Jasmine Davis

Today there is much controversy over whether or not marijuana should be considered illegal or not throughout the United States. It is only medically legal today in 15 states, not including Massachusetts. Just the past year New Jersey and DC legalized it for medical uses. Although it is only prescribed for medical reasons there are many who use it day to day just for their own pleasure.

Marijuana as well as other drugs have been illegal for almost 100 years now. It was banned in 1937 and since then over 20 million Americans have been arrested and incarcerated off of marijuana crimes. It is said to be the most common drug in the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that state laws that allow medical marijuana cannot overrule federal laws that prohibit it.

According to an article on how marijuana became illegal on brucealanblokc.com, the very first attempts to make it illegal were in 1914 with the Harrison Act. It was an act that began with taxing cocaine and opiates. The federal government was trying to prohibit people from using it and figured that by taxing the drug it would be harder to acquire. After the Harrison Act was established, medical doctors argued that marijuana gave the “negroes super powers” and led them to rebel against their white owners.

In 1972, the US Congress placed marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act because they considered it to have “no accepted medical use.”.

According to medicalmarijuana.proscons.org, those that support marijuana legalization argue that it can be a safe and effective treatment for the symptoms of cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, pain, glaucoma, epilepsy, and other conditions.

Those that oppose the idea argue that it is too dangerous to use, lacks FDA-approval, and that various legal drugs make marijuana use unnecessary. They say marijuana is addictive, leads to harder drug use, interferes with fertility, impairs driving ability, and injures the lungs, immune system, and brain.

In 2009, after the United States plummeted into a recession, President Barack Obama talked about the legal matters of marijuana. The question purposed to him, was whether or not legalizing marijuana would help the economy and pay back the war damages. According to cbnnews.com, the President answered by saying, “The answer is, no, I don’t think that it is a good strategy to grow our economy.”

That same year, a CBS News poll showed that 38 percent of Americans favor legalizing and taxing marijuana, while 58 percent want it kept illegal. “I’m not a smoker but I feel marijuana should be legal in American. Just for the simple fact that America is freedom of expression,” says Max Sullivan.

Brittany Jenkins commented by saying, “For medical stuff it should be legal because it can help like the pains go away, but like for teenagers I don’t think they should be smoking marijuana.”

In my opinion marijuana should be illegal. For someone who knows the risks and consequences of using it, I wouldn’t recommend it for a medical reason or anything of that nature. There is a reason why we have other prescription drugs that actually help when we’re sick and marijuana doesn’t do much for you, but provide possible memory loss, loss or gain appetite and cause drowsiness. Your body will feel like it’s completely failed and I don’t understand how it would possibly be prescribed in a medical emergency.

“Marijuana is bad drug and it causes damage to your brain cells and makes you slow,” says Tavie White who has admitted to smoking marijuana from the ages of 12 to 16. He says it wasn’t good from him to smoke but it made him relax from the stresses he faced as a young child. He goes on to say the decision to smoke marijuana should be the user’s choice.

Overall the uses of marijuana aren’t good and should remain illegal. Government’s officials are still trying to find ways to reduce the use the marijuana and other drugs in the United States. Many have speculated that the prohibition of marijuana could go against constitutional laws. Some people feel they shoud be allowed to smoke marijuana because of freedom of speech and individual rights that are promised to them through the constitution.

You can’t teach children drugs are bad and then switch it up and tell them it’s okay to use it if a doctor prescribes it. Sending people mixed signals never got them anywhere in life.

Marijuana as well as other drugs, have been illegal for almost 100 years now. It was banned in 1937 and since then over 20 million Americans have been arrested and incarcerated off of marijuana crimes. It is said to be the most common drug in the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that state laws that allow medical marijuana cannot overrule federal laws that prohibit it.

