Blog critique

In the blog Mensan's local revue I found an article titled Should texas state offer a tuition-cap for higher education?

This article caught my attention because it is an issue that I can relate to being a college student in the State of Texas and once being an international student like the author.

This article starts by the author arguing how expensive it has become to attend higher education in the State especially for minorities and low income students. The article emphasises the impact on increase tuition, it can denied access to many prospect students along with a reduction in faculty and staff jobs. The author main argument is that if there is a tuition cap for higher education it would open the doors to all students that desire to attend school.

I strongly believe the author writes to lesgislators and to all students who identified with this issue that can be influence by the article to make a change. The writer expresses very personal thoughts like having to work two jobs just to pay for tuition, which I personally can relate to as well, and the gap it creates between low income and more priviledge students.
I agree that if a change is not done soon, it can dramatically affect the future of the State of Texas and its citizens.

Noise ordinance takes away Austin's live music capital in the world title.

In the year 2009 Austin city councilsl adopted Ordinance No. 20080226-028, which provided that the noise limits generally applicable to outdoor music venues (85db from 10am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays) do not apply to outdoor music venues associated with restaurants. Existing code gave restaurants a 70db limit all the time.

The city of Austin needs to be very careful with ordinance affecting the live music scene because according to the city's visitors bureau events like Austin City Limits, South by southwest, and many more events of that magnitude generated the most revenue for city businesses in 2008.

There are many restaurants that have been limited to their noise which will eventually lose clientele, and end up shutting down because most clients attend these places to enjoy both music and food like the case of Freddy's on south Austin just to mention one.

A noise ordinance had a big incident in the past, where Grammy award winning band, and one of Austin's favorites Ozomatly got arrested during South by southwest in 2004 doing part of their end of show routine playing drums in the streets after 2 am.

Austin's economy benefits from having live music at restaurants, venues, clubs, parks, etc. If they don't revise these ordinance not only Austin will lose its title as Live music capital of the world, but it will affect the economic situation of musicians, restaurants, club owners, and event organizers which already have it bad as it it.

A Demand for the Fine Arts

In a classmate blog titled Texas, O Texas I found an article that caught my attention because it was arguing that the Texas school districts doesn't have a strong requirement for fine art classes.

The article starting emphasizing the Texas Education Code that States that, “A well-balanced and appropriate curriculum will be provided to all students,” and “Each district shall ensure that all children in the district participate actively in a balanced curriculum designed to meet individual needs.” But Fine arts courses, known as Enrichment courses (not Foundation courses, such as math and science), which include dance, music, art, and theatre are also incorporated into the guidelines and are required by law that all school districts must deliver instruction on all subjects.

The author main argument comes from personal passion for the Arts. The author a musician and Photographer argues that there is more to Arts courses than what people realize and The arts do not serve only as a means of performing or entertaining others, but it is also a perfect outlet. All of it, and most commonly music, can be very therapeutic.

I have to agree with my colleague because in my personal opinion there is more to the Arts than just being entertaining. Art classes recreate the mind, distressful the body, and more importantly it generates creativity. I think of music as a language that has its own vocabulary, own way of expression. It is just like math but more fun!

I am grateful to the Arts because thanks to all those boring classes on theater, dance, and music I was required to take in school I developed a passion and an unknown talent for Music. I am now a professional musician and have gotten to visit many places, and play with so many great musicians I admired. Most importantly for me, I get to touch many people's life by playing my instrument.

The author closed the article stating that that Texas and every other state in the nation, as well as every country in our world need to demand and ensure that people, and especially children, receive more formal art instruction in their life. It should also be heavily continued through pre-school, elementary, middle school, and high school.

Texas should pass statewide bill to ban smoking!

No one should be forced to breathe in air tainted with cigarette smoke.
When a cigarette is smoked half floats around in the air causing many health problems including Lung cancer, Nasal sinus cavity cancer, Cervical Cancer and Bladder cancer. Because of its externalities it is very important to have smoking bans in place to prevent further problems.

About 28 cities in Texas have banned smoking in public areas including Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. With the metropolitan cities taking action on this concern I think it is important that the legislature do the same on the new bill sponsor by State Representative Myra Crownover of Denton, and state Senator Rodney Ellis of Houston, which would ban indoor cigarette smoking in any business in the state, including restaurants and bars.

One of the great aspects of this bill is that it would ban cigarette smoking at bars. Many of the cities in Texas that ban cigarette smoking at public places have exempted bars, and it is not right for people that are non-smokers to have to inhale this poison while working or socializing. I am a musician who plays at bars weekly around the state for a living and I don't think it is fair for me to have to suffer the consequence of other people's action while I am doing my job.
According to the website www.smokefreetexas.org Tobacco is the state’s No. 1 cause of premature death and 3.3 million Texas smokers run up $5.8 billion in annual medical bills.

Secondhand smoke is serious business, and should be a concern for anyone who breathes it in. Non-smokers inhaling secondhand smoke share some of the health risks smokers face. While secondhand smoke may not kill as many people as smoking does, it is toxic and claims thousands of lives every year.

