, July 26 2010 marks the 20th anniversary of the Disabilities Act signed by President George H. Bush in 1990. The Act prohibits discrimination based on disability, addresses access to the workplace, and requires instructions to Federal agencies that enforce the law. The Act prohibits any employer from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities along with providing equal opportunity in public accomodations and transportation. However, like every piece of legislation, there is an opposition with some critical reviews. Some believe that the ADA does not consider groups of individuals disabled until a case is brought to court, or that big companies still don't comply with federal regulations. Well, I believe the Act has done a lot of good for millions of people. Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa saluted the people who helped bring the Americans with Disabilities Act into law, "Twenty years ago, we heard testimony from Americans who had to crawl on their hands and knees to go up a flight of stairs; who couldn't ride on a bus because there wasn't a lift; who couldn't even cross the street in their wheelchairs because there were no curb cuts." Harkin was an original sponsor of the legislation and added, "The ADA has broken down barriers, created opportunities and transformed lives." With regards to employment, Obama explained, "We’re going to boost recruitment, we’re going to boost training, we’re going to boost retention." He went on to say, “We’ll better train hiring managers. Each agency will have a senior official who’s accountable for achieving the goals we’ve set. And I expect regular reports."

Americans with Disabilities Facts:

• According to the 2010 Census Bureau, 54 million Americans have a disability. (1 in 5 people)
• More than three million people, 15 yrs +, use a wheelchair.
• Michigan was among the first states to to have laws protecting disabled people.
• 21% of disabled working-age Americans had a job in the past year, versus 59% for those without disabilities.
• Disabled people does not only apply to the physically impaired, but the deaf, blind, those unable to function independently, the crippled, and those mentally/cognitively impaired.

Although the statistics towards the Act are not always looking upwards, the real impact is that the youth truely embrace the law, and the acceptance of disabled people is far greater than in past decades.

"Equal access. Equal opportunity. The freedom to make our lives what we will. These aren’t principles that belong to any one group or any one political party. They are common principles. They are American principles." -Barack Obama

Nelson Mandela

Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone! But, in other birthday announcements, Nelson Mandela turns 92 today! CLICK HERE to see the card signed by over 27,000 ONE members from all across the world.

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY

Sorry I haven't posted today or yesterday but I've been getting ready for my 17th birthday, which is today! Oh and apparently the oil spill was capped, but for how long? BP will forever have making up to do! More posting to come;  had an amazing day though =D

The Queen Visits UN

For the first time in over 50 years, Queen Elizabeth II arrived (even in the scorching July sun) to address the General Assembly in New York on July 6. Her speech praised the achievements of the United Nations, but noted that much more remains to be done to combat global issues like terrorism and global warming. She also discussed the changes she has seen within the UN since the last time she made an appearance in 1957, “Much of it for the better, particularly in science and technology and in social attitudes." Despite the unbearable heat, she finished her Manhattan trip with a visit to a special garden at Ground Zero dedicated to the 67 British victims who died September 11. She was met by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg along with rescue workers and families of those who died. Although her total New York trip lasted less than 6 hours, this British Queen knows how to capture the hearts of an entire nation. She is also 84 years old but looking stylish as ever!

Illegal to Text & Drive!

The Michigan texting ban was signed April 30 by Gov. Jennifer Granholm on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Many watched as Michigan became the 24th state to ban texting while driving. This ban is now law and takes effect today! Police are now allowed to pull a driver over if they notice unusual swerving, moving in and out of a lane, or just suspicious driving. The fines range from $100 for a first time offense up to $200 for a second offense. However, no points will be given regardless of the number of offenses. Driving down I-95 you may now notice billboards, advertisements, and public service announcements reminding MI drivers of the newly enforced law. The Office of Highway Safety Plan created this campaign and labeled it "Hands on the Wheel". Some wonder, 'How can they prove I was texting?' or 'What if I was dialing a number?' Well, these questions portray the sketchyness of this law. Police officers claim they won't "hunt" down texters...but we know how that story goes. The law is a good way to hopefully lower the accident statistics and I'm proud of our state. I would be a hypocrite if I said I have not checked my phone or texted at a red light, however this law will definitely make me more aware and cautious of doing these actions. Please be careful and don't put others' lives at danger because you didn't want to miss an "important" text.

G8/G20 Summit

An avid member of Model UN at my school, I have some comprehension of the Millenium Development Goals. However, I know that even adults do not fully understand these goals or the G-8 and G-20 Summits that occured this past weekend. Established in 2000, members of the United Nations agreed on 8 target goals that would aim to improve social and economic status of the world's poorest countries. The current Secretary General of the United Nations is Ban-Ki Moon of Korea.

