Weekly Blog Post #27

The Pope Steps Down:

 Brad Martin

 Issues in America

"I took this step [resignation] in full awareness of its gravity and novelty but with profound serenity of spirit" -Pope Benedict

It is official as of today Pope Benedict will be the first alive non pope in all of history. For weeks people in the Catholic Church have been talking about this step and the rumors prove to be true. After years of great conservative service to the Catholic Church the Pope will soon step down. Now the current problem is who will take his place? There are many questions but not any answers. There has been talk of a new pope from Canada but a decision needs to be made soon. With a new leader of the leading religion questions come about how the norms of the church will change. With Pope Benedict he took a very conservative view on the religion and did not change much... will the new Pope do the same? What role will the resigned Pope play in electing a new one? Benedict is fully aware of his steps and claims he has made a sound decision. "There were also moments when there were stormy waters and headwinds… as if God was sleeping. But I always knew that God was in that boat and I always knew that the boat of the Church is not mine, is not ours, but is his and he will not let it sink ... I never felt alone." Change is the only constant, with a new Pope a fresh perspective will be brought to the religion, I look forward to seeing the changes.

Blog Post #26

Weekly Blog Post:

Brad Martin

Russia "Dash-Cam"



Just two days ago I was watching ABC news when a story appeared on these things called dash cams in the cars of Russians. This is not a new concept in Russia but it got me thinking why we don't use them in America. The primary use for dash-cams are to figure out who is at fault in an accident. They also aid in finding "crooked" police and catch crazy accidents. For example last week when the meteor went over Russia, thousands of Dash-cams cough the footage, the cameras are just great ideas. This blogs primary purpose is to touch on the issues in america... the fact that Americans have not adopted this technology is an issue. These cameras would make drivers more conscious of there choices on the road and could even stop accidents from occurring.  How many times have you been in an accident and the "fault" has been arguable? That would no longer happen with the dash-cam. One of the biggest perks is the illumination of finding the "runner" in a hit and run accident. The camera would pick up the plates of the car that made impact and the search would therefore be easy. Its like forcing people to walk around under a big spotlight with a camera in front of them, I guarantee you if we did that it would lead to less murder, rape and robbery. Dash-cams are great ideas, its now time for america to implement them. I know I would feel a lot safer if I knew there was a camera that could record everything. Its not like this technological equipment doesn't exist.. public and school buses use them and even some taxis. Its time to implement them in residential cars and make the world a safer place with less confusion. Comments??

Weekly Blog Post#25

Bradley Martin
Issues
Weekly Post
                                 Gay Marriage Passed By Senate

          Its official! The marriage fairness act passed 34-21 in the IL senate. Now citizens must wait for the house of Representatives to vote. This will make it 100% legal in the state of Illinois to marry a man or a woman. Just yesterday Mayor Emanuel tweeted a poem " Roses are Red violets are blue you can marry a woman and even a dude"(official Tweet 2203). This is big news in this state, if the marriage act is passed by the house it would make many happy and make IL a more desirable place to live! Also attracting more and more LBGT people to our great state. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton stated the the house should vote yes on the matter and that IL is becoming less second world with the new prospected act. This will make many happy in our great state. Thousands could soon be able to be legally bound with there lovers. To all my followers.... what are your thoughts? Do you think the House should vote yes or no? Any general feedback wanted*******

LOOK AT THIS GREAT LINK!!!!!! http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8993262

Weekly Bog Post # 24

Weekly Blog Post

Issues In America

UPDATE:

For the past week in class students have been given the opportunity to study sexual harassment in public and workplace. This week a mock-trial assignment was given where each student makes up a legal team in order to defend a sexual harassment case. So far this has been a very beneficial process .. it allows for students to get experience being an attorney as well as following a case and presenting points publicly. The process has shown me that sexual harassment is a huge problem. No matter how small or large the incident may be it happens on a daily basis. I have personally experienced this in the workplace and its not a comfortable thing to confront HR about, but it needs to be done. In my groups assigned case we are defending a woman who has been made uncomfortable in the work place by her co-worker making crude comments towards her as well as posting pictures that made the plaintiff uneasy about attending work. Even though many people would describe the woman as "sensitive" she was still being harassed and no one was taking charge. I am very excited to prosecute this case and hopefully serve up justice. The moral is that no one should be made uncomfortable at all led alone sexually harassed in the workplace and these incidents must be reported to higher authority.

Blog Post #23 R-A-P-E

Weekly Blog Post:
Brad Martin
Issues

According to the U.S. Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey --there is an average of 207,754 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year. A rape occurs every 2 minutes in the United States. This is a rising problem all across America and something needs to be done. The problem starts at our city's college campuses. Each student should become informed on the issue if they are in an area with a high rape rate. Woman should be given rape whistles and informed about the dangers of walking alone or being alone at a party.  With simple precautionary steps we can make a safer environment for others. Every time a human is raped it makes them question there self-worth. This event is preventable, even after the rape emotional repercussions can haunt a rape victim for a very long time. This is a very sensitive issue, many people have vast thoughts and I urge you to share them with me. Please comment!!! With some simple fixes rape could no longer be a problem in America.