There are many supporters of this bill including seven time Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong. Even though a similar bill failed last session, a survey commissioned by Smoke-Free Texas, a coalition of public health organizations backing the bill, found that 68 percent of Texans support banning smoking in all indoor and public places.

If it passes, the statewide smoking ban would begin September 1, 2009.

I am the U.S. and I'm addicted to drugs

On Friday March 27, 2009 , in the editorials of the Austin American Statesman there was an article titled, I am the U.S. and I'm addicted to drugs. The article talks about a the drug war that is taking place in Mexico and filtrating into the United Sates and how most the fault leans on the demand the United States has placed on drugs.

The author writes for a mature audience, since the main topic is illegal drugs and illegal gun smuggling. The main focus of this article I believe is to inform American citizens about the consequence of the use of illegal drugs and how the demand of such substances are affecting the well being of many bystanders in Mexico.

The author starts the article by talking about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's comments about the shared responsibility between the U.S. and Mexico in the fight against drug trafficking and the violence it provokes.

The credibility of this author is uncertain since there is no name on this article, but I think he makes a great point in showing how this drug war in Mexico was started by the United States, and how it has been going on since the Nixon's presidency in the 1970s. The author makes a great statement on how the demand for drugs in the United States continues unabated, and that as long there is a market for the cocaine that passes through Mexico and the marijuana it produces, someone will sell it and deliver it.

The author seems to be in favor of more U.S cooperation, and bring excellent points on how Mexicans are wary of U.S. intentions and especially sensitive about talk of militarizing the border, which evokes images of 1846 and the U.S. invasion of Mexico that resulted in that nation's loss of what is now the Southwestern United States.

The most important fact of this article to me is that Mexican president Felipe Calderón's term ends in 2012, and that he is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election. So the clock is ticking on his presidency, and there is no guarantee that his successor will continue the march against the cartels with the zeal Calderón has shown.

I think the author makes great points in this articles and does a great job at organizing the information. I think this is a great article and can inform many readers about the magnitude of the war on illegal drugs.

Bill to shame women

I found this article in the Austin American Statesman, Ultrasound bill is an outrageous intrusion by the Texas Legislature, Under the editorials section.

The writer started the article concern with how State Republican leaders are making sure that the culture wars continue to rage. He said First came the spurious voter identification bill in the Senate that opened this year's legislative session. Now comes an intrusive bill mandating that pregnant women seeking an abortion be force-fed information designed to humiliate them.

This antiabortion bill will require an ultrasound before an abortion, which the writer adds that already is performed on every woman seeking an abortion because it's medically necessary. The writer seem quite upset at the provision that anti-abortion information be read to the woman before the procedure, that the ultrasound image be described in detail and that the heartbeat be audible.Such information can't be refuse in this bill before an abortion.

In my opinion the writer is upset with republican leaders in the legislature and is writing to a non republican, liberal audience. The writer is also very concerned with the humiliation of women and how many of them are already traumatized by an unexpected pregnancy and the decision to have an abortion.The writer also seems upset on how the States of Texas leaders are so protective of abortion but are always grudging when it comes to extending insurance to children of the working poor. What threw me off is how the writer closes with a whole different bill that aims to prevent teen pregnancies by teaching sex education. Which he argues is more effective than humiliation.

I totally agree with the writers point of view on education rather than humiliation to reduce the number of abortions, but the writer took this issue too personal to close it with an agreement on a different bill going on to oppose this one. I think that the main issue for the writer is woman's rights not teen education, and that for people trying to fight this bill there should be a bigger emphasis on what goes behind an abortion that would make this bill be inhumane. I also feel that there is a lack of facts besides the humiliation of pregnant woman that readers that are man or women never been pregnant can agree with. I think the article is good article, but the structure in my opinion could be better.

Bill would allow tribal gambling

Bill would allow tribal gambling, this is an article found in the Austin American Statesman covering a new bill that would provide a defense to prosecution for tribes that operate limited casino gambling in Texas. This is an issue that has been going on for years. In fact, a similar legislation was filed two years ago, but that bill died on a rare tie vote of 66-66 in the Texas House. This time, the House is more closely divided with a 76-74 Republican majority and presumably more votes for Indian casino legislation.

The tribes argue that because Texas created a state-run lottery it opened the door for Indian casino gambling on federally recognized tribal lands.Currently the Kickapoo tribe in Eagle Pass is the only one of the three Texas tribes operating a limited casino. It is governed by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

Some members of the El Paso legislative delegation say they hope the omnibus casino bill is viewed as a possible revenue generator for the state, but Gov. Rick Perry doesn't want to expand the footprint of gambling in the state. Another reason is that Texas' social conservative Republicans - a reliable voting bloc for Perry - generally oppose gambling legislation. Perry is battling the more moderate U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in the 2010 Republican gubernatorial primary.

I figured this article was important to read since is one of the issues covered in the textbook for my Texas government class. This article can also inform many Texas residents that like me are not familiar with this situation.