According to an article on how marijuana became illegal on brucealanblokc.com, the very first attempts to make it illegal were in 1914 with the Harrison Act. It was an act that began with taxing cocaine and opiates. The federal government was trying to prohibit people from using it and figured that by taxing the drug it would be harder to acquire. After the Harrison Act was established, medical doctors argued that marijuana gave the “negroes super powers” and led them to rebel against their white owners.

In 1972, the US Congress placed marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act because they considered it to have “no accepted medical use.”.

According to medicalmarijuana.proscons.org, those that support marijuana legalization argue that it can be a safe and effective treatment for the symptoms of cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, pain, glaucoma, epilepsy, and other conditions.

Those that oppose the idea argue that it is too dangerous to use, lacks FDA-approval, and that various legal drugs make marijuana use unnecessary. They say marijuana is addictive, leads to harder drug use, interferes with fertility, impairs driving ability, and injures the lungs, immune system, and brain.

In 2009, after the United States plummeted into a recession, President Barack Obama talked about the legal matters of marijuana. The question purposed to him, was whether or not legalizing marijuana would help the economy and pay back the war damages. According to cbnnews.com, the President answered by saying, “The answer is, no, I don’t think that it is a good strategy to grow our economy.”

That same year, a CBS News poll showed that 38 percent of Americans favor legalizing and taxing marijuana, while 58 percent want it kept illegal. “I’m not a smoker but I feel marijuana should be legal in American. Just for the simple fact that America is freedom of expression,” says Max Sullivan.

Brittany Jenkins commented by saying, “For medical stuff it should be legal because it can help like the pains go away, but like for teenagers I don’t think they should be smoking marijuana.”

In my opinion marijuana should be illegal. For someone who knows the risks and consequences of using it, I wouldn’t recommend it for a medical reason or anything of that nature. There is a reason why we have other prescription drugs that actually help when we’re sick and marijuana doesn’t do much for you, but provide possible memory loss, loss or gain appetite and cause drowsiness. Your body will feel like it’s completely failed and I don’t understand how it would possibly be prescribed in a medical emergency.

“Marijuana is bad drug and it causes damage to your brain cells and makes you slow,” says Tavie White who has admitted to smoking marijuana from the ages of 12 to 16. He says it wasn’t good from him to smoke but it made him relax from the stresses he faced as a young child. He goes on to say the decision to smoke marijuana should be the user’s choice.

Overall the uses of marijuana aren’t good and should remain illegal. Government’s officials are still trying to find ways to reduce the use the marijuana and other drugs in the United States. Many have speculated that the prohibition of marijuana could go against constitutional laws. Some people feel they shoud be allowed to smoke marijuana because of freedom of speech and individual rights that are promised to them through the constitution.

You can’t teach children drugs are bad and then switch it up and tell them it’s okay to use it if a doctor prescribes it. Sending people mixed signals never got them anywhere in life.

]]> http://thecommercewire.com/2011/06/09/legalize-it/feed/ http://thecommercewire.com/2011/05/17/hoarders/ http://thecommercewire.com/2011/05/17/hoarders/#comments Tue, 17 May 2011 13:06:55 +0000 The Commerce Wire http://thecommercewire.com/?p=524 By Staff Writer

Daeshavana Robinson

Hoarders are people who have a compulsive hoarding disease. It is not really common, but affects an estimated 5-6 million Americans. According to a Times Magazine article in July of 2010, there are 75 hoarding task forces nationwide. These people are hoarders because they feel they have no jobs, no motivation or no direction in life.

The main cause of hoarding is family loss. When a hoarder loses someone that they really care for, they have a fear of letting go of the past. They begin collecting items repeatedly and become immune to it. Hoarders have fears of failing in the future, abandoning things and overcoming their memories. Hoarders tend to have a tenuous sense of self and often use hoarding as a defense against getting help or close to others.

They also have scarcity mentalities, meaning that they feel they may need things later. By thinking that they need things later, results to the piling up- of unnecessary items and things. Some hoarders have a byproduct of shoplifting. Their hoarding gets so bad that they begin to steal useless things, even from family.

