Jobs that Benefit from Obama's stimulus

A day after his address to Congress, Americans are already taking a close look at President Barak Obama's recovery plan for our severely wounded economy. Obama has promised a boost to the economy by creating jobs through the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus plan.

While this plan will take awhile as federal, state and local governemnts much decide the exact manner in which to allocate funds, economist concur that six sectors are in position to see a boost resulting from this stimulus. The jobs which should see a postive effect include construction, the green sector (which includes jobs which are aimed at reducing greenhouse gasses, dependence on oil and consumption of other non-renewable sources), medical information technology, education, energy and utilities and the federal government.

However, Obama's stimulus plan won't create jobs overnight. Harry Holzer, an economist at Georgetown University and the Ubran Institute, cautions "It takes time for the government investment to expand the job market". However, it seems as if Obama's stimulus plan may be a step in the right direction and economists and Americans alike look to this plan under our new president with opticism.

3 Local or UNK issues

1. Potential event center purchase

Kearney citizens will have a final opportunity to discuss the city's potential purchase of FirsTier Event center. The Kearney City Council will have the last session Tuesday, commenting on the purchase and a 1 percent restaurant dining tax. They will pay between $2 million and $3 million for the sports arena.

http://www.kearneyhub.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20267609&BRD=268&PAG=461&dept_id=577571&rfi=6



2. Teen "sexting"

Parents now have a new phase to worry about amongst teens- the combining of sexy messages or photos via text message- referred to as 'sexting'.

71% of teen girls who sent 'sext' messages sent them to their boyfriends, 29% of teen girls who sent 'sext' messages sent them to guys they wanted to date and 15% of girls who sexted sent it to strangers they met online. 39% of teen boys along with 36% of teen girls said it is common for pictures to be shared with others. A shocking 33% of teen boys and 25% of teenage girls claim seeing nude images intented for others.



http://www.kearneyhub.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20267360&BRD=268&PAG=461&dept_id=577571&rfi=6

3. UNK salary cuts idea premature, possible a legal issue

University of Nebraska president J.B. Milliken announced Thursday in Kearney that it is too early to consider salary reductions for faculty and staff. Earlier this month, a group of UNK faculty members proposed pay reductions in order to preserve tuition rates and faculty postions.

http://www.kearneyhub.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=20261923&BRD=268&PAG=461&dept_id=577576&rfi=8

Editorial #2

The University of Nebraska Medical Center is contemplating the notion of opening a health care high school in Omaha. In addition, metro area schools are considering becoming partners with the new school, which would be dedicated to future doctors, nurses and others interested in the medical field.

Some may worry about the effects of using tax dollars to create a specialized school, but the UNMC opening would not take away from public schools any more than creating a regular school would. It would also better educate a specific population, thus making the tax dollars we spend worthwhile, as they would return in the form of better medicine in the states' future.

Another objection lies in the risk of subjecting children to specified education. For example, many worry that training our children for a specific profession would leave them unable to obtain training for non-medical professions, should they change their choice of career path. However, the UNMC would focus on advanced sciences and , which would also be beneficial for a variety of career paths. If anything, the UNMC would allow students an advanced education and better understanding in the sciences and mathematics.

Opposers to this concept will also state that isolating the medical students will deprive them of the diversity of a school filled with students of various interests and activities. While this may have some truth, it is also entirely possible that a specialized school will enhance the student's academic performance. With a group of peers who share the same academic goals, students can form study groups and use cognitive thinking to aid with their acadmics and improve student's performance.

While this concept is still in its infancy, it would benefit our state if we got behind the concept and showed our support. With an emphasis on health care, these schools could better educate our youth in the health field, giving way to better medical care as a whole.


The medical-focused UNMC would provide means of producing quality future health care professionals. This school could offer math and science programs which would explore all aspects of a hospital, ranging from surgery and nursing to business and other health care services.


These schoools would give our youth the opportunity to experience the best possible health care training. It would also better prepare them for the next level of training in the medical field. Specialized schools could assure the highest education in their field. This would ensure the highest quality of health care in the state of Nebraska as well. With specialized schools, we can look for new advances in medicine as well. If we support this idea, we can look forward to a brighter medical future.




http://omahaworldherald.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10565964

Presidential Rankings... almost as good as NCAA ratings...

Just in case you were wondering how your favorite president fares next to others, historians have ranked our fearless leaders. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090215/ap_on_go_pr_wh/ranking_presidents

Days after Lincoln's birthday, 65 historians ranked Abraham Lincoln in the top spot, giving him the honor of the nation's best president. Our most recent preisident, George W. Bush, came in 36th out of 42. Bush also scored lowest in international relations, where he was ranked 41 out of 42. He also scored very poorly in economic management, where he came in 40th. Bush's highest ranking, at 24th came in the category of pursuing equal justice for all. He came in 25th in crisis leadership and vision and agenda setting.
Other former heads of state experienced changes in the rankings, such as former President Bill Clinton, who jumpedfrom 21st up to 15th. Ronald Reagan also advanced a spot, from 11th to 10th and George H.W. Bush was elevated from 20th to 18th. Jimmy Carter fell in the rankings, from 22nd to 25th.
Aside from Lincoln, George Washington, Franking D. Roosevelt, Therodore Roosevelt and Harry Truman were voted best leaders overall. The worst rated leaders include James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Franklin Pierce, William Henry Harrison and Warren G. Harding.

