Health Care Law

The new health care laws which take effect in January, include an increase in the payroll tax on wages and a tax on investment income, including interest, dividends and capital gains. The Obama administration proposed rules to enforce both last week. The problem with these new health care laws are that they are not fare at all. Everyone deserves health care in the eyes of Obama but he is forgeting that not everyone is able to afford the insurance. People that are young in there twenties are not likley to have the funds to pay for it but he is still maki g young people buy it. This is a major problem and if the new health care law passes it will lead ro many problems down the road.

2013...The Year Of The Smartwatch

Technology over the last few years has morphed itself to become closer and closer to us every year. First it was laptops, then smartphones and now 2013 is said to be the year of the “smartwatch.” One of the many cool things about these "smartwatch" devices is that the watch allows people to receive and see messages (texts, e-mails, who’s calling) without having their phone handy. One of the watches I read about, “Martian Watch,” connects to Siri and you can have conversations through your watch by saying, “call mom.” (...or whoever) Some watches run from around $200-$400 and there are multiple out there. Personally, I think the device sounds pretty cool but it definitely isn’t cheap! I was curious as if you had to have your phone with you (close) while you use it and apparently you can travel without it, you just have to connect it through bluetooth. The problem today is that all of our e-mails are unsafe due to new law enforcement agencies. Our ways of communication are now being held against us, and with the rapidly evolving technology it can really come back to hurt our privacy. 

Is your Email safe?

Do you want anyone reading your private emails without permission. Well, according to law enforcement agencies if your email is over 180 days old and stored on a "third parties server" they don't need a warrant to acquire it. So any of your old emails are now free for the government to use against you in any way they please. Our private electronic communication should be protected by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) but it isn't. The Truth is, it has been amended several times in the past 10 years to allow certain emails and cellphone data to be readily accessible to the US government. Meaning without a warrant we can be monitored through our phones and email traffic but luckily the ECPA is currently under reform. The final details of the reform are not quite yet finished but I hope to not have to worry what I write about in my personal emails.



https://www.cdt.org/issue/wiretap-ecpa

http://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-introduces-benchmark-bill-to-update-key-digital-privacy-law#Summary

http://www.leahy.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/BillText-ElectronicCommunicationsPrivacyActAmendmentsAct.pdf

More Health-Law Changes Coming in 2013

I found this article to be important because health-care reform is here for the future. So for the millions of Americans with health insurance at their workplaces, this fall's "open enrollment" period will be one of the most important in years. There are many businesses in the workplace that are not eager to pay for additional money. This is going to cause a bad connection between employees and employers. There will be higher premiums, different benefits packages, and less money the business is going to be able to spend with FSA limitations. Sounds like no one is going to be on the same page with this one and its going to take more money from both ends.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443854204578058753458394278.html

Saving Lives or Ending Them?

    

 In the news I have been hearing a lot about drones lately. it seems that a many of different companies are spending lots money trying to develop these flying machines. Meaning more advanced surveillance devices. However, recently a law was passed giving the United States government permission to use drones for observing or killing US citizens considered a threat to the country. Does that really sound like a good idea? should machines be used to kill Americans without a trial or jury?

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57568330/drones-the-next-generation-what-new-tech-can-do/

A New Law on School Fitness Data Faces Obstacles

So there has been a bill passed this year and the law allows for better studies and fitness requirements. It will give researchers the ability to grab individual data from each student to determine their psychical performance, academic performance and gang activity, as well as how many times they have been absent. I find it interesting how there is something being done over all these years. I wonder why it took them so long to finally act. Overall the new laws effects may be limited though. To help ease the pain of state financing for public education, and attempt to reduce state mandates at the district level. Lawmakers dont require school districts to collect and report the data on a significant number of students. So we will see what happens.

 

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/us/a-new-law-on-school-fitness-data-faces-obstacles.html?_r=0

Lunchtime at Travis Heights Elementary in Austin. According to a 2009 study, 20.4 percent of children in Texas are obese.

Can Music solve Americas obesity problem??

Scientists are now proving that music while exercising will increase your workout greatly. Basically music is shown to keep ones mind off of the fact that they are exercising, which is a huge plus. This makes it a whole lot easier to get through your workout and accomplish your fitness goals. So when it comes to Americas obesity problem music is the key for it will keep people motivated and focused while trying to lose weight. Music brings so many advantages to health and fitness that it is an absolute must to stopping this major obesity problem.

Stuck At Sea

A cruise ship named “The Costa Concordia” partially sank in Italy last year, killing 32 people. This was a ship that was operated by a subsidiary of Carnival Cruise lines, one of the most famous “paradise” cruise lines. That accident let to lawsuits against the company that was hoped to be the last time Carnival would see the courtroom. In the morning of February 10^th the engine the Carnival Cruise ship, Triumph, caught fire causing the ship to lose electricity, air conditioning and functioning toilets. 

 There were 3,143 passengers and over 1,000 crewmembers aboard living in human waste, rationing meals and water, and sleeping on decks. The health/living conditions were in no way suitable for any human to be in. Finally, by late the next day the ship was met by the first tug boat, which ended up finally towing them to Mobile, Alabama by Thursday night, the 15^th. The passengers were then transported to New Orleans to fly home.

The company is supposedly going to have plenty of law suits against them again for this mishap, but they are trying to avoid it by offering all passengers free transportation home, full imbursement of the cruise, and give everyone a free cruise as well as $500 in compensation. The question the passengers are asking is, “Why were we not rescued sooner?” Investigations will be going on about this incident but will take up to six months.