Hoarders receive consequences for their hoarding because of their hoarding, they develop lost time and space. They also receive loss of relationships and health. Many hoarders lose their families because they don’t want to be around someone who doesn’t have a clean environment. Hoarders also lose self-esteem and focus, so they begin to procrastinate way more than when they started. They soon become people that are mostly to themselves or animals and want nothing to do with the outside world. They soon end up with loss of reputation.

There are plenty of ways that a hoarder can seek out help. They can read books that support hoarding, go to counseling or get put on medication. They also can go to support groups that provide specialist to assist them in their hoarding. There are plenty of ways hoarders can seek help including hiring a personal organizer, enlist family and/or friends to be involved with helping, watch educational T.V shows and educate yourself on health hazards and negative consequences. Hoarding is a compulsive obsession disorder that many people may suffer from, but help is out there.

Abigail Rivera

According to Pregnant Teen Help, “Two thirds of all teenagers who have a baby will not graduate from high school, hence the correlation with teenage pregnancy and education.” And FamilyFirstAid.org found that, “80% of teen pregnancies are not intended. This means that only 20% of those teenagers having babies actually planned on having the child.”

Felicia Everard, a sophomore at The High School of Commerce, said, “This was a very unplanned pregnancy, it happened all so quickly. Girls think that getting pregnant can hold down their man, but at any moment the guy can leave and than we are the ones stuck with the baby. But your free times and other times are done because when you have to go out, you’re going out with the baby.”

Becoming a pregnant teen can cause a lot of stress. Teens also can experience different types of health risks, and include health risks to the mother and the child. According to pregnantteenhelp.com they emphasize the ways teen pregnancy can be prevented due to pregnancy prevention programs and teachings about safe teen sex. It’s important to note that many girls may not be ready to have sexual intercourse, but are pressured to do so. FamilyFirstAid points out that 75% of girls say, “The main reason they have sex is because their boyfriends want to.”

Teens may have unprotected sex for several reasons. Most feel that pregnancy and STDs happen to other people, each year in the U.S. 1 million girls get pregnant and about 10 million teen boys and girls get STDs from unprotected sex.

Even though being a pregnant teen is difficult some think it’s cute, or trendy. For example, at Gloucester High School in 2008, 17 girls had been expecting a child due to a pact that they made so that they could raise their babies together. “We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year old homeless guy,” the principal at the high school said shaking his head.

Unprotected sex can lead to unwanted pregnancy and usually sexually transmitted diseases in teens. STDs can be transferred from the mother to her baby before, during and or after the baby’s birth. According to pregnantteenhelp.org, “The baby can also suffer from: conjunctivitis, pneumonia, neonatal sepsis (infection in the baby’s bloodstream,) neurologic damage, blindness, deafness, acute hepatitis, meningitis, chronic liver disease or cirrhosis.”

Felicia Everard provided further description of her single parent reality by saying, ”It’s hard because when the baby doesn’t have school it messes up my absences because I have no one else to stay with her, and I always have to work around her schedule. And when you’re playing a sport it makes it complicated to make it to practices and games at certain times due to me having to see if anyone can pick her up from daycare and watch her while I’m gone. (Felicia is also having complications with graduating.) Because of my pregnancy and other problems, the school was unable too help me in my attendance. Money is also an issue because when you have a baby everything goes to the baby, nothing is ever about you anymore. Remember your child is your responsibility and nobody else’s. Your parent has already raised their child, now it’s time for you to do the same.”

When a teenager is faced with unplanned pregnancy they may feel they have few options. Adoption oftentimes becomes the first option that young teens consider when they unexpectedly get pregnant. Young teen mothers may not be psychologically or emotionally ready to give their baby the care he or she needs. According to yeahbaby.com, “Around 40% of Americans have considered adoption.”

