Is $7 Billion in Anti-Hunger Support Falling Through the Cracks?

To lower the rate of starvation and attract agribusiness investment in the undeveloped countries, Obama advanced to put $ 7 billion into the program - Feed the Future, which is led by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). However, public and politicians start doubting if the program is really helpful for the undeveloped countries. Some of them would even judge whether the money spent on the project is efficient or not. According to the Government Accountability Office’s report, the host government did not have the appropriate time to make their investment plans and USAID staffs put the focus on the wrong places where are not important to put many resources there. Also, GAO mentions that the Feed the Future’s focus countries are suffering from intellectual brain drains; if the USAID continues introducing the high-technology farming and infrastructure projects to those countries, they would struggle to sustain them without foreign support. Moreover, the inappropriate allocation of money would destroy the political system of those Feed the Future’s focus countries since it will prompt the corruption in the society. 

As what I consider, without a well investment planning, even a large amount of money or experts put into the program is only creating waste. Worst still, it exacerbates dependence of Feed the Future’s focus countries on foreign supports. To have a long-term aid rather than focusing on the present, the advocates of Feed the Future ought to have a reality check about the initiative and require its people on the ground to account for the risk, which hampers the development process. 

link : http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2013/09/usaid-obama-feed-future-aid

Americans Turn to Social Media to Air Feelings on Slimdown

The article entitled “Americans turn to social media to air feelings on slimdown” claimed that the social media, including Facebook and Twitter, became more popular due to the roiling debate on the federal government shutdown, because Americans were turning to the social media to post their complaints on the shutdown. And reversely, lawmakers used Facebook and Twitter to reiterate their points as well. With the advent of social media, Americans do not have to write an email or letter. They can just turn to the Internet. Most of the “tweeters” were against President Obama's health care plan. They cheered on the Republican leadership by marking “likes” on Facebook. Some other "tweeters" expressed their hope that the two sides could reach a compromise. Meanwhile, the federal used Twitter to announce that they would no longer respond to those posts until the suspension ends. Such behavior that Americans post their thoughts on websites is not because they want to make any differences. They just feel better by speaking it out.

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/10/02/americans-turn-to-social-media-to-air-feelings-on-slimdown/

30 Ways the Shutdown Is Already Screwing People

From Monday, the federal government entered shutdown mode. Congress failed to pass a resolution that would keep departments and agencies running. Some Republicans have dismissed the immediate impact of the shutdown. However, people have been affected already. Babies, pregnant women, firefighter, and college students are the example of the people who have been affected. I am an international student and I work in school dining center. I went to social security card office today, but the office was closed.  I could not receive my pay until the shutdown mode.

Chart of the Day: Wall Street Is Starting to Get Nervous About the Debt Ceiling

The author made a careful claim that Wall Street began to worry about the debt ceiling, supported by the different yield curves in the chart from Goldman Sachs , and explained why this happened as warrant.

According to the chart, the curve on September 16 was flat, while the curve on September 30 showed a slight uptick and October 1 went nuts, which seems to be an abnormal phenomenon. If the treasury bonds are not at any risk of genuine default, the author put forward 2 reasons to explain this. One is that some bond coupons have genuine risk and cannot be paid since the Treasury’s computer system cannot easily prioritize payments. Another is that Wall Street system cannot simply distinguish bonds with technical default with others, which would lead those bonds to be rejected on the repo market as collateral. If the theory is correct, the author predicted some forms may happen in the markets and suggested the debt ceiling crisis may be solved by a market catastrophe. 

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/10/chart-day-wall-street-starting-get-nervous-about-debt-ceiling

Firefighters alarmed by latest rescue risk: solar panels

             The author of this article claims that the solar panels in the roof of buildings distract and even become crucial hazards for firefighters who try to save buildings by making air ventilation on the roof. As a ground, the author states that the solar panels on the roof usually create the 600 volts of electricity which can cause shock or burns. Moreover, those diagonal shaped solar panels on the roof make the roof slippery so that it may create conditions for slips and falls. The two recent fires in New Jersey and Piedmont California, which are the warrants for this argument, clearly tell that the firefighters complain about this problem and want to have certain regulations for this. Ken Willette, a spokesman for the National Fire Protection Association, that “solar panels are designed to generate electricity any time there’s light received by the panels […] those are charged electrical appliances … there’s a shock hazards.” Many experts also back up the argument by giving a reason that the solar panels continue to send electricity to the buildings even after firefighters disconnect the power of entire buildings. However, this article also shows rebuttal by saying that the solar panels help the environment and still the United States lags behind countries like Germany and Japan. Therefore, this rebuttal support that the reducing amount of solar panels are unacceptable in different senses. John Smirnow, a spokesman for the Solar Energy Industries Association, acknowledges that the firefighter safety is a top priority, and tries to compromise by saying that “the industry has to continue to work with the fire service community both on education and updating building codes to meet firefighters.”

