SeaWorld Trainer Dies Due to Killer Whale

40 year old Dawn Brancheau was a trainer at SeaWorld. She was working on training a 12,000 pound Whale named Tilikum. She was with Tilikum in knee-deep water. The Whale got very aggressive and started to attack Brancheau. After seising her the Whale drug her deep under the water. The resucers could not immediately get to her because of the Whales aggressive nature. The Whale had to be coaxed into a separate small pool so they could get to her. 40 minutes after the attack her body was finally retrived. "The autopsy report by the Orange County, Florida, medical examiner's office says Brancheau's spinal cord was severed, and she sustained fractures to her jawbone, ribs and to a cervical vertebra, in addition to the drowning." This Whale is blamed for two other deaths also, one in 1991 and one in 1999. People should not be working with animals of this nature. Especially ones that are blamed for two other deaths in previous years. They are meant to be in the wild not trained and around humans. I think training of Whales should be banned here in the U.S.

Man Let Go Due to Medical Marijuana Use

Wal-Mart has a policy that if drugs are found in your system while random drug testing, you will be fired even if it is doctor prescribed. A Wal-Mart employee in a Michigan store (Joseph Casias) who got the award for Associate of the Year in 2008 was fired because Marijuana was found in a random drug test done on him. He was a hard-working dedicated employee who has Sinus Cancer, and a brain tumor pressing on his skull. He was prescribed the narcotic to relax him and ease the pain. 14 of our states here in America have now made it legal to use medical Marijuana if prescribed by a doctor; Michigan is one of these 14 states. I feel extremely sorry for this man. I believe Wal-Mart was definitely in the wrong when it came to firing Casias. You cannot descriminate again an individual for using Marijuana when it is legal, and prescribed by a licensed physician. If you were sick and in extreme pain, you would take the medicine that would make you feel better- that's what Casias did, it just so happens the medication that helps his illness is a narcotic. A legal one though- Wal-Mart should have to pay him a large sum of money for the damages done not only financially, but emotionally.

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HealthCare Blog-

Personally, I am on the fence when it comes to this issue. I'm glad that the bill was passed, and that the government is finally making some progess with the whole situation. It felt like we would never get anything resolved before. However, I feel that it should not be the law that everyone must have it. What if someone doesn't wish to have it? We all have rights, and it feels like they are kind of taking those away since we have to have Health Insurance, or pay a fine. From what I've heard people my age will get it for dirt cheap though, which is definately a positive, but everyone's idea of cheap is very different based on their income and living situation. Once I hear more, or find out more about it then I feel I will be able to take a definite side, but for now I'm still weighing out the positives and negatives.

Prom Cancelation Due to Gay Rights Controversy

Constance McMillen is a high school student in Mississippi; She is also a Lesbian. After expressing her plan to attend her high school's prom with her girlfriend the school faculty denied her the right to go to prom. Constance was also planning on wearing a tuxedo to express her Gay Rights. After being turned down from her school's prom she went to U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson. Constance pleaded that her first amendment rights were being violated by not being able to wear a tux to the prom and go with her girlfriend. Judge Davidson agreed and ruled that her high school MUST allow her into the prom with any date she wishes and wearing anything she wishes whether it be a dress or a tuxedo. McMillen's high school had something to say about the judges ruling; or I should say something to do about the ruling. Her high school canceled the prom completely which was scheduled to proceed on April 2nd. I think this is extremely ridiculous. You wouldn't tell someone they can't go to prom just because their skin color is something other than white, so why would you tell someone they can't go to prom because their sexual orientation is something other than straight? I feel this was blown way out of proportion and something was made out of nothing. And to make the whole situation worse, the school completely canceled the prom because the ruling wasn't in their favor. If you are this prejudice what kind of example are you setting for all the other kids at the school? Not a very good one..! I feel that the teachers at the school need to grow up and act like adults and accept each person for who they are, and embrace their uniqueness and originality. We are all equal, and nobody is better than anybody else.