Are you one of them? Experts say, “The first adoption decision you will have to make has to do with whether you want to adopt a child from this country, or whether you want to adopt from another country. There are pros and cons associated with each. A domestic adoption is generally less expensive, but the waiting time can be unpredictable, especially since in the U.S. birth parents are often more involved in the process.”

Second choice on adoption is Intercountry adoption experts say, “You usually have a more predictable wait time, since birth parents are often not part of the picture. Many countries require that children be considered orphans before they can be adopted. This means that the parents must either be deceased, or have abandoned the children. This can eliminate some of the unpredictability that comes when dealing with birth parents. However, immigration papers, and other documents, have to be in order for international adoptions.”

Imani Franklin

Teen relationships are very popular in high school. When you think of high school a lot of people picture their “high school sweetheart” or their friends. High school relationships are usually the beginning of people starting long-term relationships and friendships. There are usually positive and negative effects that result from these relationships. Long-term friendships can happen in high school, but can also end in high school. Therefore it’s possible to meet new people, but lose old friends.

For example, I know from personal experience that girls often end friendships over guys or other relationships. I personally know of a girl who lost her friend over a situation with a guy. Teresa went around too many people in school and gossiped about personal things her friend Tiffany did. Then Tiffany found out and got angry. Teresa then talked to her ex-boyfriend and said some things about Tiffany.

After that, Tiffany started talking to Teresa’s ex-boyfriend and began to like him. Eventually Tiffany started dating Teresa’s ex-boyfriend and their new relationship ruined Teresa and Tiffany’s friendship. This shows how high school can end and begin relationships. Results of these situations often end up in disagreements, jealousy, and fights. Often this happens outside of school, but can be brought into school and affect academics.

Relations that happen in school can often have students caught up into their personal life. Depending on where they stand in their relationships, it can affect their school positively or negatively. For example, if a boy and girl go to the same schools it can encourage their motivation to go to school every day, but can also encourage them to skip classes to be with one another. High school relationships often have teens caught up in their relationships, which can take a toll on a lot of things, especially school. Technology has a huge impact on teen relationships, technology including cell phones, social networks, and e-mails.

All technology that involves communication with one another impacts teen relationships causes them to get distracted from priorities and what’s more important. This can affect their school work and other significant priorities. Teen relationships also have an effect on sexual activity. These relationships have an influence on teens deciding to start sexual activity. This increases teen pregnancy, and or diseases. Although this can happen, teens are often influenced on ways to protect themselves.

Dilemmas in teen relationships can overall alter or affect your school life, according to teenhelp.com/teen-pregnancy, “Despite declines in rates of teen pregnancy in the U.S., about 820,000 teens become pregnant each year. That means that 34 percent of teenagers have at least one pregnancy before they turn 20.” Although there are negative effects of high school relationships, there are positive ones too.

Some relationships in high school are positive on your academic life. Depending on where a teen’s relationship stands, it can either motivate them to do work or discourage them to not do work.

Nigel LaFlamme

The Westborough Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas has been the subject of many news stories in the past several months, and so naturally the question arises, who are these ever present crusading people and what do they really want out of this world as a whole? The church has been in operation since 1967 and is one of the only churches of its size {Fred Phelps and his relatives} to have its own Wikipedia page. They are known for picketing important events such as the funerals of dead soldiers and people who were openly gay. Their hateful message is being heard by everyone, at a time when their ideas are generally disliked and frowned upon.

The church was founded in 1967 by Fred Phelps with the belief that he and his followers were the only righteous people on Earth because they were exposing the things that he thinks will lead to the damnation of most of the people on earth, especially Americans. Fred Phelps feels that being openly gay is a sin and being an ex-lawyer, found a loophole in the Constitution’s First Amendment that allows him to speak his mind no matter how wrong people may think he is or how controversial his views are.

