Help for All?

As I was listening to the radio earlier this week, the talk show hosts were discussing the problems with the lack of clarification in the Obama administration's new health care program. One main issue was that two parts of the proposal were contradictory - the policy that undocumented immigrants would not be treated, and the policy that formal verification of citizenship would not be mandatory when purchasing the health care. I was slightly amused at this discovery of fault in the proposal. However, now that these issues have been cleared up according to Msnbc, I suppose I can stop laughing now.

What really bothers me is the fact that even in emergency situations, the undocumented immigrants (i.e. illegal immigrants) are allowed to be treated, and the hospitals will eventually be refunded by a federal grant program. No, I'm not an inhumane person; I still want these people to somehow be treated, especially if they're in critical condition. However, I don't understand why these illegal immigrants are even allowed to stay in the United States once it's been discovered that they are not legal citizens. What gives them the right to use the people's money so they can go to the hospital? It's all very complicated, in my opinion. I suppose that's why teenagers aren't allowed to be politicans.

mycharity: water

mycharity: water

I've decided to start a campaign in memory of my grandpa, James Ka, who passed away 2 years ago due to Alzheimer's Disease. I thought that it would be great to do something in time for the end of 2009 that would help others. I know he'd like that! So, click on the link above and donate! $1, $5, $20, anything you want! Every cent counts! =]

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The Most Important Thing in the World Is...

MONEY!
No, I'm kidding, it's not. But, from what I can see, Americans adore food. Though our economy is in recession, the popular restaurants in town are continuously packed with lines out the door. For example, here in San Jose, there's a popular outdoor-venue mall called Santana Row. On Friday and weekend nights, the bars, trendy restaurants, and cafes are full of people - the entire parking lot is full! Like tonight, for example, we went to a seafood restaurant near my house called The Boiling Crab. The line was out the door, and the room was packed. This restaurant wasn't exactly McDonald's low-priced either. So as I see large groups of teenagers and college students come in to dine, I ask myself - how on earth are they paying for this? Shouldn't they be saving their money for more important things? It's interesting that though the economy is the way it is, the concept of eating and food is still important. People will always need to eat, and people will always enjoy eating, too.

Similarly, we all still need our Starbucks and coffee in the morning. That's a perfect example! Why is it that many of us spend 1.75 on a Tall sized Decaf Coffee in the morning at Starbucks, when at home, it takes half-an-hour to brew or a few minutes with instant coffee? I have no idea. I can't really say anything, since I, too, enjoy Starbucks hot chocolates quite frequently.

So THIS is where all of our money is going - the food industry.

Blog Update!

Hello readers! Sooo...as the new school semester has begun, I've been adding different features to my blog! Exciting, no? To the left hand side, you will see a SocialVibe box. I've decided to choose charity: water as my charity to help! Every time YOU, the fabulous reader, engage with this gadget, money will be added to the running total that will be donated to donating gallons of water to charity: water! Get your friends, family, or even perfect strangers to come and help this cause!

Good luck to you all - let's see how many gallons we can donate!

For more information about Charity : Water, read this.

Farewell Class of '09

As last year's class of '09 seniors leave for college, I wish them all the best of luck. This past week, I saw many alumni come to visit, and I realize how time flies. I tell myself I have two years, two years, two years - but in reality, that's not a lot of time. Soon, high school will be a thing of the past, and I could be living 3,000 miles away from home.

However, for now, I only think of my dear friends who have graduated, who embark upon their journeys to college and beyond. Many people are staying here in California, but some are traveling to Boston and New York. Wherever they might be headed, I hope that they discover wonderful friends and achieve their goals and dreams. Good luck class of '09!

School: Not a Place for Politics

It was called to my attention just a few moments that President Obama plans to give a speech to students grades K-12 on September 8, 2009 (day after Labor Day). My immediate reaction was, I must admit, annoyance. Why would we be forced to listen to this speech? I didn't really want to be required to do anything related to politics at school. Then, I read into this topic on Yahoo! News, and I sighed in relief. No public (especially private) schools were required to air the speech during school hours; it was strongly "encouraged".

Some quotes from other bloggers were given. One ninth grader seemed quite upset that his school wasn't airing the speech. Many people are outraged, and many are accepting of this idea of President Obama's speech. I, for one, don't see the point of doing this. In my opinion, it seems a bit like President Obama is trying too hard to reach out - are little kindergarteners really going to understand that importance of reforming education? No. Having a little sister in kindergarten, I can assure you that after a few minutes of watching the speech, she would start to fidget and think of what she was going to do at recess, not the complex discussion of why education is necessary in today's society.

Yes, many highschoolers might be eager to watch President Obama because they are still pro-Obama since his campaign days advocating "Change". I would not be one of those highschoolers. Whether it be former President Bush or former President Clinton, I have no desire to do anything politically-related at school if forced. It is my strong belief that political discussions should be saved for club-related activities or chitter-chatter in the halls with peers, not for school-advocated functions.

I do hope that the public schools who are airing the speech during school hours are allowing parents to have the option of keeping their child from watching the speech, if they so choose. It'd be wrong not to leave that option open.

It's Real...Or Is It

On the debate team, constant research is necessary in order to have recent evidence at tournaments. The Number 1 website that we are forbidden from ever using is The Onion. Interestingly enough, the home page calls it, "America's Finest News Source." I find this extremely amusing, because The Onion is infamous for its biased and unreliable sources - yet, it makes great reading for discussions in debate.

The most recent, interesting article released from The Onion discusses Neil Armstrong's landing on the moon. It is claimed that a conspiracy theorist has successfully convinced Armstrong that the lunar landing on the moon was indeed a conspiracy, never really happening. I find this extremely hard to believe. However, this article was very amusing as I sat at my computer at lunch today. I'm not a conspiracy theorist myself, I promise you. But isn't it interesting to consider the possibility that perhaps scientists don't really know everything they say they do? Just like the lunar landing. Do I believe we went to the moon? Yes. However, this article got me thinking of other things that might possibly be over-exaggerated or inaccurate...

Any ideas? E-mail wwatcher21@yahoo.com.