No Indictment For Cop Using Choke hold on Eric Garner

Today a grand jury in Staten Island came to the decision that Officer Pantaleo would not be indited for the death of Eric Garner. This decision comes a few days after a grand jury in Missouri also decides that an Officer that shot a black teen was also not face indited. The New York Times posts that there has been large scale protests all over New York. The verdict came not even a day after the grand jury heard testimony from witnesses and Officer Pantaleo. The grand jury was also shown videos of the incident that ended Eric Garner's life.
The New York Times reports that although the verdict was that there would be no criminal trial there will be a civil rights inquiry. Massive protests have started tonight in New York, as protesters chant Garner's last words, "I can't breath." The protests and civil disobedience that are occurring in New York is very different than that of Ferguson, Missouri, with few arrest and less violence. The same post from the New York Times also explains that police in New York will now be required to wear small body cameras, though some will argue that cops wearing cameras won't make a difference when being used as evidence.


Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/nyregion/grand-jury-said-to-bring-no-charges-in-staten-island-chokehold-death-of-eric-garner.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=a-lede-package-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

Obama and Immigration

President Obama has announced today that he will continue to use his executive power to act on Immigration Reform. Obama first announced he would be taking matters into his own hands as the Republicans in Congress refused to make a decision and pass an immigration bill. According to the Los Angeles Times, Obama plans to unveil his plan of action to the nation on Thursday. The announcement comes after the midterm election put a pause on his executive action for fear of causing damage to the democratic party. 

The Los Angeles Times reports that the president's plan is yet unknown but will most likely not extend to all undocumented immigrants. Activist are a little disappointed that mostly not everyone will be covered by the executive order. Activist are also disappointed that the executive order is not a permanent fix to the broken immigration system but is a temporary thing that just helps those undocumented immigrants that are already here and does not address future immigrants. There is also a lot of opposition to Obama's announcement that he will be taking matters into his own hands. Republicans and conservatives argue that his announcement will only increase the amount of people coming over and that it will be harder for Americans to find jobs. The country is now just waiting to hear what this executive order will do for many undocumented immigrants. 

link: http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-california-immigration-20141120-story.html#page=1

California State University Trustee Meeting

After the increase in fee the California State University system will face angry students Thursday at a trustee meeting. According to the Los Angeles Times, students will be coming together Thursday in Long Beach to protest recent student fees. The fee in question is the Student Success Fee. This increased fee would help hire more campus faculty, and advisers, as well as to help fund athletic programs. The CSU system took severe cuts to funding and a moratorium passed by California Legislature banned new fees until 2016. To make up for all the cuts and limitations the trustees voted to raise the Student Success Fee. Students are outraged that the fee would increase to $800 went the fee was originally only $30. 

According to the Los Angeles Times the California State University system also wants to launch an online yearbook to highlight that they have reached 3 million living alumni. There will also be a scholarship to encourage graduates to make a profile in the online yearbook. The scholarship would be of $10,000. Trustees will also be talking about budgets and executive pay increase. Students might have more to complain about now and not just the $800 Student Success Fee. 

Link: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-trustees-20141112-story.html

Pot Legal In D.C.

Washington D.C. passed an initiative to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Voters washed as the tallies came pouring in for a very controversial initiatives. According to the Washington Post, initiative 71 would regulate the sale of marijuana. Marijuana would only be sold to people over the age of 21, much like alcohol. People are also only allowed to posses two ounces of marijuana and are allowed to grow up to three plants in their home.  

The Washington Post reports that the District council has promised to take sign the approved measure into law as soon as possible. Then after the measure is a law Congress could put in a system of taxes on the sale of the drug. There is of commotion because the measure can easily be vetoed by Congress. Along with the veto of Congress, the president needs to agree with Congress on stopping the measure from being law. 

link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-voters-titling-heavily-toward-legalizing-marijuana-likely-joining-colo-wash/2014/11/04/116e83f8-60fe-11e4-9f3a-7e28799e0549_story.html

Google Glass Possibly Banned From Theaters

Theaters all around the country might start banning Google Glass from its auditoriums because of copyright issues. The Washington Post reports that the Motion Picture Association of  America has put out guidelines for its theaters. The guidelines specify that wearable technology will not be allowed inside the auditoriums. This new policy comes after the release of the Google Glass, which is capable of recording what the wearer sees.