This notorious church has been banned from the U.K. and Phelps’ is featured on the Least Wanted List alongside his daughter. This list includes people as criminal as a Neo Nazi, a Jewish militant, former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard Stephen Donald Black, and radio talk show host Michael Savage. To be included on such a list one would assume that the media would be capable of shunning them and having the self-control to keep from spreading knowledge of these extremely hateful people who would have little impact on the world today if they were simply ignored and assigned various restraining orders that could keep them from insulting people with their hateful words and offensive signs.

These signs have led to disputes between the “protestors” and people passing on the street who feel offended by the signs saying this as offensive as “Thank God for I.E.D.s” and “Thank God for Dead Soldiers. ”These signs have led to verbal assaults by people passing by and a few scattered attacks, which ended with the churches attackers being penalized and the church continuing on their way. The church, being a religious institution, cannot be disbanded by the U.S. government and is virtually untouchable as the Ku Klux Klan is and was.

For these reasons The Westborough Baptist Church has been the subject of a recent case given to the U.S. Supreme court challenging the church’s protests. This case was decided in favor of the Westborough Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas who now have the legal backing of the Supreme Court’s interpretation of The Constitution allowing them to continue all of their protests. As a result, this church will continue threatening the sanctity of public places and the quiet we have come to expect.

Tiffany Harris

On March 9, 1964, the first Mustang rolled off the assembly line in Dearborn, Michigan being introduced into the world. The Mustang made its world debut a month later on April 17, 1964 at the world’s fair in Flushing Meadows, New York. Since then, Ford has moved forward with creating the best Mustang so far, the 2011 Mustang GT V8.

In 1960, the General Manager of Ford was Lee Iacocca. He brought the board members of Ford his vision of a fun-to-drive compact car. With the help of Donald Frey, Hal Sperlich, and Donald Peterson, Ford was convinced to move forward with the project.

Four years later the first Mustang was created with the design and mechanics being based on the Ford Falcon. Many refer to it as ‘the 1964 and a half’ because it was introduced too late to be a 1964 model, but the 1965 model had been released later that year. It is a Wimbledon white convertible with a 260-cubic inch v-8 engine. It was accidently sold to a pilot and Ford was able to buy it back and place it in the company’s museum.

The ‘1964 and a half’ was available in both manual and automatic, coupe and convertible. The 170-cubic inch-V6 engine came with a three-speed floor shift transmission with features of full wheel covers, padded dash, bucket seats and carpeting all for only $2,320. On the day of its debut, 22,000 orders for the Ford Mustang had been taken. Within the first 12 months, Ford would sell close to 417,000 Mustangs. Within two years, over a million Mustangs had been sold.

The first Dodge Charger made its world debut on January 1, 1966 and has since then came out with the 2011 R/T V8. One could say it’s a nice car but, when being compared to the 2011 Ford Mustang GT V8, it doesn’t stand a chance. The R/T has a 5.7L engine that gives a horsepower of 370 with 395ft-lbs. of torque. Although the R/T has a larger engine, the GT packs more horsepower. The first legitimate 5.0 engine brings the GT 412 horsepower with 390 lbs. of torque. When the Mustang (with no performance upgrades) was dyno tuned at K&N the official numbers came out to be 435 horsepower with 404 lbs. of torque.

In 1978, Ford started using 4.9 engines in their Mustangs and Mustang owners found it more appropriate to call them 5.0’s because it sounded better. The 2011 Mustang is the first legitimate 5.0 engine.

The mileage on a Mustang is also better than the mileage on a Charger. The R/T only gets 16 mph on a gallon as the GT gets 17 mph. When both cars were tested based on their performance, the Mustang came out with the better numbers. It took the Dodge Charger 13.9 seconds to finish the quarter mile at 103.6 mph. The Mustang finished the quarter mile in only 12.8 seconds at 110 mph. In only 25.3 seconds, the Mustang finished the figure 8. It took the Dodge longer, finishing it in 26 seconds. It takes the Charger 5.3 seconds to go from 0-60 but it only takes the Mustang 4.3 seconds. The Charger needs 113ft to go from 60-0 but it only takes the Mustang 105ft. One major disappointing fact about the Dodge Charger is its only available in automatic. Mustang on the other hand is available in both manual and automatic. Motortrend commented on the Dodge by saying all it needs is the ability to quickly shift gear but until then, it isn’t a genuine performance machine. They also commented on the Mustang by saying, “Sure enough, it’s the quickest Mustang GT we’ve ever tested.”

