... debates Proposition 8, which sought constitutional support for gay marriages to be recognized as the same as heterosexual ones. Ultimately the ban on gay marriages in California was passed, which was a major setback for gay rights activities in the state. Yet San Francisco, California continues to overrule the federal ruling, honoring gay marriages, performing ceremonies, and providing marriage certificates. There is no residency requirement in California ... to gain a license for marriage and this is one of the main reasons gay couples from around the U.S. travel to San Francisco to ge...

• Word Count: 914
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... living hell," Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr., and Jason Baldwin were released from prison, where they were currently serving out their sentences for the murder of three second-graders in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993. Steven Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore were found dead in a ditch ... shoestrings. Police immediately suspected Echols, Misskelley, and Baldwin, claiming that they were driven by satanic ritual, regardless of the extreme lack of evidence that they had to indict the boys. Echols and Baldwin entered an Alford plea on three counts of first degree murder, wh...

• Word Count: 794
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... live television no matter where you are. Some offer a GPS navigational system to help you find driving directions. Of course, many people would be lost without the option to text their friends and family, as well. Cell phones have become a part of people, a way to establish a unique identity. It's not ... to them, with favorite songs, pictures and more. Some people even choose to personalize their key pad with different colors and options for each number on the phone. A cell phone is now such an integrated part of society, it is almost abnormal for someone not to own one. Unfortunately,...

• Word Count: 418
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... diagnosed with allergies and sinusitis. Why can't our children breathe? What is happening in our world to make the very air they need all but toxic to them? According to an article in Time magazine one culprit is undoubtedly global warming. Global warming increases ... good news for plants since they breathe in carbon dioxide, it's bad news for our children who are being deprived of oxygen. Plants, especially the weedier plants, are thriving and producing pollen out of proportion to their growth. Our children's respiratory systems, already struggling to take in oxygen are ... heavy air...

• Word Count: 391
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... physical impediments- Christina is an intelligent, funny, well read, educated woman, who everyone agrees has a wonderful personality. She has a pretty face, but she tips the scale at nearly 400 pounds. While a woman this size has a chance of meeting a "chubby chaser" on the internet, the chances of finding such a man in real life in her locale are slim to none. Most men will overlook ... parties can be dicey. People in real life generally meet in workplace situations, or in similar social settings, or because of mutual friends. It's hard to simply cut bait. On the internet, you can gene...

• Word Count: 499
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... something was missing in his life and he felt drawn to be in Church," (Fairchild, Christianity.About.com). The story goes: one day Obama decided to visit Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, the same church which drew heavy criticism during the election. The now retired pastor, Jeremiah Wright Jr., later made some critical remarks on both race and America itself which ignited ... candidates for president, Obama has made faith a centerpiece of his campaign," said the Ariel Sabar of CSMonitor.com. The cord of religion came into play during the George W. Bush campaign for the oval o...

• Word Count: 544
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... , solar power is a necessity. Wind power is not reliable enough to provide all your electric needs. Still, adding $10 to $30 thousand dollars to the price of building a home is cost prohibitive for most of us. If you know a little bit about electricity, are good at building simple structures, and ... simple instructions, there are sites online that can teach you how to build a solar cell for less than $200. Of course, you still need the batteries and other accessories, but according to these sites, you can purchase these pretty cheaply on auction sites. It would probably take about 8 of ...

• Word Count: 752
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... turnips were shipped from Mexico. There are other reasons why consumers choose to eat local foods. The most important of these is the transparency of the production process. You can see the farmer that grew the tomato or see the cow that ends up in your freezer. Domestic food is processed using domestic laws. Foreign ... can be used and what safety rules meat cutters have to follow. In many cases, stores import goods because they are cheaper. Frequently, the goods are cheaper because the quality isn't as high or safety standards as strict. Another reason often cited for eating locally i...

• Word Count: 506
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... breakthroughs may soon lead to alternative energy sources. Solar energy in particular will become a physical reality instead of just an eco-friendly dream. Amazing Potential The problem with solar energy has often been its practicality or lack thereof. It is expensive and not all that durable in real life conditions. This is ... a large part of what keeps solar energy on the drawing board. Advances that could change all that, however, are not far away. Instead of building solar energy panels out of glass, scientists are working ... not be there yet but is making impressive strides. To B...

