Climate Change in Your Backyard

Original article here: http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/08/health/obama-climate-change-public-health/index.html

Rather than focus on the widespread and generalized effects of climate change, this article focuses on how it will affect people and their children.  Climate change is no longer an abstract force that is heard of but never understood; it is affected public health across the United States.  Air pollution is contributing to public health on a widespread scale.  Asthma patients and those with respiratory conditions  have to worry if the air quality for the day is well enough that they can go outdoors.  Tech companies such as Google and Microsoft are working to develop technology that would enable users to monitor air quality and stay safe.  Even so, air pollution accounts for 1 in 8 deaths worldwide.  Developing nations will suffer the worst, as many of the consequences of climate change will hit them the hardest.  Still, only half of all Americans believe that we are causing climate change and it is having dangerous effects.  Hopefully, posing it as a public health issue rather than a national threat will make climate change a concept people can grasp and a menace that can be stopped.
I am glad that there is now greater awareness of global warming.  Unfortunately there are still many who are adamant that there is no such thing.  The main reason that politicians other large companies don’t want people to believe the facts is our current extreme reliance on fossil fuels.  If we were to discover that we could easily switch to renewable sources in say, 50 years, I believe politicians would become turncoats.

Keeping the Net Neutral

     This article deals with the concept of net neutrality.  If you don't know what that is, it's making sure that all websites have equal opportunity to prosper.  If it does not exist, big companies, such as Netflix and Amazon, could squash competition by paying internet providers to slow the website and speed their own websites up.  There is a loophole, however, called "specialized services."  Currently these include things such as smart thermostats other non-standard services.  Since the definition is currently loosely defined, this could allow providers a way to wiggle out of regulations.

     I am in total favor of net neutrality.  One of the most popular opinions, and one I share, is that internet should be regulated like a public utility.  This could, however, cause large corporations to form a monopoly, the consequences of this falling on our wallets.  It will be down to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to monitor what defines a specialized service to prevent such a thing from happening. The punishment, however, is also quite vague, which I find concerning, seeing as the last time they tried to maintain net neutrality in 2010, it wasn’t enough to sufficiently close the loophole.  This problem won’t be fixed until what is and isn’t a specialized service is clearly defined and the punishment is set for abusing it.

First Blog Post

Actor, director, baker, carpenter, candlestick maker.  I am none of these things.  But I am a high school student with a moderately successful Runza career, and this is my blog.  I have a mother and father as well as two other brothers, both of which are older than me.  Bryan, the younger older one, is 19, while my older older brother, Corey, is 22.  They both attend UNL.  Bryan is a freshman while Corey is a senior.  Corey is studying architecture and Bryan is currently undecided.  My father works at OPPD as a manager, and my mother works at Creighton University. 

My hobbies include beetle fighting and noodling.  Just kidding… as far as you know.  Really I’m quite mundane.  Most of my adventures are of the literary nature.  Well, many are also lived vicariously through Netflix and games.  Right now I’m watching Supernatural and any movies I’ve missed.  I don’t really do much in the way of hobbies. But I can do most of the weird face things, like rolling my tongue, wiggling my nose, control of my eyebrows, and ability to move my ears. 

I’ve been to a plethora of places.  I don’t really remember many of the trips since I was younger when I took them, but I do know I’ve been to most states in the Midwest and West.  My most recent trip that I remember the best was the Grand Canyon last summer.  We visited many of the designated points and went down into the canyon one day.  We almost took a trip to the “vortexes” in Sedona since my mom really wanted to, but luckily it was too expensive. 

These “vortexes” were supposedly funnel shapes made by “subtle energy,” which is supposedly not electricity nor magnetism, but still generates a slight magnetic field.  They “interact with the Inner Being of the person,” strengthening their “Being.”  Basically it’s just the uplifting colors of the rock and green scenery, coupled with slight magnetic current from iron in rocks, resulting in a massive scam. 

In the future I plan to go to college and study to become a scientist of some sort.  Currently I’m looking at either a chemistry path or infectious disease path for my career.  I’m leaning more towards chemistry at the moment.  That’s pretty much all there is to me.  I don’t exactly lead an exotic or intriguing life, but I’m content with it.