Nebraska Issues

1. Stimulus' job is to put more folks to work

Though 130 Omaha electricians have been sidelined by the layoffs resulting from the nation's economy, union leader Gary Kelly is optimistic that Congress' passage of the stimulus bill along with its promise of millions in construction dollars for Nebraska will allow poeple to be back on the job soon. The Obama adminstration has projected that the stimulus will create or save 23,000 jobs in Nebrasaka and an additional 37,000 in Iowa. With what Obama calls "a major milestone on our road to recovery", Kelly and Nebraskans feel optimistic about job recovery.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10564763

2. NOW Marks Roe v. Wade Anniversary Across the U.S.

The Nebraska chapter of NOW (National Organization of Women) calls for support in rallying to see the Freedom of Choice Act passed under President Obama.

http://www.now.org/issues/abortion/011609roe.html

Everybody loves a rivalry...

Forget Christmas- the most wonderful time of the year happens tonight. That's right- it's the annual Duke/North Carolina college basketball match-up. This sporting event is almost undisputedly the most anticpated regular season competition in any sport. Coverage for the game begins hours before the match-up and almost every sports fan gets excited about the game.
So what makes a good rivalry? North Carolina and Duke squared off on the court for the first time on January 24, 1920. North Carolina came away with the win, with a victory margain of 36-25. Eighty-nine years later, the rivarly continues to be stronger than ever. Some factors that contribute to this historic rivalry include the back-forth between the two teams. The winning streak between the two is currently a mere 1- with North Carolina winning the last competition, and Duke winning the one before that. Even the overal record between the two teams is close, with North Carolina leading in wins, 128-97.
Also, contributing to the rivarly is the dominance of both teams. North Carolina boosts 26 ACC regular season championships, leading the ACC in conference wins. Duke comes in at second, with 18 ACC reagular season championships. North Carloina also leads the ACC tournament championships with 17 ACC tournament wins. Duke is in second in that category as well, a mere win behind North Carolina at 16 ACC tournament championships. Both teams play for the toughest NCAA basketball conference and excel within the conference. Duke and North Carolina have succeeded on a national level as well, with North Carolina holding the most final four appearances at 17, and Duke coming in third of all-time with 14 appearances. North Carolina has won 4 NCAA national tournamant championships, tied for 4th of all-time. Duke has won 3, tied for 5th of all-time.
So, curl up on your couch and witness the finest sporting events have to offer. I know I will be. Oh yeah, and go North Carolina!

Steroids and A-Rod. What a Mess....

He's the highest-paid player in the spot of baseball, and considered one of the all-time greatest players, but Alex Rodriguez is now facing scrunity for steroid use.

Rodriguez came clean about his steroid use, admitting that he used the performance enhancers from 2001-2003. Americans can rest assured that his $252 million contract over ten years was the result of performances enhanced by steroids, not strictly natural talent.

In a previous interview, Rodriguez claimed that he did not take performance enhancers because he did not think anyone in the field "could match him". Now he looks foolish on two levels; he lied to the American public and he exaggerated his natural skill level.

At least Rodriguez is an unlikeable character... I have yet to shed a tear for this over-rated prima donna. If this happened to a class act like Tiger Woods, it may be a different story, but with his inflated ego and pay salary, I can't help but think for someone like Rodriguez, this is just karma.



http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-rodriguez-steroids&prov=ap&type=lgns

Oh Thank God- It's just Marijuana!

When I saw the byline "U.S. swimming officals ban Michael Phelps due to his recent drug scandal", my heart dropped. In an increasingly corrupt sports world, "drugs" almost always means some sort of performance enhancer. It is very rare that we see a pure sports figure, and it seems that every sports hero is tainted by the use of steriods. We see it with sports idols from Barry Bonds even down to Lance Armstrong. (Yes, folks, that's right, even Lance does it.)

So, natrually when I see drugs, I imagaine that the last true and seemingly pure American sports hero is shooting up on 'roids as well. But we can all breathe a sigh of relief- America's favorite fish is not taking performance enhancers, but rather, smoking marijuana. Now, marijuana is undisputedly NOT a performance enhancer, in fact it gives the opposing effect and tends to have a negative effect on sports performance.

Now I know most of you are thinking that Phelp's use of marijuana is still a very bad thing, and I won't argue. However, there is a huge distinction in my mind between irresponsible decisions and unethical use of steroids. While smoking marijuana is illegal and unacceptable behavior for an olympic athlete, it is a far-cry from flat-out cheating by using performace ehancing drugs.

Should Phelps be punished? Absolutely. He has made a public apology, lost millions in endorsements and is currently on 3-month suspension. It is vital we hold atheletes accountable for their actions, and Phelps is certainly no exception. However, I don't think we should cruicify the young athlete for an irresponsible "youthful" decision. While no one doubts that Phelps has a long way to come as a role model, I'm just relieved he's not cheating.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQuotmKWACE

The WORST kind of fair weather fans...

Being a sports fan is tough, and never let anyone tell you differently. In a way, it's like a relationship, you need to stay loyal to a team through good times and bad times. Those of us who change our alliances based upon a team's performance are considered "fairweather fans", and not looked upon well in the sports realm.
There is one thing I consider even worse than your average fairweather fans however- those who adopt a team literally minutes before a championship game. This was very prevalent during the Super Bowl this year. All of the sudden, those who had failed to watch a professional football fan were passionate Steeler or Cardinal fans, even if they could not tell you the team's quaterback or even which city the teams hail from.
Now, I'm not saying these people do not have the right to watch the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is much more than a sporting event- it is a very social event with interesting commercials to boot. However, I think people need to be honest about their football knowledge as well as their lack of perference concerning the teams involved. No one likes a fairweather fan, espeically one that jumps on the band wagon at the last minute.