kaitbarclay's blog

Oh man, I have exciting news.  I am now the second case of Flu this season in the state of
Oregon.  Oh, life rocks... you know, minus the constant body aching, no appetite, sick feeling...  Anyway!  I implore all of you to get your flu shots now.  Did you know that it takes two weeks for the flu shot to actually kick in?  That means that if your peers start getting sick, you're kind of screwed unless you've already gotten the flu shot.  So, check yo self before the flu wrecks yo self.

America’s foreign policy has changed drastically over the decades.  Like any aspect of our government, the
U.S.’s foreign policy has been influenced and sculpted by its leader’s decisions in local and world politics.  Initially the
United States began its foreign policy with George Washington’s ideology of no entangling alliances. Washington maintained that the
U.S. should only participate in temporary alliances, "It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world..."  This position of neutrality amongst foreign affairs began the evolution of what would become
America’s foreign policy.

            I recently turned in a paper about Gay Rights to my English class that I'm using for a college essay. When I received the paper back I of course read the criticisms identified in red ink in the margins of my essay.  My teacher had used a quote of Martin Luther King Jr. when encouraging me to strengthen a particular argument.  The quote read, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."  I took the paper home and that night reviewed the criticisms and then subsequently attempted to rewrite a stronger, more polished essay.  That night the quote hit me hard. 

In my English class my teacher was going over different types of dialects.  Of course we went over the varying accents present in America, Europe,
Asia...etc.  But little did I know what linguistics have determined as being viable dialects.  For instance, one would assume that if people don't use proper mid-western grammar that the individual is uneducated.  An example would be with the dialect of Ebonics.  Ebonics does not use what is commonly held as proper English and thus is thrown aside and labeled as a frivolous form of speech.  Now, what I didn't know is that Ebonics has been around longer than the common Midwestern dialect. Also, many people are ignorant to the fact that Ebonics is a language!  It is not merely a series of random verbs that aren’t conjugated and erroneous misspellings.  The dialect of Ebonics is simply that, a language, just like our Midwestern English dialect.  Oh man, so cool.   Linguists have also labeled other dialects in the
US to include Bostonese, Valley Girl (like... oh my god!  Linguistics have actually distinguished a dialect they have labeled “Valley” that originated in the
San Fernando Valley), Pennsylvania Dutch...etc.  Languages are SO interesting.  So next time you hear someone talking in weird verb tenses, or perhaps speaking in another accent, realize that their language is most likely a legit dialect like the one you or I might use.

The death penalty is one of the most serious impediments among our judicial branch of government.  Not only does the death penalty cost tax payers millions of dollars more each year, but innocent men and women are put to death!  There is no compensation that one can receive for that mistake.  The very premise of the death penalty imposes upon an American citizen’s right to live and leaves too large of a gap for error.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS; As Trade Deficit Grows, So Do Tensions With China, China Widens Economic Role in Latin America, China Emerges As Rival to U.S. In Asian Trade, China Bluntly Rebukes U.S. Over Nuclear Policy Review, Thanks to Detroit, China Is Poised to Lead… All of these headlines were seen recently in the New York Times.  It has become apparent to the American government and media that
China has developed into an international player in world economics and politics.  The political and economic dominance of America is being superseded by
China as the growing nation continues to become more innovative and technologically advanced.

The President of the Russian Confederation, Vladimir Putin has been exercising his powers as president to the extent where many have begged the question: is Putin turning
Russia’s democracy into a dictatorship?

            The now popular, charismatic leader of
Russia was not always this way.  In fact, when Putin’s predecessor Boris Yeltsin anointed him as his successor, Putin’s had a 2% popular vote.  However, Yeltsin and many others among the Kremlin (Russian Government) began making conscientious efforts to recreate Putin’s public image.  They taught Putin how to walk, talk and dress like a president and three months after being anointed by Yeltsin, Putin was elected into office in 2000.  The once “grey cardinal” of Russian politics became President of the Russian Confederation.  During a summit in June 2000, U.S. President Bill Clinton praised him for "surely being capable of creating a strong and prosperous
Russia" and even Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev had a positive impression of Putin stating, "he's certainly no threat to the Russian democracy".

In my A.P. Gov we've been talking extensively about past Oregon ballot measures (both passed and failed).  One that I found to be particularily interesting was the ballot iniative Measure 40.  Measure 40, the Judicial Accountability Act, proposed that Oregon Supreme Court judges and Appellate Court judges are elected by voters from the district of the judge’s respective residency.  Initially,
Oregon had embraced district elections but the system was abolished in 1910.  In 2002 a measure similar to Measure 40 was proposed, but defeated on Election Day. The Democratic Party of Oregon and the Pacific Green Party of Oregon were opponents of Measure 40, while the Oregon Republican Party was a proponent of Measure 40.  The measure failed by an approximate six percent margin in 2006.