The MPAA has stated that the movie theaters are free to apply the new guidelines if they want to but is not necessarily mandatory. The new policy goes along with the old policy of not allowing things like phones that are able to record videos. The reason for not allowing such items is that people can record these movies and then sell them as bootleg DVDs. Recording and selling the pirated material is a serious crime and criminals can face jail time or a fine. The Washington Post also reports that other establishments like bars and restaurants have started to ban Google Glass. Google Glass has been banned in some establishments to protect other customers and employees' privacy. 

link http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/10/29/headed-to-the-movies-get-ready-to-leave-your-google-glass-at-home/

More CDC Regulations

The New York Times reports that there will be new regulations to prevent Ebola from spreading in the United States. The CDC has announced that it will have people that came from West Africa check in with local health departments for 21 days after their arrival. Passengers coming in from Sierra Leone, Liberia, or Guinea will have to give personal information such as email addresses, phone numbers and home addresses. Once passengers unboard the plane they will be given thermometers and cards that show the symptoms of Ebola and who to contact if they start to show symptoms.

The CDC has been implementing new regulations almost once a week as they have failed to provide guideline that protect healthcare workers. The CDC and the President have both come under fire because the public believes that they have mishandled the spread of Ebola. There are people that want to ban flights all completely. There are also new rules that might be coming into affect to monitor healthcare workers that deal with Ebola patients.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/23/health/us-to-monitor-travelers-from-ebola-hit-nations-for-21-days.html?ref=us

Second Nurse Infected with Ebola

Two nurses that treated the first Ebola patient in Dallas, Texas have contracted the deadly virus. This now makes three cases of Ebola in the United States and all three cases in Dallas, Texas. The New York Time reports that the second nurse to contract the virus is 29 year old, Amber Joy Vinson. The news of a second infected person was just the tip of the iceberg as we soon learned that this person had just taken a commercial flight from Ohio to Texas. Vinson, like the rest of the staff that attended to Thomas Eric Duncan, were to be self monitoring for any symptoms of the virus. The CDC allowed Vinson to travel because she did not have a fever, but the next day after arriving in Texas she was showing symptoms. Ms. Vinson is now in Atlanta being treated at Emory University Hospital.

The President and the CDC have then heavily criticized because the public feels like they have not handled the outbreak of Ebola. According to The New York Times the CDC has changed the amount of protection that it required health workers to wear when dealing with infected patients. The President has canceled trips to meet with committees to discuss how to deal with this outbreak. The news that there are more people getting sick and that one of them travel to another state has sparked fear in the public. All we can do now is wait to see what the President and CDC come up with to contain this virus.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/us/ebola-outbreak-texas.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=LedeSum&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

New Screening for Fliers

After the first case of Ebola in the United States was detected last month, airports will now be screening fliers coming from West Africa. People arriving to the United States from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, will have their temperature taken when they arrive along with being questioned by workers. If a fever is detected, the passenger will be taken to an isolated location in the airport and put in quarantine. Passengers that are quarantined will then be evaluated by the CDC. Five airports will be implementing this new measure starting this Saturday; airports include Kennedy International Airport in New York, Washington Dulles, Newark International, O'Hare International in Chicago, and Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta.

According to The New York Times, this new measure might not help stop infected people from coming into the U.S. because the virus has an incubation period of eight to ten days before a fever can be detected. The measure was passed to calm the worried public. I don't think the measure will be very effective to stop infected people from coming into the U.S. or to calm the public. Some people want to cancel flights coming in from West Africa all together.

link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/09/us/newly-vigilant-us-is-to-screen-fliers-for-ebola.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=LedeSum&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

Ebola in Texas

This week the first case of Ebola, in the United States was reported. The virus was reported in Dallas, Texas after a man took a commercial flight from Liberia to Dallas. The man did not show any symptoms when he boarded the plane, states the New York Post. Ebola is not contagious until the patient shows symptoms. The man, who is not being identified, has been put in isolation and every person he came into contact with is being monitored.

The first symptoms of Ebola are similar to that of the many other illness. When he first sought medical attention he was sent home because the medical staff thought it was something else. The second time he sought medical attention he was sent to the hospital and was placed in isolation; a few days later test results came in positive for Ebola. The president has also been contacted and informed about the Ebola case. Dr. Frieden has reassured the president that this situation can easily be contained and that the people of the United States are doing to be just fine.

This new has sprouted a frenzy of post on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. There was a lot of people panicking, sacred that this would lead to something out of an apocalyptic movie. People don't seem to understand that Ebola is only contagious when one comes in contact with an infected person's blood or bodily fluids. There has been article after article informing people about Ebola, but people just keep ignoring the information and coming up with their own assumptions. Personally, I feel like it was a great idea that they did not identify the man or where he first sought medical attention.The public is already assuming the worst, knowing the location and man's name would only encourage the public to harass the clinic where he first sought help and possible harass family members.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/01/health/airline-passenger-with-ebola-is-under-treatment-in-dallas.html?_r=0

Secret Service

There has always been people trying to get over the gates of the White House, but almost all are stopped by the Secret Service before they can even get their foot on the fence. On Friday a man was actually able to get past five levels of security before he was stopped, reports the Washington Post. The Washington Post reports that the intruder was Omar Jose Gonzalez and that the Secret Service had had their eyes on him twice before. This incident is now under investigation and will be dealing with the teams that were supposed to be guarding the White House.