• Word Count: 452
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... citizens help to supply their own needs as far as vegetables are concerned. Its original intention was one of being a civic duty that would support the war effort. It was not meant to be a chore but a matter of pride in their country. It allowed everyone to do their part even ... being costly, this method of obtaining food has a large, and often unnecessary, contribution to the problems of pollution and global warming. You will also want to keep in mind the natural disasters that have interfered with the supplies of certain crops. By growing foods in your own backyard, you will know where...

• Word Count: 464
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... , parodies, and even some serious discussion. In Great Britain, in October of 2007, a London High Court judge in an uncommon ruling on what secondary school children could be shown in the classroom determined there were nine key errors in scientific fact. Mr. Justice Burton was quoted as saying that some of these points he determined as untrue had been "in ... the context of alarmism and exaggeration," according to The Times Online Edition of October 11, 2007. However, a look at recent news seems to show that Mr. Gore's critics are and will continue to be proven ... wrong at calling him...

• Word Count: 379
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... viewers protesting against NBC's omission. NBC's announcer publicly apologized on-air just three hours after the montage aired, highlighting the large number of protests they received online. The announcer said the "feature was edited" and "not done to upset anyone" (Chavez). The host, Dan Hicks, read the following statement during the coverage: "It was our intent to begin our coverage of this U.S. Open championship with a ... feature that captured the patriotism of our national championship being here in our nation's capital for the third time. Regrettably, a portion of the Pledge of A...

• Word Count: 835
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... agendas, Mr. Obama uses language like "I support" and "I believe we need to." Neither is a lie, but one speaks of promise to act. The other, of promise to react. In other words, on some issues, Mr. Obama has every intention of taking his cause to Congress, and seeks to bolster ... that cause by creating public outcry through the internet, using the amazing network his campaign created during the election season. On other issues, he is merely indicating what his inclinations are should someone else's pet project arrive on his desk ... Biden support a system that allows undocumented immig...

• Word Count: 515
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... command begged Lincoln to fire U.S. Grant, Lincoln's answer was "I cannot spare this man. He fights!" In the end, Lincoln and Grant split the credit when they won the war, neither of them having likely seen the white of an enemy's eyes in battle. To say Grant "fought" was to say that men fought for ... it too. Eisenhower was so unsure of his plan that he wrote two letters, one praising the valiant men who stormed the beaches in the event of success, the other taking full blame in case the offensive was defeated. The men knew what they were heading into, and they went anyhow; not for a ...

• Word Count: 401
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... to be autobiographical (Miranda, Claes, 113) or in other words, specifically addressing their unique situation and challenges. As rap artists often resort to drugs, sex, or violence as the means to resolve the conflicts in their songs and videos, adolescents often model this behavior, seeing it as a proven path to getting what they want. This is particularly troubling in young African-American ... life worth emulating? When one has to live in a fortress and travel in bullet-proof vans to award shows, in a moment of honesty Snoop Dogg would be the first to admit all of the success may ha...

• Word Count: 1019
• Approx Pages: 4
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• Grade Level: High School

... important to understand who it is that profits the most from the federal bailout money. Believe it or not, the one who profits most from the bailout money might actually be the consumer! Before you light your torch and join the restless natives in the city square, understand first, why the money was required in the first place. It's not that the banks didn't screw up. They did. They loaned ... of those people to declare bankruptcy and walk away than it was to stay put and pay their loans. The banking industry bet on a robust economy and ascending home prices and they lost the bet, jeopa...

• Word Count: 628
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... line and asking lots of questions. One of the most common questions, and one not often answered by the news media is "Why aren't the Banks Getting Loans Instead of Handouts". Believe it or not, the logic behind the choice to give the money rather than loaning it is quite flawless. The reason the press doesn't give you the answer is that the answer is a well known cure for insomnia ... accounts. They are in business to loan money. In "It's a Wonderful Life" during a run on the bank, Jimmy Stewart's character explains that he doesn't have the cash on hand to pay out all of the bank accoun...

