Monday, April 27, 2015

Into America


8:50 in the morning two male students walk by, one of them has bob-cut length hair tied back in a bun, and a scraggly beard that's short and neatly kept.  The other student, tall and lean with long dirty blonde hair that falls just at his shoulders. At a distance they look like any ordinary students, but when they got closer you couldn't understand their conversation, they speak Dutch.  These are two of six Foreign Exchange students that live in the Trinity house.  Denmark, France, and Germany are where this semester's students are from, the two of three Danish students, Silas, and Jakob are on their way to their 9:00 classes.  They part ways, Silas heading down the hall and Jakob sits near the front of his Political Ideology class, where he sits and takes out his notebook for the class.   As the professor began to get ready for class, multitudes of students pour through the narrow doorway, filling the classroom like water filling a glass.  There are only 4 small basement-like windows towards the top of the wall on the left, allowing very little natural light and making it hard to zone out into the outside world.  The other students having quiet side conversations with each other as Jakob waits for todays lesson to begin.  Jakob, well versed in todays lesson, answered all questions asked and vigorously took notes.  When asked to pair up he seemed uncomfortable at the moment but quickly found his partner and explained all aspects of Liberalism v. Liberal to his partner.  As class ended he packed up and headed over to Roongo's Lounge for some breakfast.


Figure 1: Trinity House

"The classes here aren't as difficult as the classes I take in Denmark, but sometimes the translation of words get me into trouble." Jakob explains.
  Jakob often finds some trouble with written assignments, where he will run into a question, or word that he might confuse with other words.  English isn't a primary language for the students that live in Trinity.  Trinity is a brick house right on Iron St, near the ice cream shop with the giant, faded, wooden cow in front. It is very large with, 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and a small coatroom (Figure 1).  A long narrow stairwell is the first thing you run into when you walk in the door.  The building is 3 floors, although the 3rd floor is inaccessible with 2 locks to keep people out.  It smelled spicy from the food Silas had recently prepared.  Its very simple with few posters on the wall, one, an orange tinted Buda, and the other has some political figures on it.  Their small back yard has approximately a 5x5 patio and further into the yard a barbeque with a small tan tent over it, providing shade.  Curious I asked, "Do you plan on having a lot of barbeques when it gets warmer out?"  He laughed and said with a smile, "That's the plan, lots of barbeques, and lots of parties." When sitting at what can be assumed is a dining table you see a child's game called Looping Louie.  The object of the game is to bounce the plane over your chickens, the person who has the most chickens in the end wins.  The game is only sold in Germany so its interesting that Lukas had brought it to school.  Lukas is a German exchange student, he recently turned 23.  He is tall and thin, with dark hair and normally keeps a scruff going, he also wears square glasses (Figure 2). I played Looping Louie once, it is a lot of fun, and it got very competitive, stay the hell away from my chickens.
Figure 2: 4 of 6 eschange students, Lukas, Jakob, Silas, Julian

For Jakob, this is one of many visits to America, and this time he can use it as a tool to further his education.  As a business major he can make connections in the area that may help him to pursue a good career in that field, and can give him an edge on other applicants.  Being apart of the Foreign Exchange program is a way to expand his education beyond the boarders of his country. There are many differences between our classrooms here and the classrooms in Denmark. For example they all speak Danish.  In most of the classes here, aside from the General Education classes (Gen Eds), our classrooms are in fact classrooms. The teachers have 20-30 students each class and are able to get to know students individually and on a personal level, as compared to the lecture halls of Denmark.  Denmark's professors mainly focus on lecturing to 200+ students, so they aren't worried about addressing each student's issues with the lessons. 
As Jakob explores the campus he really learns where everything is and can find things that he can enjoy.

"My favorite part about Bloomsburg is the Rec and Scranton Commons.  They have good food, every food, healthy, and unhealthy. When I wake up I go to the Rec, and then I go to the Commons, it gives my day a routine." explains Jakob.
The Recreational Center (The Rec) has many features including but not limited to; a room that has machines that focus on your cardio, a room that has most free weights that focuses on strengthening, a rock wall, racquetball courts, ping pong tables, an indoor track, and three courts on the inside (basketball, tennis, and volleyball).  Being inside the Rec you can feel the heat from the bodies being put to work and smell the sweat dripping off people as they push themselves to work harder.  Jakob often goes to the Rec with his roommates, and they play on a bunch of the different courts.  Speaking what ever language he feels like participating in  French, German, Dutch, Spanish, and English are languages he has acquired a knowledge about over the years.  Jakob often puts in the work that goes hand-in-hand with being in the Rec.
Figure 3: Top: Bangadesh
Bottom: Bangla "Soccer is Life"