The 8 MDG:

1. Eradicate extreme hunger and poverty                         

2. Achieve universal primary education                            

3. Promote gender equality and empower women            

4. Reduce child mortality            

5. Improve maternal health

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases  

7. Ensure environmental sustainablity

8. Develop a global partnership for development      

The set year for achievement of these goals in 2015. The G8 summit is an annual meeting of the leaders or "core members" of Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Commission, Japan, Russia, Italy, France, and Germany. This year was the 36th anual G8 summit and was held in Huntsville, Ontario. The "Group of 8" (G8) just refers to the 8 leaders; the European Commission is also represented. The purpose is to discuss global issues such as terrorism, energy, health, poverty, trade, foreign affairs, etc. The G20 is the group of 20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. Together the G20 compromises 85% of the globe's gross national product. The 2010 G20 summit was held in Toronto, June 26-27, and consisted of the 20 leaders. In contrast to the G8, the purpose of the G20 is to respond to financial crisis as well as discuss reforms of the global economy and the international financial system. However, there were mixed reviews of the outcome of these summits. Many protestors felt that there was lack of discussion of maternal and prenatal needs, NGO's were virtually blocked from all negotiations, and G20 "aimed too low and promised too little for a still fragile and volatile global economy" (The Guardian). Dennis Howlet, Canadian coordinator of Make Poverty History exclaims, "Many of us have expertise on these issues, and our job here is to provide background information and commentary. It’s an indication that the Canadian government does not recognize the important role civil society plays. It’s a step backwards." NGO stands for Non- Governmental Organization, and is probably the most useful weapon in a Model UN debate. They provide funding when a country or government cannot afford a relief effort or diar crisis; common NGO's include the Red Cross, Doctors without Borders, and Greenpeace. They are essential in any peace treaty or agreement and it is sad that they were not recognized as part of the negotiation process. However, the next Millenium Development Goals Summit is Sep 20-22, 2010, in New York, New York. At this summit hopefully NGO's will play a more vital role and advancements will be made toward reaching the goals.

K!DULT

This past Saturday was the first-ever K!dult Youth Leadership Conference located in NYC. Kidult.com is a website designed for teens(Kidults) and is focused around news and entertainment. "Pharrell and I started Kidult.com so that fearless young minds could become informed, and inform the world about their radical plans," says Mimi, Co-founder and Kidult Editor-in-Chief. Mayor of New York, Michael R. Bloomberg goes on to say, "Today's youth will be innovators in the arts, business, and government, and by participating in this event you are ensuring a brighter future for us all." The theme of this years conference was "Feed Your Curiosity," and I can truely say I was inspired by all the speakers, mentors, and topics. Speakers ranged from Felix Sanion, Founder and CEO of Mundial Sports Network, to "Diggy" Simmons of MTV's Run's House.  Some pictures-

 

First Panel: Turning Your Ideas into Moneymakers

Second Panel: How to Change the World in 90 Days

Think Big: Practical Advice from Pharrell Williams

Who Are You...Really?

Dr. Steve Perry, Founder of Capitol Preparatory Magnet School, Best selling author of "Man Up", Education Contributor on CNN

I also really related to Lynne D Johnson, SVP, Social Media for the Advertising Research Foundation, Karen Nethersole, CEO of Full Circle New York, Tammy Tibbetts, creater of She's the First, and Pamela Newkirk, professor of journalism and NYU. All of the speakers at the conference had truely compelling backgrounds and inspirational messages. I hope to continue to be a part of the K!dult community and also attend the conference again next year. Pharrell said it best when he said, "You are not the 'future', you are today." We have to take action now to see changes tomorrow. We cannot wait for others to stand up for our beliefs. The future begins with today.

Love Doesn't Pay the Rent!

Sure we've all heard the saying, "Money can't buy happiness," but can it? One of my favorite Tyra episodes came on today about women who teach their kids at a young age to marry for love. Although this is wrong on many levels, I see their very valid point about marrying a man who is financially stable. This day in age it's just not realistic to marry solely for love and be in debt for the rest or your life. I hope to make a very good salary but I also expect my husband to be making the same or more. No, the man does not have to be the money maker, yet men still should contribute more to the family income. A man can look at a woman and automatically want to marry her based on her looks, but when a woman looks at a man's salary and instantly want to marry him, she's labeled a gold digger. There are just some constants other than love that help determine a successful marriage. However, teaching an 8 yr old girl to only talk to boys who buy them cookies is ridiculous and sad. True, money runs out, but love doesn't pay the rent.