• Word Count: 578
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... Scheme? It's basically a financial scheme where the first in get all the money, and the last in lose everything. The first in are paid by the money invested by the last in, and since they're making money, it makes it look legitimate, drawing even more investors into the scheme. Also called a "pyramid scheme", it is the slimiest of slimy dealings, because the perpetrator knows exactly what he's doing ... an offshore account somewhere where he can get it after he gets out of prison. Our government has said that we, the taxpayers, have to give to the bankers (who are, by the way, part of t...

• Word Count: 474
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... of friends, family and colleagues right along with you. And you thought having a laptop made your life mobile! The iPhone has made the globe just a little bit smaller, too. In a successful effort to keep pace with the "trend to optimize geographic locations for [its] users", the iPhone features applications that are capable of putting your very existence into context. Well, geographically, anyway. No matter ... where in the world you are, you are just a few clicks away from the nearest restaurant or clothing store. Don't know how to get there? The iPhone has you covered there, too: it w...

• Word Count: 414
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... change, with Barack Obama, that's who they got. Now begins the tough job of actually being the President of the United States. Now that the landslide election is over, what happens next? Not only is Obama going to be under the microscope of the entire nation, he will also have to endure the glare of the global spotlight as well. How will America's first African-American president ... leave his mark on the world? It has been said that the world has only two global superpowers: The United States and the world opinion. Not since the weeks and months immediately following the September 11 a...

• Word Count: 615
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... 't all end up in one pocket. There is a chain of groups that each contributes to the price of the product, and they all get their piece of the pie. Despite what the media may want us to think, it is not solely the price of crude oil that determines the price of gas. It doesn't matter how high gas prices soar; each body with their fingers ... , when much less oil was being produced (if any) in that region, prices almost doubled. Similarly, when countries like India have a boost in their demand for crude, the supply decreases and prices rise. The rise in gas prices aren't always linked to s...

• Word Count: 809
• Approx Pages: 3
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• Grade Level: High School

... based in Michigan, but in fact, suppliers are spread across 27 states. Over 1.1 percent of Ohio's work force would be put out of work, at a time when the state is already struggling. This type of job loss would roughly double the unemployment rate, and surely send us into an economic spiral that would take decades to pull out of. Still reeling from ... livid, and now they are not ready to take on any more debt for overpaid and irresponsible CEO's. But would they really close down completely? That is the question on people's minds. The CEO's and the UAW paint a catastrophic picture, and ...

• Word Count: 578
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• Grade Level: High School

... sector, when in fact, these two industries were actually complicit in pushing for more lenient guidelines so that they could build and sell homes. Florida was the hardest hit of all by the construction bust. Already the fastest growing state in the nation, it dove headfirst into the construction and sales of new homes. In bedroom communities of larger cities, entire economies were built on ... to find work. Those people who were foolish enough to think it would last forever bought homes and set up shop in areas where the construction boom was going strong. They were making money, so the...

• Word Count: 579
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... of Somalia more than doubled in 2008; as of late September 2008, a total of sixty ships had fallen victim to pirates. The upshot of this is that international trade has become pricier, which in turn gives these seafaring terrorists a new way to line their ... pockets. And these tyrants mean business. During one incident this year, a showdown between government officials and pirates saw the latter holding a Ukrainian ship ransom for $20 million. That money, which has been as high as $30 million in some cases, has helped to finance ... fuel consumption and, ultimately, higher shipping cost...

• Word Count: 419
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• Grade Level: High School

... saw us all driving fuel efficient or hybrid cars, or taking the new high speed rails that would be the base of the mass transit system he was in favor of. He saw the rich no longer lining their pockets off of the misery of the middle class. He saw an equitable tax system, and a health ... . No one expected him to do all this in four years. It was almost a given that we would give him eight. Then the mortgage industry crashed, and the economy tanked with it. Barack Obama will now have to spend at least his first four years putting American back to work, funding projects ... that are nece...

• Word Count: 582
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School