Performance is not the only category that the Mustang is better in. The hood of the Charger has dual “scallops” giving it a sculptured look and a grill that looks other cars dead in the face, but the Mustang has an angular, sharp-creased power dome hood emphasizing the muscle that it covers under it and the grill has a forward facing look that intimidating any car in its path, giving the Mustang a look and feel of aggression.

“The 2011 Mustang is a sleek representation of modern raw power — from its chiseled good looks, sweeping beltline and pronounced curves, to its kicked-up haunches.” -Ford Motor Company.

Nigel LaFlamme

I have a quick question for all our readers, however many there may be. When you think of a great car what comes to mind? Do you think of the Mustang and the Charger that others have been so quick to point out or do you think of something with more history? Would the most popular car ever sold come to mind? Maybe you think of the car that has been in production longer than any other? Do you even bother to think about a car that has been the standard for all modern cars since it went into production back in the 1930s?

The Volkswagen Beetle holds the record for most cars sold of any line of car with approximately 21,529,464 Beetles sold by the year 2003, and that was eight years ago. Now the recent addition to the beetle legacy is the New Beetle, which has been in production for over a decade and seems a little pointless to still call “new.” Of course the Beetle has its flaws with all of the older models sporting air cooled engines and the ability to go from 0 to 60 in just about 8.6 seconds, but what makes a Volkswagen Beetle a great car is the love that owners feel for the vehicle.

The legacy of the vehicle started back in 1933 when Adolf Hitler asked Ferdinand Porsche to make a car for the people. The car that came out of this was the original Volkswagen which translated into English literally means “peoples car”. This car was designed in the style of what we now call The Beetle and was driven by Hitler himself. This car then became Porsche’s dream as he decided to keep designing more of “The people’s cars” and Porsche hoped that someday he would be able to see Volkswagens up and down The Autobahn but he died before this dream could be realized.

When this dream was realized in the 1960s both the 5 millionth and 10 millionth beetles were sold and the brand was going strong. The car was loved for its low price, around 2,000 dollars, and steadfast reliability. There was also the draw of the cars being treated as a flowery symbol of love and peace as “hippies” were covering their cars with flowers. All in the name of love for a car that they didn’t even realize had been originally built for war.

In today’s world this car is no longer produced as the “New Beetle” produces sales by riding off of the legacy of its long missed predecessor and Volkswagen has moved on to produce other less nostalgic models and new cars that will ultimately diversify the market. Yet as we buy and sell the old and much loved Beetles we were left by our parents and their parents, the Beetle remains eternal as it has for the past 80 years and will remain iconic for many years to come.

http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/1998-to-2005-volkswagen-new-beetle.htm

http://www.carreview.com/mfr/volkswagen/midsize-compact/prd_298_1531crx.aspx

http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Volkswagen/index2.html

http://www.consumersearch.com/economy-cars/2008-volkswagen-new-beetle

http://www.allautoreviews.com/auto_reviews/volkswagen/volkswagen-beetle.htm

http://autos.aol.com/cars-Volkswagen-New+Beetle-1999/overview/

http://www.edmunds.com/volkswagen/new-beetle/2009/

http://www.ehow.com/about_6592556_volkswagen-beetle-engine-performance.html

http://www.maggiolinoweb.it/history.html

http://www.maggiolinoweb.it/reuters/reuters2.html

http://www.terra.com.mx/articulo.aspx?articuloid=119110

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1960-1969-volkswagen-beetle.htm

Kevin Covington

The Dodge Charger is all new for 2011 and it looks to go back to its muscle car roots. New interior, exterior, and overall better appearance will look to win over old fans as well as new ones.

