President Obama Tackles Health Care Debate

The healthcare system in the United States is currently costing the government $2.5 trillion, and 46 million Americans do not even have it, according to an MSNBC online article.

So how does President Obama plan on solving this problem in a way that we can all be happy? Americans are skeptical of what he can do. Democrats want a reform policy so they can choose their own healthcare. Republicans want nothing to do with it.

Obama simply wants to “improve the quality and bring down the costs” of our healthcare system, as well as “expand coverage,” according to MSNBC. He is ready to negotiate and make peace, but it might still be hard for him to make a connection with Americans. According to the Chicago Tribune, the president has already given close to 30 speeches on health-care reform, and the people “still don’t know exactly what he wants.”

However, Obama thinks that now is the time to focus on what could be one of the largest challenges he will have to face in his presidency. “It’s time to do what’s right for America’s working families, to put aside the partisanship, to come together as a nation, to pass health insurance reform now – this year,” said Obama.

On Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009, President Obama will address the nation and Congress about the controversial topic of healthcare. Many people think that this debate will head down a bumpy path, but if Obama finds an appropriate solution to this crisis, then it might become the defining moment in his presidency. What will result from this is still up in the air, but some of America’s labor force are expecting the worst.

Dr. James Rosenberg, a gastroenterologist, is worried about what could happen if it becomes mandatory for all patients’ files to be registered into a “national electronic health record database under federal auspices,” according to the Chicago Tribune. He is concerned about patients’ rights to privacy and the possibility of the files being hacked into.

Even though President Obama’s popularity and poll numbers have dropped significantly since his election and he has received criticism for America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, the White House and his reputation may be redeemed when he hits his stride – talking on Americans’ televisions all across the nation on Wednesday night.

Everyday is a Winding Road - A Profile of Sheryl Crow

“I was not a person growing up that ever thought I was going to be well known or famous,” said Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter Sheryl Crow.

She was raised in the small town of Kennett, located on the border of Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri. It was a small, quiet place with characteristics that describe most old-fashioned towns in Southern America; a courthouse “downtown,” farmers and church goers.

Crow’s parents, who have been married now for 51 years, incorporated music into their household since she was born. They both studied and appreciated music, played instruments, and they even played in a swing band when Crow was a kid.

“On weekends, they would bring all their friends home after their gigs and stay up smoking and playing records, drinking. It was just what I thought every kid grew up with,” she said.

By the age of four, she could play by ear. Crow said she always found her “identity” in music, and that is how she knew what "direction" to go in.

Growing up in a small town, she enjoyed listening to musicians Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen on the radio. These songwriters, she said, were her biggest influences.

When she was younger, she took piano lessons along with her three siblings. Out of the four of them, three of them, including Sheryl, majored in classical piano in college. She attended the University of Missouri and received a music degree.

Her first professional gig as a singer happened in Los Angeles, Calif., when she was featured on records by Johnny Mathis and Rod Stewart. However, her biggest break came when she auditioned for a spot on the Michael Jackson Bad tour, and she got it.

“That (touring) made a huge difference in my career,” Crow said, “It was very life changing and a great learning experience.”

Three years after touring with Jackson, she landed a record deal and created her first album, which came out in 1994 when she was already 29 years old.

“I really got my start much later than what rock and roll originally was designed for,” she said.

The title of her debut album, “The Tuesday Night Music Club,” resulted from a group of musicians, including Crow, who would “jam” on Tuesday nights. Its first single did nothing compared to the response from the forth and last single, “All I Wanna Do,” which become the record's biggest hit.

Crow went on to win three Grammy Awards in the mid 90’s, become a political activist and survive breast cancer after she was diagnosed in 2006.

“The whole fame thing was not ever very interesting, but definitely wanting to matter was more interesting,” she said, “It’s a pretty amazing idea that you can take yourself anywhere in this country, speak your mind, educate people, and really just create your own dream and live it.”

Soak Up the Sun
A Profile of Sheryl Crow
Singer/Songwriter

Age: 47
Hometown: Kennett, Mo.
Children: 1 adopted son, Wyatt Crow (age 2)
Extracurricular high school activity: Drum majorette
Childhood reading: Steinbeck, Twain and Ellery Queen mysteries
Before your music career, what did you want to be when you were younger? A great writer
What did you do before moving to Los Angeles? I moved to St. Louis and taught music in an elementary school in 1984 and 1985.
Quote: "I've been lucky in being recognized for doing something that I really love and feel compelled to do."

Facebook Users Tired of Being "Owned"

Check out this article about facebook's flaws


1. (LEAD) The article opens up with an anecdotal lead. It gives examples about how online social networking Web sites cannot have committed users forever. It also gives a few instances of why some people have chosen to shut down their facebook accounts.

2. (NUT GRAF) It follows the lead by providing statistics that show although facebook is continuing to grow, many groups of users are leaving. Basically, the issue is that many people think facebook is "selling out" their personal and social lives. Instead of users controlling facebook, facebook is controlling users.

