Current Events -- Jordan's King appoints new Prime Minister

Jordan's King Appoints new Prime Minister

Jordan's King Abdullah, dismissed Maaruf Bakhit, the country's prime minister. The parliment voted 70 to 120 (most of the parliment) to get rid of Bakhit. According to Al Jazeera; "Bakhit administration had been criticised for its "inept" handling of domestic problems, including preparations for municipal elections that are due to be held later this year." Many Jordanians wanted Bakhit to not be prime minister anymore because he "delayed reforms".
I think that removing former army general, Bahkit was a thing because according the the Jordanian politicians he was slowing down the reform process, which could ultimately lead to riots against the government. That could also cause problems to neighboring countries around Jordan because then they might start a riot or something. The King appointed a new prime minsiter, which in a way is better for the country but then it could also makes the Jordanians' upset again because the new prime minister might have to take some time to learn how the position is run and what must be done. Does that make sense?

Response Post to Damien Lo

The number of abortions per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44 fell from 29.1 in 1981 to 19.6 in 2008.
Despite the drop in the rate of procedures, Stinson said abortion rights remain under attack. She said she'll be happy if her words Wednesday encourage others to step up and fight for those rights.

So i have to agree with Damien in that who ever is carrying a baby, they have the right to say if they want an abortion or not.They shouldn't have to listen anit-abortionist saying that getting an abortion is immoral beacuse the anit-abortionists don't know what's going on in the mind of the women whose carrying the baby.
The situation for each person when pregnant is different for everyone. Knowing that there are people in the world who are against an abortion are thinking wrong. Maybe the woman or girl is actually saving the baby because they can't afford to take care of themselves and a baby. From what my cousins say, having a baby is fun but it's also a lot of work and money.
The anti-abortionist should try and put themselves in the mind of a woman whose pregnant and see what they would do. I mean just because you (anti-abortionist) wouldn't give up a baby even if you can't afford it, doesn't mean someone else has to make a child suffer his/her whole life because the mother didn't want to give the baby up.
I think it really depends on the mother's situation at the time of carrying around the baby, buecase not everyone has the time, and enough money to afford taking care of themselve and a small baby also, and as the baby gets older and becomes a teenager and then an adult, then they get really expensive until that 'no longer' child can afford to live without the mother's help. so it all depends on the mother's situation and anti-abortionists shouldn't judge a person because the decisions being made in a certain situation.

FREE POST

So today during my free second period, i was hanging out with my friend, and mayb 10 minutes before the bell rang for the period to be over, we walked to the bus stop. On our way to the bus stop we kept seeing all these cop cars, maybe 6 or 7 cars by the mosque diagonally across from the school. We didn't know it then, but on my way back to school, i saw the cops come out of the building and there was wordies spray painted onto the building. I don't really know what it said, but it looked pretty bad. Across the street there was a group of Muslims waiting to see what had happened and what's going to happen.
Something like vandalizing a mosque is really just, not okay. I mean that's really disrespectful to the Muslim religion. who ever did it, should really have a good reason because not only is that illegal, but it's also disrespecting and insulting the religion that the Muslims live by and the rules they follow.
I don't know how anyone could vandalize any religious property or sanctuary that belongs to a different culture.
THIS IS AMERICA! aren't people supposed to be respectful to all cultures, everyone has his/her own rights as an American Citizen, be TREATED EQUALLY by ALL?
how someone could do be so against another culture is beyond my thinking, especially in our small island. I don't wish to see the person who commited this crime to be punished in anyway (ie go to prison, be tortured) nothing like that, but the person who committed this crime has to live with the guilt of insulting a religion that is greatly respected by many all over the world, mostly the Middle East but everywhere.

Current Events -- Deaths in California shooting

Death's in California shooting:

Let me first say that it's really sad to know that eight people died in a shooting, and they will be greatly missed by their family and friends. The guy who did the shooting was a former member of the armed forces, and he was caught with a bunch of weapons sitting in his car, kist in the front seat and in the trunk also. He said he had two knives also. How and why he had soo many weapons? they still don't know the police still don't know what the motive is for the shooting but the LAPD feels they have the right suspect in holding until otherwise proven wrong.
One witness who worked at the salong said that he was giong through a divorce at the time with one of the women who worked there, but that doesn't mean he should start shooting the place up and killing a lot of people. i mean he needs to learn what his boundaries are.
Also, is using weapons that you have from the force illegal to use in a shooting? im honestly just curious. i feel like it should be the fact is if it's legal or not especially because he WAS a member of the armed forces. WAS is the key word.

Response to Haley Toot's Blog

Haley's Blog

All anyone is doing by deliberately "beating the truth out" of someone is fueling false confessions. And it's not just the Afghan intelligence officials who were bringing people in for "harsh interrogation",  The UN reporter stated that international troops were routinely handing over suspects to the Afghan  detention centers specifically for their interrogation techniques.

WOW!! Haley is SUPER surprising. I completely agree with you about how the if a person is beating someone else (harsh interrogation) then of course the person whose the victim will just confess to anything for the offical to stop whipping them. I completely agree. It's amazing that even now, it the world we live it today, that there are places in this world that still do "harsh interrogations' that would be completely unheard of in America. Im aware that such harsh actions took place in different parts of the middle east but I never knew to what extent. Im shocked that places in the middle east still carry on the terrible action of beating people in prison to get information out of them. it's scary and sad just to think about, but for all we know, what we hear on the news and read about in the papers, most of that stuff is only half of what they normally do in real life.
We always only hear what the government wants us to hear and that it. it's really sad though because if the government's job is to protect the people, how can they do their job if they don't inform the people what's really going on in the world?

