How Americans are Overpaying for Utilities

Did you know that Americans spend four times as much as the French in phone, cable, and internet services. We also pay 38 more times than the Japanese in internet data. But I thought the U.S. was one of the most technologically advanced countries. Crazy huh!?

Read the article and check out the video.
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/why-phone-cable-internet-bills-cost-much-130914030.html

The Middle East and the Embassies

Is the Middle East overreacting? In a way they are, because they did not have to murder three Americans (including an ambassador) and injure many others. The U.S is now questioning whether Egypt is an ally or an enemy. Obama has also responded by sending two warships to the coast of Libya.

Check out the article.
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/13/world/arab-leaders-reactions/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Obama vs. Romney...A Closer Look at Their Convention Speeches

It was very well noticeable that Romney attacked Obama in his speech consistently. However, he also spoke about the issues that he aims to solve. For example, Romney stated that he would create 12 million new jobs and that America will become energy independent by 2020. He also said that he would bring a better future for the United States, but did not exactly say how he would do it. He also did not mention anything about the war in Afghanistan, which brings up the question of whether he wants to finally bring the troops back home or not. Romney said that he will have a tighter grip on foreign policy, and he referred to Russia when doing so. This also brings up the question of what Romney wants to do with Russia.

As for Obama, he said that he would create more jobs by investing in renewable energy. Obama will push America to become less dependent on foreign oil by creating solar and other cleaner types of energy. He also said that he would give rewards to corporations that brought jobs back to the United States. He aims to set better education standards for the nation so that American students can once again have a high standing among the world. Obama will focus on nation building as well as foreign policy. Most importantly, he emphasizes the significance of women's choice.

Word Cloud for Romney's Speech @ the RNC

World Cloud for Obama's Speech @ the DNC

China's currency manipulation...Good or Bad?

"China is taking American jobs away" is the common statement that Americans from across the nation are saying. However, is this actually a bad thing for the United States' economy. I think not. The main reason why China is able to provide the U.S with cheap consumer goods is because the Chinese purposely undervalue their currency. What does this mean you ask? Well, "the lower the value of the yuan (China's currency), the better it is for China’s exporters. Basically, if one dollar buys 7 Yuan, and an exporter sells a Chinese shirt for 10 dollars, then he pockets 70 Yuan. But if one dollar was worth only 5 Yuan, the exporter would only be able to pocket 50 Yuan." The value of the U.S dollar is also purposely overvalued for the same reason. The downfall to this, however, is that it leads to the inflation of currency so there is a limit to how much currency can be undervalued or overvalued.

So is this manipulation of Chinese currency good or bad? The truth is that currency manipulation results to be  a great thing for both China and the United States. While Chinese exporters benefit from an undervalued yuan and an overvalued dollar, American consumers (especially lower class individuals) and businesses who buy their products from China benefit as well. In fact, if China was to re-evaluate its currency, then the U.S would be worse off economically, because Americans would no longer have access to cheap consumer goods. If the yuan was to appreciate, it would be like a protectionist tariff against Chinese goods. Due to this, only domestic producers who compete against foreign rivals would benefit. The minority would win while the majority loses.Overall, we should actually be thankful to China, because without them, our situation would be much worse.



Manshu. "How Does China Manipulate Its Currency?" One Mint. N.p., 26 Jan. 2009. Web. 06 Sept. 2012.


Perry, Mark J. "China Manipulates Its Currency." Eblogger. Google, 1 Nov. 2011. Web. 06 Sept. 2012. 

Is 400 trees worth moving the retired NASA shuttle?

So now that Endeavour is retiring, the question is how do we get it to the science museum in Los Angeles? The question is solved, but the price is hefty. 400 tress will be removed in order to transport the shuttle. To environmentalists, this is a horrible idea, because not only are they removing 400 trees, but the machines used to cut down the trees are releasing emissions. On the bright side, two trees will be planted for each one that is cut down. Unfortunately, it will take about a century for the trees to reach their full height.

Check out the video and article

Is Israel Right?

As Iran continues to develop it's nuclear program, the international community seems to not place any strict regulations. Israel, however, is preparing for a possible attack from Iran. They believe that if necessary, they will have to take matters into their own hands.

Should the international community focus more on Iran? I think we should, because if the United Nations does not act now, then the weapons of mass destruction might land into the wrong hands.

Check out the video

Interview Reflection

Interviewing my fellow classmates on the political issues of the day made me realize that not everyone is well informed on the current events and problems of our nation. About one-third of the people I interviewed are not aware of how the United States government spends taxpayer money. Sadly, others were not aware of what unemployment insurance and welfare was. When I asked a peer about whether welfare should have stricter regulations, she said "What's welfare?" I was truly shocked by her response, because this shows that there are many students who need to be knowledgeable of the world around them. We are the generation who is going to run the nation, and we do not not even know what is happening in our own country.

Furthermore, I would have liked to interview a more diverse group of people. Everyone I interviewed were seniors in high school, and I did not interview anybody over 17 years of age. Also, almost everyone I interviewed was a Hispanic or Latino, with the exception of one Indian. I interviewed 9 males and 1 female. My results would have been better if I interviewed different age groups, a variety of races, and a diverse combination between males and females. Due to the people I interviewed, my results do not accurately reflect the nations' point-of-view.