It is becoming more a market for advertising, and there have been some cases of privacy/security issues. People are also getting bored with the Web site and feel like they are wasting their time.

3. (BODY) The body is supported by facts about facebook users, first-hand accounts and quotes from 5 different people on their opinions of facebook. In this section, the various effects of facebooking are more deeply analyzed. Aside from young user quotes in the article, a professional writer also includes what she thinks about how facebook now "feels dead."

4. (ENDING) The article is summed up with another anecdote describing how facebook might turn into an "online ghost town run by zombie users who never update their pages." It could become solely a place for marketers to "exploit" users. Is facebook just another fad that will soon fade away?

New School Year Brings Bittersweet Feelings for Students

Classes are under way at Winthrop University and students are expressing their differences in opinion about it. Some students are already looking forward to their next break while others are eager to be back.

Samantha Furtick, a 19-year-old junior and graphic design major, enjoyed her summer vacation by spending time at Edisto Island, working part time at Target and hanging out with friends as much as possible.

Although she said that she is excited about homecoming 2009, Furtick said her main goal is to just “survive” her classes. “I am ready for all of the major holidays that we get off from school,” she said.

On the other hand, Sarah MacDonald, a 20-year-old integrated marketing communications major, said she cannot wait to take classes because she can already tell that they are going to be “fun”.

She anticipates meeting new people, working out in the West Center, doing group projects, and going out dancing. She said that she wants to “make the most” of this academic year.

However, MacDonald, who is from Goose Creek, said there are some drawbacks to starting a new school year as well.

“When I go to school, I always miss my family a lot,” she said. Therefore, during the summer, she made sure to spend some quality time with her retired father and take her younger sister shopping and to the beach.

Like Furtick, MacDonald also found time to visit with friends and work part time.

No matter how similarly two students spend their summer, they continue to return to campus every year with different expectations.

"Bring Back My Child" - Dr. Phil

Last night my roommate and I were flipping through channels when we came across Dr. Phil from 8:00-9:00 p.m. I hadn't watched Dr. Phil in a long time so I got excited - HaHa! This episode featured parents whose child or children were taken away from them by their spouses, and they haven't seen them in years.

In one case, two brothers fled the country with their wives' children (three young sons) and the wives have not been heard from their families since. The wives said their husbands acted suspicious near the time of the incident, but they did not expect them to kidnap the kids. The wives continue to reach out desperately to contact their children, but they have no leads except that the kids might be in a foreign country where their husbands were born.

Another guest was a man named David whose wife, Bruna, left the country (to Brazil) with their 4-year-old son, Sean. David has not seen Sean in over four years. Tragically, he learned that Bruna passed away in Brazil. Now, Sean is being raised by his stepfather and the government is doing nothing to bring the boy back to the U.S. David is battling the Brazilian government, but nothing has come of it.

Finally, a mother named Cecilia fled with her daughter, Sephri, because she thought her child was being sexually abused by her husband. They were on the road for two months trying to leave the U.S. when they were caught by police near Canada. The police relinquished custody to the father (finding no evidence of abuse) while Cecilia was wanted for a felony. Now, she still believes she did the right thing, and she only gets two supervised hours a week to spend with Sephri.

Go see what I'm talking about!

Twilight

*Photo courtesy of wildaboutmovies.com
Let me start off by saying that going to see Twilight was one of the best decisions I have ever made..haha! Even though I had to wait in line for over two hours, it was worth it. In fact, I enjoyed watching it so much that I have already gone to see it twice, and it only came out yesterday. I must admit that I have not yet read the books, but after seeing this movie, I definitely put that on my "to do" list. Robert Pattinson, who played Edward Cullen, did a fantastic job with his character and he was absolutely gorgeous. The movie is romantic and suspenseful; just the way I like it! So, I invite all people - young and old - to check it out :) I would discuss more about it, but I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

MTV'S TRL Finale!

It's a television show we have watched since childhood. We have grown up with it. It's how we have seen the top music videos of our time. Well, it's all over now. After a 10-year run, TRL has ended.

On Sunday's special TRL finale on MTV, many past guests and celebrities stopped by for live performances and interviews. Even the Backstreet Boys reunited to perform one of their first hit singles! Beyonce performed "If I Were A Boy." Christina Aguilera was interviewed via satellite. 50 Cent showed up, along with Nelly, Hilary Duff, Taylor Swift, and Justin Timberlake. The show featured the top 10 music videos of all time; coming in at number one was Britney Spear's "Baby, Hit Me One More Time."

Also on the finale episode, past VJ's including Carson Daly and Hilarie Burton (who plays Peyton on One Tree Hill) helped host.

The show counted down the top 10 TRL moments from 1998-2008. One of them was when Justin Timberlake met Halle Berry for the first time. Another was when Mariah Carey surprised Carson Daly on live television without him knowing what was happening.

Overall, the finale was an emotional reflection of the past. I remember watching TRL in middle school, and I'm sure many of you do too. What are your thoughts about it ending? the finale?