Essay: Going for the Look, Risking Discrimination

Many companies such as Abercrombie & Fitch, American Apparel, Hollister, etc., all have a company “image” that they like to obtain and are well known for. Usually the “image” is really good-looking, stereotypical ‘white’ young adults that work in the store and model all the clothes, on the runway, the bags, the billboards and what not. Companies like these tend to have a method of hiring people based on looks and not qualifications. Yes, I agree that the company shouldn’t hire someone who looks like they should be working at a place like Hot Topic rather than American apparel or Abercrombie & Fitch and vice versa, but there is a certain extent as to when that is right and how far it can go until it starts to be morally wrong.

Marshal Cohen; a senior industry analyst with the NPD Group, a market research firm, says:

“Being able to find a brand enhancer, or what I call a walking billboard, is critical. It’s really important to create an environment that’s enticing to the community, particularly with the younger, fashionable market. A guy wants to go hang out in a store where he can see good-looking gals.”

Cohen says that having, what he calls a “walking billboard” is important and I would have to agree because then the store gets more advertisement, but then every time a person buys a clothing item or cologne for any store, they always have the brand name; visible or not, it’s still there. Creating an environment that would be attractive to young adults to come and want to roam around in the store. The environment that is created by stores like Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, American Apparel, etc., just walking past the store you see a dark entrance, like there’s a mystery inside and the only way to know is to walk in the store; then you hear really loud, well-known music playing, and finally the smell of the famous company cologne that they sell.  

 I believe it’s important to create an environment that young adults would be attracted to, but it shouldn’t be about creating an environment where only “good-looking” people should be a part of. Hiring only people who are attractive looking can be troublesome, mostly for the store and just a little bit for those who apply for a job but don’t fit the company “image.” It mostly causes problems for the stores because if they hire only attractive looking people and those people they hire aren’t actually qualified for the job, then the company will lose customers which consequently will lose income for the month. It’s a problem for anyone who wants to work at a store like Abercrombie & Fitch and don’t fit the company “image” because their self-esteem will drop a little bit, and then they won’t have enough confidence to really put themselves out there.

Steven Greenhouse, author of Going for the Look, Risking Discrimination says:

“Hiring attractive people is not necessarily illegal, but discriminating on the basis of age, sex or ethnicity is. That is where things can get confusing and contentious.”

       Mr. Serrano said:

“if someone came in with a pretty face, we were told to approach then and ask them if they wanted a job.”

As part of the job, anyone who works at Abercrombie & Fitch are required to go up to a person who looks like they could fit the “image” the company wishes to obtain. It’s amazing how they just go up to a person and they don’t even think if that person is qualified enough to even b working in the store or not. They only base hiring “method” on looks, and not a skill.

The company “image” is really not all that. They have this “image to make everyone want to dress just like the models, and the sales clerks who are wearing the products. “if you see an attractive person working in the store wearing Abercrombie clothes, it makes you want to wear it too,” says Matthew Sheehey, a high school senior from Orland Park, a Chicago suburb. In some cases, that could be true, because you know that you could fit the company “image” and you would fit right in and you could advertise for the company after buying a pair of sweats or something.

“The problem with all this image stuff is it just reeks of marketing for this white-bread, Northern European, thin wealthy, fashion-model look,” said Donna Harper, supervisory attorney in the commission’s St. Louis office. “We all can’t be Anglo, athletic and young” Harper makes a good point about how not everyone can have the perfect “fashion-model” look, and if that’s the image a store is looking for then they are going to have trouble finding employees, because everyone is different.

In my opinion, it shouldn’t matter whose working in the front of the store and whose working in the storage unit, as long as they are polite and I have good customer service. Even if the person could belong in the “company image” but they don’t get hired because of how they look or how attractive they are, that’s where I start drawing the line.

Stephen J. Roppolo, a New Orleans lawyer who represents many hotels and restaurants, said:

“Hiring someone who is attractive isn’t illegal per se. But people’s views on what’s attractive may be influenced by their race, their religion, their age. If I think Caucasian people are more attractive than African-America people, then I may inadvertently discriminate in some impermissible way. I tell employers that their main focus needs to be hiring somebody who can get the job done. When they want to hire to project a certain image, that’s where things can get screwy.”

The message that Roppolo is sending out is a bit confusing but then he says, “I tell employers that their main focus needs to be hiring…things can get screwy.” That brings up a good point and proves that looks isn’t the main thing that a company should be looking for especially because the owners of the companies want to make money which is the main reason they open the store in the first place.

FREE POST

        So, what to talk about? hmm...? OH, OKAY, here we go. COLLEGE ESSAYS! hella stressful. All you do is write drafts over and over again until they are perfect. sometimes you write something completely new and then since you like that style or choice of words better, then you have to start editing hella drafts for that prompt. I honestly wish that colleges didnt have to write essays, but what can we do? we can only wish for things. The onl way to write the "perfect" first draft is to be like a genius writter or something, i don't know. I wish i was a genius writter so it only took me a few drafts before it was perfect. The easy part about college apps is now that its online, its easy to just use the mouse and click a bunch of drop downs to put in the correct information. I think it's way easier anyone. than having to write every single application out.
                                   
                                        what does everyone else think on this topic?
      
          I used to want to go to BU, but once i went there and checked out the school, i still liked it, but then i realized i wasn't going to be able to come home on weekends or to visit my friends when i was done studying or anything. also, i think i will probably miss my parents, even though they don't think i will, but we'll see. i want to stay in state. i haven't really set my mind on where i want to go yet, or what my "dream" school is, but i know that where ever i go, i will like it, and it wont be dependent on where anyone else wants me to go. It's where i want to go that matters, and what i do, and i know that my parents will support me all the way and that whatever i do, they'll be proud of me.