Blog #3

    There are Eight Values of Free Expression. These values are Marketplace of Ideas, Participation in Self-Government, Stable Chang, Individual Self-Fulfillment, Check on Governmental Power, Promote Tolerance, Promote Innovation, and Protect Dissent. One of the values that really resonates with me is the 8th one: Protect and Dissent. I feel that this value is so relevant to the times that we are going through right now especially with all the different opinions in this county. This value goes hand and hand with the first amendment of the US Constitution which gives you the right to petition and criticize your government. I find it very interesting that US citizens have this right as opposed to other countries that do not have the right to criticize their government. Sometimes I think of the actions that Americans take because they disagree so strongly with the government and think about what the potential consequences could be in another country that does not have this same right. In other countries if you protest or even disagree with your government you can be punished in a variety of different ways, some extremely severe. 

    A perfect example of people having the freedom and right to criticize our government is this political cartoon from Philadelphia Inquirer. This cartoon is a drawing of former president Donald Trump basically showing all the things that he would be useful for but in a jokingly negative manner. In this cartoon the artist is explaining all the things Trump would be “useful” for if he did not leave the White House. The artist was saying that Trump would make a better lamp, coat rack, or street light than the President of the United States. This political cartoon is clearly criticizing our government and definitely shining a very negative light on Donald Trump, however because of the first amendment right and the eighth value of free expression, it is completely legal to do so. This particular example of how Americans use this right to criticize the government also ties into freedom of press because it was publicly posted on the internet. Freedom of press is also covered in the First Amendment Right.

I feel that this eighth value of free expression of  Protect Dissent feels the most personal to me because I have criticized our government before and thought differently than what the people in power think. Without this value of free expression, I would be unable to think anything differently than what the government thinks. I feel that this is very important especially in today's society where everyone has an opinion. This makes it legal for people to share their personal opinions publicly and not get punished for thinking something different than the government.

Blog # 2

According to History.com the Supreme Court is "the highest federal court in the country and head of the judicial branch of government" (History.com). 

    After watching the videos on the Supreme Court and reading through the article, I learned a lot of new things about the Supreme Court that I did not know before. I learned that the main purpose of the Supreme Court is to draw the boundaries of government power. I also learned that the Supreme Court was made in 1789 in the 3rd article of the US constitution, so it has been around for quite sometime. I love the quote from the video "the power of the court is the power of trust earned" because I feel it really explains the purpose of the Supreme court. Something else that I learned was the saying was made "We the people" did not include many people like African Americans and American Indians. Before watching this video I also did not know that each justice shakes every other justices hands before each conference meeting. In addition, the Supreme Court has an hour "oral argument" where 9 of the nations highest officials come together. Through reading the article, something that stood out to me was the process in which the Supreme Court is elected. The Supreme Court justices are all nominated by the United States president and then is passed by the senate. Before watching the video and reading the article, I did not know the process of how the Supreme Court was elected.

    After watching the video and reading the article, I feel that the most important takeaway is the Supreme Court is made up of 9 justices and has the power to check the Executive and Legislative branches of the government congress. The main purpose is to keep government power in check so not one single person can have too much power, including the president of the United States. This is super important in the way the power is balanced in the United States.

    Through watching the video and reading the article, there has been a lot of surprising things that I have learned. I think the most surprising thing that I have learned about is the Supreme Court had as little as 5 seats and as many as 10 seats throughout its entirety. As of right now there is 9 seats in the Supreme Court and it is seen that it will stay like that for a while. 

        

    After watching this video, the way that I have thought about the Supreme Court has defiantly changed. I have realized what a crucial role that this organization plays in the balance of power in the United States government. Without the Supreme Court, there would be a complete different distribution of power in this country. After watching this video I know now that the Supreme Court plays a much larger role in the government of the US than I ever thought before. 

Blog #1

 Top 5 sources where I get my news. 

I get my news from a bunch of different sources. Whether that news is from me doing my own research, hearing things through word of mouth or scrolling through a popular social media platform like Instagram, I am constantly being informed of current topics. Especially with technology being so advanced, people are able to access news and information within seconds at their fingertips wherever they are. 

One of the main news sources that I get a lot of my news on current issues is Fox News. This is a very familiar news source as I have been growing up watching this station with my parents. I enjoy how this channel is broadcasted on TV because it makes it very easy to turn on the TV and listen. I also feel that their website is easy to navigate as everything is laid out in a way that makes sense. There are different tabs like lifestyle, entertainment, weather etc that can be used to refine your search. I feel that it is extremely easy to find the information you are looking for on a certain topic with the search bar in the top right corner that narrows down information relating to your search. I do understand that some of these views can lean more conservative, but with that in mind I still find that they report their information accurately. I feel that they use different types of valuable evidence like photos, videos, documentation etc to back up their claims.  

The news station BBC is another place where I get my news from. Becuase this is a British news station, BBC provides news on current American topics (in my opinion) not particularly leaning politically right or left. I feel that this news station backs up their claims with real evidence and they don't seam to be swayed by any party. Becuase this is a British website, I have never seen this station broadcasted on TV, but through the website, I feel that it is very easy to navigate. You can select a tab that just American News and from there, topics of stories come up along with a photo that you can click on and read about. I think that BBC is a very user friendly website to get news from that is the most unbiased source that I found. They also have other news topics like advancing technology, sports and so much more. It is a very easy to navigate and interactive website. 

Outside of school, something that I enjoy and am very interested in is the fashion industry, clothing and trends. Instagram is a great way to follow influencers in a very up to date manor. It is a great way to stay current and relieve information quickly. Also for the fashion industry, pictures are very valuable and since instagram is pretty much surrounded around pictures, it is a great way to see the new cloths and trends modeled on people in more of a life snapshot rather than the clothing posted on a particular website. It also not only shows you the piece of clothing you are looking to buy, but how to style the outfit as a whole. Instagram gives me news on current trends in the fashion industry.

I am also very interested in fitness, health and wellness. I love to be healthy and live an active life style, so a lot of times I use the website The HealthLine to research different ways the body works and the effects of working out. This website is especially useful if I have a specific question like "How to gain muscle". This website gives you a clear, concise and accurate answer that is easy and quick to read and understand. They usually organize their information in list form with the main thought or idea in bold. This makes it very easy for the reader to get the information they want quickly and effectively. They also have summary's of sections throughout the article to recap what they are saying in simple short terms. At the end of the article they also give you recommended articles that are related to what you are currently researching that you may also be interested in. 

The last place where I get my news from is YouTube. I do not use YouTube for news on current political or government topics, however I use it to find the latest trends in beauty products for hair and makeup. YouTube is a great way to find information and reviews on the latest products in the beauty industry. Real people review these products and give their honest thoughts on whether they think you should but them or not. Sometimes you have do some additional research however to make sure that person is not sponsored by a particular company that could sway their review. YouTube is also very helpful for "how to" videos. Pretty much anything you could be having trouble with in life, there is a youtube video explaining how to fix it which is why I love to go to this source for news and information.