Roder Shoots Abortion Provider

As I was typing a post about my reactions to Obama's State of the Union Address from Wednesday night, I came across an article in the Wall Street Journal about a man, Scott Roeder, who shot and killed an abortion provider, George Tiller, in church last May. Roeder is making headlines again as his trial has been ongoing the past few days. As he admitted cold-heartedly to the murder, he supported himself by saying he was doing it to protect the innocent lives of the "babies" that Tiller was aborting. Roeder is extremely anti-abortion and felt it was only necessary to kill Tiller in order to get his message across. Today, the jury found Roeder guilty of murder, however his sentencing has not been announced as of now.

My first reaction to this story was wow, I never thought the conflict of abortion could lead to a murder like this. I am torn in the abortion debate, as I do not think it is right to just kill fetuses, but I believe these teenage mothers should be given a second chance at a life where they do not need to care for a child at such a young age. In my ethics class, we learned about how each culture believes that there morals are correct because they practice them and they would only do what is good. Other cultures may have different morals and practices, and they too believe that they are doing the right thing. However, it is CRUCIAL to understand that there is no right or wrong, we must respect each culture for what it is worth. Some people believe in abortion, others do not, but that does not mean they are right or wrong. You have to look at something from both angles, and see why a certain group of people feel a certain way about an issue such as abortion. Unfortunately, Roeder did not do this, and acted out unjustly.

President Obama to speak, US to listen

Yes, that time of the year has come, and Americans should be eagerly waiting President Barak Obama's State of the Union Address tonight at 9pm EST. I believe it is important that every American, no matter what age, should sit down and at least listen to the first 10-15 minutes of President Obama's speech to see what he has in store for our country this year. We are going through a critical time, our country finances in shambles, terrorism a high risk, and the healthcare situation a mess, Obama will look to answer most of those questions. Some key points to listen to are:

1. Economy- After one of the most biggest financial disasters in our time, Obama will look to address the economy. What about job creation? The housing situation? And Wall Street's refusal to consider main street? What do we do to fix all of this? These are critical quesitons that need answers.

2. Healthcare- With Obama's newest healthcare bill receiving public and government criticism, it should be interesting to see what he plans next. Healthcare is a huge problem in this country, and should be a major priority for the President.

3. Terrorism- After the botched attack on Christmas to blow up an airline with explosives, America needs to take a second look at its security measures. What can be improved? Bin Laden's latest video claimed responsibility for the plotted attack. Is Al-Quadea still a threat?

4. The War in Iraq & Afghanistan- Obama's plan to send 30,000 troops to Afghanistan could be risky. In a mountaneous region and with little protection, our troops are in danger. What about Iraq's progression as an independent nation?

One of the biggest State of the Unions that I can think of, I am excited to see what comes of it. I'll be blogging tomorrow with my reactions and opinions.

Big Name Stores in Trouble for 2010

Some of the following stores may be in danger of permanently shutting down after poor performances in 2009. The list includes:
Blockbuster
Borders
Starbucks
Zales
KB Toys


For more information visit http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/334/whos-closing-stores-in-2010/

Got Noise Team A

A close friend of mine Ramy Youssef has been working on a project with musical talent Usher for the past few months. He, along with a handful of other selected film students, flew out to Los Angeles to shoot Usher's next music video. The students were divided into two teams, A & B, respectively. Each team shot a different music video with Usher, and now it is time to vote for the better video. The selected one will become the official music video of Usher's latest song. Voting ends February 1st, so it is important that you do so immediately. I am endorsing Ramy's TEAM A, and I am calling on my readers to please visit www.got-noise.com and vote for TEAM A as many times as you can! Thank you.

College Textbooks

You pay tuition and textbooks aren't even included?!?!?! What an outrage you say! Well, even though this is muttered all across the country, it is true. Most colleges and unversities do not cover textbook costs, so it is up to you to purchase them! They do not come cheap, however. Here I have listed a few options the student has in purchasing (or not) their textbooks for the semester:

1. Buy them from the bookstore- This is the worst case scenario in my opinion. The school bookstore tends to overprice EVERYTHING, so you will most likely be paying between $100-160 for a textbook, new or used. Consider this a last resort of you cannot follow my other suggestions.

2. Rent them off of Chegg- Surprisingly, not many people know about this method, even though it is quite simple. My spanish teacher from highschool (shoutout to Senora Rodriguez) turned me to this website, called chegg.com The idea is easy, just pay a fraction of the price you would pay to buy a textbook to instead RENT it for a semester. You are given up until the end of May to return the book for the Spring Semester, and it saves you a boatload of money. Students have saved over 100 million dollars since the site opened, and Chegg plants 1 tree for every book you rent! Look at that, they even help the environment! Renting saves you hundreds of dollars a semester, and I highly recommend this method. The only downside is you cannot write or highlight the book.

3. Buy/Borrow from a Friend- If you know someone who has taken the same class, simply ask if you can buy or borrow the book from them!

4. Purchase USED from Barnes and Nobles- Barnes and Nobles usually gives good deals on USED books. This method is cheaper than buying from the bookstore.

New Year, New Semester, New Start

I would like to begin by wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2010! It really has been quite some time since I have last updated my blog, but with classes beginning today, I will be posting here almost regularly. For most of the college world, we are back to reality. Back to the times where we dreaded waking up in the morning, to showering with flip flops, to getting sick of your school's food by the 3rd week back, to using what little free time we have to catch up on sleep. Yes, it has arrived, our Spring Semester. And although there is the warm weather and SUMMER to look forward to, we can not lose focus of what is infront of us. For some of us, our classes will be more difficult, for others, it will be a little easier. Hopefully by this time you have found a routine that works for you. Studying habits, note taking abilities, and other methods to get by your days. In essence, this semester should be less stressful and easier to adjust than last. It is a new year, and a new start. FOr those of you who were in the gutter last semester, it is time to turn the knob and get focused.

As the cold months are coming to a close, and with Spring on its way, college students should take this time to begin to think of a summer job. Yes, I know it is 4 or 5 months down the road, but with the economy the way it is, and businesses expected to hire less teenagers to work, we really need to start thinking now about the future. For college freshmen, begin to create a resume`, which include items such as GPA, previous work experience, any leadership, and involvement in clubs/activities on campus. Employers like to see well rounded students, and it helps if you can say you were part of a club or you played an intramural sport. Think about WHERE and WHAT you want to do for work. Is it at the mall? Or in an office? Or at a restaurant? These are the typical teenage jobs, all that require minimal experience but come with minimum pay. Thinking about a summer job now can allow you to perhaps choose where you would like to work, instead of having to take a job you do not like because you waited too long to look for one.

As a final note, I would like to take a moment to remember those who died in the 2000 Boland Hall Fire here at Seton Hall University, as today marks the 10 year anniversary. My prayers go out to the victims and their loved ones.

"Some situations we cannot control. It is our human nature and to get down, and beat ourselves up. But those who rise from the rubble,and remain poised, will ultimatey be leaders, and leaders create change."