The original 1964 Charger was a response to the Ford Mustang, and it featured a 426 horsepower HEMI engine. The car carried on the popular trend of muscle cars at the time. The second generation Charger even competed in NASCAR with the Charger Daytona and completed a lap at 200 miles per hour at Daytona International Raceway.

The third generation was very much the same with the addition of a split front grille and new interior. The fourth-generation Dodge Charger was renamed the Chrysler Cordoba and was terrible, the fifth generation was even worse. In 1978, Dodge introduced the Magnum and the sales for it were off the charts. However, the sales of the Charger plummeted and Dodge decided to retire the name of the car.

Nineteen years passed before Dodge brought back the Charger in 2006 as a replacement for the Dodge Intrepid and instead of the coupe it once was. It is now a four-door sedan. The car features four-trims; SE, SXT, R/T, and SRT-8. The SE and SXT feature a 3.5 liter V6 engine that has a 250 horsepower engine. The R/T version features a HEMI 5.7 liter engine that has 340 horsepower. The SRT-8 is the top of the line Charger. It features a 6.1 liter HEMI V8 that pumps out 425 horsepower. Special edition Chargers include a Super Bee edition SRT-8 and Daytona edition of the R/T trim level. The car proved to be very popular not only as a car built for car enthusiasts, but also families that wanted a full-size sedan and pretty good power.

Mrs. Wallace, a teacher at The High School of Commerce owns a 2009 Dodge Charger. The problems she has with it are that it is a gas-guzzler and the insurance is expensive because of the type of car it is. One of the benefits is that the car has no mechanical issues. Her husband drives it more though, and previously drove a Cadillac El Dorado. Her husband picked out the car. “He saw it and wanted it,” she said. Mrs. Wallace also said she would pick it over a Ford Mustang because that car is too much of a muscle car.

The Charger was redesigned for 2011 and was more up-to-date in features and appearance. The base model features in up-to-date V6 that produces 292 horsepower, which is up from previous years. The R/T model features a 5.7 liter HEMI that produces a powerful 370 horsepower. The R/T is capable of 16 miles per gallon in the city and 25 on the highway. It also features a 6 speed auto transmission, which a manual shift feature, something the Ford Mustang doesn’t have and are limited to choosing between a manual or automatic transmission.

Comparing a fully loaded 2011 Charger R/T model in all-wheel drive to a 2012 Ford Mustang GT Premium, a Charger is estimated to cost $34,670 and a Mustang cost $37,770. The Charger will get you more ‘bang for your buck’ as it has more room for the family, yet has the power to pass cars with ease on I-91. At the end of the day though, it all depends on if you like coupe styling or a full-size sedan. But if you really want power, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 with its 550 horsepower V8 engine can’t be beaten by any non-sports car sold in the United States.

Urian Irving

Zenger

In 1733, The New York Weekly was published by John Peter Zenger. John Peter Zenger, born October 26, 1697, was an American-German who lived in New York City as a journalist, editor, printer, and publisher. Zenger was a well-spoken, opinionated man whose published articles got him into trouble.

Zenger was born in a part of the Rhine Country in Germany called Palatinate. When he was 13 years old, Zenger and his family set out on a voyage to “The New World,” America. On the way, Zenger’s father passed away, leaving his mother to care for him and his two siblings. In 1711 Zenger had become an apprentice for William Bradford for eight years. After completing his apprenticeship, he then moved to Charlestown, Md to live on his own. Life in Charlestown didn’t go as he intended, so he moved back to New York. Once back in New York he then entered into a partnership with his old instructor Bradford. Zenger and Bradford worked as business partners for a printing business until year 1726 when Zenger established his own printing shop.