Fox News: Firefighters alarmed by latest rescue risk: solar panels 

A Rousing UVA Commencement Speech.

The article on the Onion entitled "1998 University of Virginia Graduates Still Taking Inspiration from Governor Jim Gilmore's Commencement Speech." The fact claim made by this article is that Jim Gilmore's speech to the graduating class of 1998 states that the graduates who were there for that speech constantly use the inspiration from that speech in their everyday lives. This claim is backed up with testimonials from the graduates who were at the commencement ceremony with statements like, "Everything I've done, I've done because of Jim Gilmore's speech." Other quotations from students who have drawn lifelong inspiration from Jim Gilmore's speech help wrap up the evidence that Jim Gilmore's speech is still resonating fifteen years later. The warrant here is that the students who claim to still use the words of Jim Gilmore in their everyday lives, only do so because of the lasting inspiration of his speech fifteen years ago. 

The Web's Biggest Illegal Drug Marketplace is Shut Down by the FBI

This article published by PBS NewsHour, is featured on the PBS blog titled The Rundown. The article explains the recent take down of an illegal online drug marketplace. The article explains in some detail the criminal complaint filed against the operator of the marketplace, William Ulbricht. The article is thorough and informative. As for the argument it is making, the medium used to deliver the information allows for more freedom of opinion than a regular news article, since this one is posted on a blog.

The claim could be that the FBI is doing a good job protecting and serving the United States. The claim is warranted by the evidence in the article - this includes the criminal complaint and citing the original report of the takedown by Brian Krebs. The argument is relevant and plays on the kairos of the situation - it is published at a time when the American public is not very pleased with the government and this article shows the good that the "essentials" are doing. The ethos or credibility of the article is evident in the source - a respected public news source. The use of the adjectives "incredible" and "riveting" show bias, however it is a blog post which is a medium that allow for biased writing.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/10/the-webs-biggest-illegal-drug-marketplace-is-shut-down-by-the-fbi.html

So Far, the Obamacare Rollout Looks Pretty Normal to Me

The article I read this time is So Far, the Obamacare Rollout Looks Pretty Normal to Me wroten by Kevin Drum who is a political blogger for Mother Jones.

Kevin Drum claims that the Obamacare Rollout glitches are not very serious. And according to our textbook, this claim should be a value claim and I think it is good. And then he uses his experience as grounds, because he has worked for dozens of big software which had same problem before but they are still working well. For the warrant, he shows a process of how software works after being launched which we can see that a bunch of bugs being found is very common. This part works as a bridge to connect ground and backing. So the next, he analyzed the specific steps how the Obamacare Rollout glitches will be fixed as the backing. Overall, his argument is really good. He shows the three most important parts as well as backing included in the Toulmin Model clearly and efficiently and his tight logic makes his argument very convincible.

Link: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/10/obamacare-rollout-normal-bugs-overloading

Texas store owner arrested after killing robber

I read the article, “Texas store owner arrested after killing robber” on Fox News. The owner of store has been arrested for murder after shooting a robber who attenoted to steal beer from his shop. The event shows us a debatable issue. Should we see the store owner who killed robber as a murderer? Killing people for whatever reason cannot justify. We humans do not have any right to kill other people. However, if you are in the situation that you could die by someone if you don’t kill him, should you kill him or be killed? The store owner killed the robber to defend himself. Some people dispute this opinion. They might claim that his act is excessive defense. However, how can we expect what the robber will do? If he did not shoot the robber, he could be killed by him. In general, the main argumentation is that the arrest of the store owner who killed the robber is right or wrong.The article seems to support their opinion through emphasis of the word ‘robber’. They claims that the store owner acted in self-defense. I agree with the article’s opinion. Killing someone cannot justify for any reasons. However, the point is that the owner did not try to kill someone. He just wanted to ensure his safety. We should treat his act as self-defense.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/30/texas-store-owner-arrested-after-killing-robber/?intcmp=obinsite 

Witness Pinpoints Hernandez

A man who survived the shootings in Boston has spoken.

"When I see (Hernandez's) face, I just recognize his face. Compare his face that night to his face now. It's that face that I remember,"

In 2012, two of an unidentified mans friends were fatally shot outside of a club on a street corner. He asked that his name not be revealed to the public for his personal safety, which was a good idea with all the violence that surrounds this situation. Stories like this always make me a little bit uneasy about the situation and constantly have me questioning the validity of a persons accusations. Whether or not this man speaks the truth and he saw Aaron Hernandez discharging a weapon from the car, it is still as story that will become controversial in todays news until there is proof. 

Alexander Bradley, a man who is currently suing Hernandez because he accuses Hernandez of shooting him in the face in Florida, is now on the run also because of connections that place him in the vehicle in Boston. His arrest warrant is now out. 

WHY would a rich, professional football player associate himself with criminals. Recipe for Disaster.