Gonzalez managed to get trespass a good 70 yards into the restricted area and even manage to get to the front door of the White House, which was unlocked. Former Secret Service agents reported to the Washington Post that this intruder actually got around Five levels of security including, plainclothes agents outside the fence, an agent at the guard booth, an attack dog, the SWAT team, and a guard at the front door. The head spokesman for the Secret Service has declined to say anything about the investigation to Washington Posts and had said that there is no way that an anonymous source could know the plans to guard the White House. 

The Washington Post informs us that there was a surveillance tape that shows a dog and men fallowing Gonzalez but by that point he had already reached the front door of the house. Washington Post also informs us that the reason Gonzalez was running towards the White House was because he wanted to tell the president that the "atmosphere was falling."  According to reports there was also an agent on the porch, his stationed position for that night is yet unknown. The agent on the porch could have shoot the intruder but for some reason hesitated to do so. The report says that Gonzalez was let go and it was said that it did not seem like he had any mental illness. 

link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/new-details-in-fence-jumping-reveal-failures-in-security-rings-around-white-house/2014/09/23/043518ea-434a-11e4-b47c-f5889e061e5f_story.html?hpid=z3

Groundwater Bill Pols100w#3

There is a new piece of legislation regulating groundwater, that was introduced to California yesterday by Governor Jerry Brown. The bill was sign by Brown after years and years of unregulated use of California's groundwater. The legislation states that the state government will intervene if the local government can't control the use of groundwater. So it first will allow the local levels of government to try to regulate the use of their groundwater but if the water is not regulated well then the state government can take over.

The Los Angeles Times describes the opposition and supporters of this new legislation which mainly pins the environmentalist against the farmers of the Central Valley.There is a lot of concern on the opposing side over how much power the state government now has when it comes to telling farmers how much of their own water they can use. Farmers worry that this new bill will limit the amount of water that they can use to grow their crops. The supporters of this new legislation argue that the bill is needed to protect the aquifers in California. Supporters also state that the we are taking too much of the groundwater and we are not able to put as much as we take out back into the aquifers.

The recent drought that California is having, propelled this legislation forward. Now all we can do is wait to see how this bill will pan out after it is put into effect. We might not see any results any times soon. As stated in the Los Angeles Times the effects of this new bill might not be felt until 2040 because it might take a long time to make and implement plans.


Link: http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-water-brown-20140917-story.html

Pols 100W 2nd Post Cartels in Los Angeles

Los Angeles has always had its share of criminals just like any major city, but now it seems like Los Angeles has attracted Mexican cartels. The Los Angeles Times recently published an article about money being laundered by Mexican cartels. The cartels are laundering money in  the fashion district. The article talks about how the cartels were exposed in the shady businessmen through undercover investigation.

The cartels have been laundering money in a variety of clothing stores like, maternity and undergarment stores. The resent 2010 restriction on using US dollars in Mexico has forced these cartels to launder and trade their money, according to the article. If the cartels were to exchange such high amounts of dollars in Mexico the police would start to investigate them. The latest busts that occurred this week seized about 65 million dollars from the cartels.n The cartels seem to be from the state of Sinaloa and to be more specific from the city of Culiacan.


Article Link: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-garment-district-raids-20140910-story.html

Blog Post #1: Plastic Bag Banned

Plastic bags could possible become a thing of the past as California's State Senate has passed a bill to banned plastic bags at a statewide level. California will be the first state to ban plastic bags as a whole. The Los Angeles Times has put out an article about the new legislation that was passed last week and is awaiting the signature of Governor Jerry Brown. The article tells us that some cities and counties in California have already banned the use of one time, non reusable, plastic bags and charge customers for paper bags. This new legislation like always has its supporters and those that oppose it.

The banned on plastic bags would not limit those bags that are plastic and reusable to be used at stores but would come at a cost to the customer. Paper bags would also come to a price to consumers as to encourage people to bring their own reusable grocery bags. The bill requires the The bill would go into effect starting July of 2015 if signed by the governor of California.

Those that support the bill, according to the Los Angeles Times article, are environmentalist groups and the opposition are bag making groups called the American Progressive Bag Alliance. The article goes on to discuss the two sides of the argument with the supporters explaining the benefit of using reusable bags and the opposition making claims about job loss and how people use those plastic bags around their home.



Article link:  http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-lawmakers-governor-ban-plastic-bags-20140828-story.html