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Issue #2- Spending What We Can't Afford

One current issue in the United States is the government spending money that we don't have. If we exceed the budget it's called a budget deficit. This means that the government must then borrow money, which worries many people including economists. When the U.S. treasury has to borrow money they are competing with other people and businesses for loans which can raise interest rates and make it difficult for Americans to borrow for private investment. Borrowing money puts the U.S. in debt and we have to pay interest on that debt. Our current debt is estimated to be around 12,500,000,000,000 and growing. Our deficit is said to run around 1,500,000,000,000. The new "paygo" or "pay as you go" rule states that new mandatory spending proposals or tax reductions must be offset by cuts in other mandatory spending or by tax increases to ensure that the deficit will not continue to rise. The goal is for the deficit to go down, but if it doesn't go down we at least need it to stay the same. Their is however, another viewpoint on "pay as you go." Critics of "pay as you go" say it's not as simple as the government is making it seem, and as easy as Americans think it will be. Critics say the White House has a long history of waiving its requirments, and that they believe "pay as you go" will not be the quick fix individuals think it will be and that in the long run it will not lower our national debt/budget deficit.

I believe that the "pay as you go" law is a good idea. I know it will not magically make our debt disappear, but it's the first of many steps. If we don't do something now our country will go down the drain completely. I feel that we need to have another plan(s) to get the national debt under control. The problem is so large that this one little plan is not enough to get the job done. I think our country is great, but it could be so much more than it is now if we had freedom from the budget deficit and national debt. It's kind of a common sense law if you think about it. Don't dig the hole any deeper! Many people feel that it's now impossible to pay off the U.S.'s debt, but just like anything else I feel it's worth a shot. Trying is better than not, and it can't do any harm when the plan is to better America. The government is spending all the money on things such as the current and past wars, human resources, and general government. President Obama believes in "pay as you go" and here you will find his views and the views of others on the issues of govenment spending. I think the scariest thing for Americans right now is knowing that there isn't a whole lot they can do about it. They are basically forced to sit back and go along for the ride.

Issue #1:

Issue #3:

Shoveling as Related to Health

Every year numerous states get snow, whether it be a lot or a little. Thousands of people will find themselves shoveling at some point in time each and every Winter. It is believed that tens of thousands of back, shoulder, and even heart injuries come from this. Yes, heart injuries. Believe it or not, hundreds to thousands of individuals have heart attacks each winter due to shoveling. In a study, it was estimated that nearly 70,000 people recieve a shovel-related injury bad enough to visit a docor each year. Studies show that about 25% of those visit the Emergency Room and 900 are admitted to the hospital. Just think about it, the cold weather, slippery surfaces, and exertion needed to get the job done are a hazzardous combination. Suzanne Steinbaum said "Snow shoveling is one of the most high-intensity exercises you can do." One might not think about snow shoveling as anything major but these are all things to take a minute and think about. You use all of the major muscle groups in your body while shoveling, so make sure and take the time to shovel correctly and safely, and never exert yourself more than you feel you can handle.

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Toyota Recall

Most everyone has heard about the massive recall Toyota issued back in November, it's always on the news and the recall continues. An estimated 8.1 Million Toyotas have been recalled since November when the chaos started. The problem is said to be gas pedals sticking to the floor mats in all different model Toyotas. Toyota's sales have plummeted a whopping 16% in the past month of January. Despite the current situation, there are those loyal fans out there who are sticking by Toyota's side. They say they have never had any problems and until they encounter one they will stay loyal to the company. One woman interviewed stated that she has owned around 30 Toyotas throughout her life time, and that all four of her children also drive one. She said her and her family love Toyota and won't stray. She said the recall doesn't scare her. Of course, there are always the people on the othe side of the situation who are very scared- with great reason to be. Either way the company has suffered a blow in sales and reputation- Only time will tell if they will be able to recover from the mishap.

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