Eventually Zenger began writing for The New York Weekly Journal. In 1733 the journal had prospered from numerous slanderous articles towards government official William Cosby. Cosby, the New York Colonial Governor, couldn’t stand for the articles. Around this time freedom of speech could be exercised as long as it wasn’t expressed about the government or anything pertaining to. The articles being published by Zenger were viewed as blasphemy to Cosby, including the article’s slanderous poems and comments. In the year 1734 Cosby issued for Zenger’s arrest for penalty of seditious libel. On November 17, 1734 Zenger had been jailed for ten months awaiting trial.

In the 1700’s speaking against the government was a crime. The odds in court of a person winning against the government were slim. The government used their elite power to immediately disbar Alexander Hamilton, the lawyer representing Zenger. However, Alexander enlisted the help of Andrew Hamilton, a prominent Philadelphian. Alexander knew obtaining Andrew’s services gave their case a good advantage. Andrew had no reason to fear the New York government. With an eloquent and dramatic presentation Zenger had been found innocent by jury. The government could not imprison Zenger any longer under penalty of seditious libel because the statements Zenger made had been proven true. Being charged for libel, the defendant must be proven to have published false information. In this case Zenger published accurate information about Cosby and could not be found guilty.

The case did not completely affect the freedom of writers and printers. Printers and writers still had limitations to their writing; it must be accurate and still could not challenge the government. Legislators still had unlimited power to suppress printers. It wasn’t until the end of the 18^th century that there would be advocates for the freedom of speech and expression. The case however had a positive effect on journalism, helping to extend the barriers for how far a journalist writes or what he/she writes.

Kevin Covington

Jackie MacMullan is a nationally recognized journalist that works for ESPN.com and is a former columnist and associate editor for The Boston Globe. She was one of the first female journalists in sports and her accomplishments in her career have made her arguably the best.

She was born October 7^th, 1960. MacMullan graduated from the University of New Hampshire where she also played basketball for four years, including leading the team in scoring her sophomore year and being named captain of the team as a senior. She graduated from the University “cum laude.”

In 1982, MacMullan began her career with the Boston Globe. She covered many major sporting events including the 1986 World Series, 1987 Stanley Cup Finals, the 1988 Olympic Games and many Final Fours and NBA Finals. From 1995 to 2000 she worked with Sports Illustrated as a senior writer and from 1996 to 1999 she was a regular contributor for CNN and also makes appearances for New England Sports Network, ESPN, and WHDH-TV in Boston.

While Googling “female sports reporters” the first few results that came up were “20 hottest sports reporters,” “World’s hottest female sports reporters” and mentioning Ines Sainz, the reporter that was criticized for using her looks to get her story. What this shows is that female sports reporters are better known for their looks instead of the stories they put out. Jackie MacMullen goes against these stereotypes and is better known for her work.

For example in 1999, she worked with the Boston Celtics legendary hall of famer Larry Bird on his autobiography entitled “Bird Watching: on Playing and Coaching the Game I Love.” In 2003 she published “Magic and Bird: Basketball Odd Couple,” a book about the rivalry Magic Johnson and Larry Bird shared in their playing days playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. In 2006 she wrote “Geno: In Pursuit of Perfection,” a book about the University of Connecticut’s head women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma and player Diana Taurasi. More recently she wrote “When The Game Was Ours,” which is another book that focuses on the rivalry with Bird and Johnson.

Female sports reporters weren’t allowed to enter the locker room until 1978 after a federal court ruling. Almost immediately after the ruling, she entered sports journalism, opening doors for other female reporters. Because of Jackie MacMullan, one of the first, she has created opportunities for others in her field such as Pam Oliver, Erin Andrews, and Hannah Storm. Her covering major sports and being on the ESPN show “Around The Horn” almost daily make her one of not only the biggest female sports journalist, but one of the biggest sports journalists in the United States.