“It Knows You’ve Been Reading” Article Review for Upfront Magazine

“Nearly  four million students and teachers have ben testing the smart books at nine colleges in states like Texas, South Carolina, and New York.” In these tests, it is being proven that it is harder to fake studing thanks to a new generation of digital text books. These books are called CourseSmart books. CourseSmart books have new “tracking things.” These can tell “how long an e-book has been on, how much time is spent on each page, and whether the student is taking notes and highlighting.” This is used by teachers and can help tell who is studing or reading and who is falling behind.

I personally think that this could lead to an invasion of privacy. This is good technology because it can help teachers know which students are really doing there at home reading and which students are not. This new technology is great but it is also not that good. Not all schools will be able to afford it. This is no good because at some of the schools that can’t afford it, its needed most. Also, teachers could use this and check in on there students to see what they are doing in their free time. That is an invasion of privacy and I fear that some teachers will do this.

“A Farewell to Cats?” Upfront Magazine Review

Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum in Key West, Florida, is the home to many six-and seven-toed cats. These cats have been here since 1961. Every week, they get pampered, lounge around, and have visits from the vet. But recent looks at the hose makes things look like the cats won’t be here much longer. A court recently ruled that the Hemingway home requires a federal license to keep the cats as part of their museum exhibit. I think that the Hemingway cats should be able to live. They are cats. They are not doing any harm to major things that would affect out country.

“Googling North Korea” Article Review For Upfront Magazine

North Korea is run by the “30-something” Kim Jung Un. North Korea is one of the most secretive nations in the world. The citizens of North Korea have no access to the Internet of foreign TV. There is also a very limited number of foreigners that are allowed into the country. Recently, Google Maps has gotten to get a closer look at North Korea from “citizen cartographers.”  They use a program to edit and add to Google Maps. We are now beginning to get a closer look on the hotels, schools and roads in North Korea thanks to these “citizen cartographers.”

“The Gun Debate” Article Review for Upfront Magazine

Recently, the second worst school gun shooting occured. Twenty year-old Adam Lanza used a AR-15 semiautomatic and killed twenty children and six adults. This occured in December of 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Lanza had killed his mother and then went on to the school and killed the children and adults. This is the third mass killing with the AR-15 in five months. This tragic event left the entire  nation grieving and wondering why people do these things. This event also brought up the debate over gun control laws and strengthening them. This debate goes back to the year of 1791.

If I had to pick a side of being against people owning guns and not owning guns, I would be indecisive . The Constitution give people the right to bare arms. I believe that people should be able to own their own gun. If someone has a gun license, he or she should be able to own their own gun. Having a gun for some people is just for safety, and I agree with them. But I also believe that some people do not know how to control themselves. If these people had guns, the situation would become significantly worse. There are certain people on earth that do not deserve to have guns because they can’t control themselves, but other people can control themselves which is why I would be indecisive about the gun debate.

“A Nobel Snack” Article Review for ‘Upfront’ Magazine

As the industry says, “chocolate is loaded with antioxidants and may be good for your heart and brain.” Now, many scientists are saying that it is possible that eating chocolate could possibly help you win a Nobel Prize. Many studies have occurred and during these studies, scientists have found that many places with a large amount of chocolate consumption have a slightly larger amount of Nobel Prize winners. During these studies, a list was created based on chocolate consumption and Nobel Prize winners. Switzerland, Sweden, and Denmark are first with the most chocolate consumption and Nobel Prizes, the U.S. is closer to the middle, and China, Japan, and Brazil are at the other end. Based on this list, scientist believe that chocolate consumption and Nobel Prize winning may be closely related.

“Shark FIn Soup Off the Menu” Article review for ‘Upfront’ Magazine

Shark fin soup has become very popular in many places but in China, it has become so popular that it is killing many sharks and leading them into extinction. In fact, it has become so popular that many people are overfishing. When fishermen catch the sharks, they cut off their fins and throw them back into the ocean to die. This is not good in anyway for the sharks. Shark fin soup is a delicacy that was sold at twenty six dollars a bowl, and now many of the middle class citizens can now afford it.  Shark fin soup also has been served at many special anniversaries and dinners for years. Now, the Chinese government is making the selling of shark fin soup is no longer available. This law is not supposed to take effort for three years but this is a huge step toward saving the sharks.

In the United States, fishing for sharks is illegal. In California, Oregon, and Washington, it is illegal to possess or sell sharks. Many countries including Singapore, and Malaysia also have laws against fishing for sharks and fining them. Even though many people love to enjoy shark fin soup, it is becoming less popular in many places, including China, which is a huge step towards saving the sharks from extinction.

“Are Facebook “Likes” Protected by the First Amendment” Article Review for ‘Upfront’ Magazine

Recently, Daniel Ray Carter was fired from his job just for liking a page on Facebook. He had “liked” a page that belonged to a sheriff that was running against his boss. No one came out and said this face but Carter knew it was true. He had know that the First Amendment had said that he had the right to speak freely because he was a public employee. This also said that he was not to be fired for speaking freely.

Later, in the spring, a judge said that what Carter did doesn’t count as an “actual statement.” This means that when Carter liked the page, he was not protected speech under the First Amendment. “This case is fairly significant case,” says David Hudson. Courts are grappling with the Internet and everything that has happened since some programs like Facebook and Twitter began. What you do on the Internet is not private, no matter what you do, it could get back at you.

“Arctic Meltdown” Review from ‘Upfront’ Magazine

“With record amounts of sea ice melting this summer, scientist are more concerned than ever about the effect on the rest of the planet.”
Everybody knows that the Arctic ice melts a little bit during the summer and freezes again during the summer. But not everybody knows the shocking news about the ice. In the late 1970’s, the Arctic Ocean was about fifty percent ice. In a recent study, scientist found that only twenty-four percent of the Arctic Ocean was frozen in mid-September. This is a new record and a new round of warning signs. If the ice continues to melt, polar bears could go extinct and new communities would have to adapt. This rapid melting is believed to already have started problems and storms in certain places.

July was the hottest month on average since recording started in 1895. Major storms have not only become more sever, but more frequent. A massive storm surge from Hurricane Sandy destroyed hundreds of homes and man-made structures. A lake was dried during a huge drought that also killed hundreds of crops. This drought made food prices rise and the hurricane caused a flood that left thousands of people with out a home. Scientists believe that global warming is on its way.