When you spend time with Jakob and his roommates its you that feels like the exchange student.  Everybody always speaks in different languages, there are times where you have to remind them to speak English.  One night when we all decided to hang out at our friend Shyer's apartment in JKA I was in a room with Jakob, Lukas, Silas, 2 international students, and 4 or 5 American students.  The apartment was nicely cleaned, 2 bathrooms, 4 bedrooms, and a kitchen that was in the same room as the living room.  It smelled like chips and junk food, and pop music was playing on the T.V.  The international students, Shyer, and Sadman differ from the foreign exchange students because they are here for all four years instead of just one semester.  Shyer and Sadman are from Bangladesh, a country right West of India, their language, Bangla (Figure 3).  Every one was in different places in the apartment.  "Come on guys lets play a game, I believe we still have Jenga laying around here", Shyer announces.  We all gather around the table and everybody was having a good time trying to mess each other up.  When the exchange students started speaking German I yelled "English please!" and everyone stopped and looked at me confused.  Feeling embarrassed by my comment I shrank back into the couch, then everyone started laughing.  "Sorry sometimes I forget who's around" Lukas laughs.  The mood was even lighter than ever and it was my turn, of coarse I pulled the wrong block sending the wooden bricks sprawling across the table and onto the floor.  Spending time with students from different cultures can help you gain a better understanding of other beliefs and ideas.  Receiving the blessing of meeting these wonderful people has helped me gain an idea of how others view the world, but more importantly why.  Making the connections of how others feel, sympathizing to their struggles, and experiences, helps to create an understanding of your own actions and how others might view it.  Gaining this cultural knowledge and understanding can help an individual become a better well rounded person and can change their outlook on life.



Sunday, April 26, 2015

Patriot Act







Figure. 1 9/11 Terrorist Attack
What is the Patriot Act Well, think of it as a RULE that this country has to follow. This act was formed after the terrorist event that took place on September 11, 2001. A terrorist would play the same role as a bad guy in a movie. They do bad things and try to hurt people to try and get their way. The person that decides to make the rule is the president of the United States. At the time the Patriot Act was formed, the president was a man named George W. Bush. The Patriot Act stands for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001". Think of the Patriot Act as something that prevents the terrorist from hurting our country and the people in it.






Figure 2. Patriot Act.
There are quite a few perks to the Patriot Act. The government has freedom of unreasonable searches and may search and seize papers and effects owned by citizens without probable cause to assist terror investigations(1). This means if the government thinks you could possibly be a bad guy, then they can search all your personal information such as your home, car, computer, workplace, and reading material without your permission. This is good for the United States because if a bad guy wants to hurt our country, then our police can stop them before they do. The people involved in the patriot act are mostly politicians and people who deal with the government, almost like spys! They can look up all your information to make sure you are being a good guy in our country. According to James Carafano, a homeland security expert at the Heritage Foundation, "We've stopped twenty eight terrorist attacks since the 9/11 incident."(2)

So before you do something, ask yourself "is it safe", "would this make me a good guy or bad guy." If you think it would make you a bad gut don't do it or you can get in serious trouble?


References:

(1) (August 8th, 2008), The USA PATRIOT Act, Legislation Rushed Into Law in the Wake of 9/11, 9/11 Research, Retrieved from http://911research.wtc7.net/post911/legislation/usapatriot.html.

(2) Farrell, M. (March 1st, 2010), Obama Signs Patriot Act extension without reforms, The Christian Science Monitor, retrieved from http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0301/Obama-signs-Patriot-Act-extension-without-reforms


Friday, April 24, 2015

Hacking




Have you ever wondered what Hacking is ? Well Hacking is basically like a thief but just involved with technology. It involves someone breaking into your computer to steal personal information like Credit Cards, social Security numbers, and other important things.

Their targets are mainly for people who have unprotected software and fire wall problems. In order to infect a computer the hacker must first get the person to install a program. They can do this through email or sometimes on regular sites. Most of the time hackers disguise the program with a fake name so that the person thinks they are getting something totally different.  Have you ever seen a pop-up ad that included a " No thanks Button"? Hopefully you don't click on it because they are just decoys, instead of closing the ad most of the time it downloads bad software. Once the program comes up on the computer it automatically downloads a bad software to your computer.


When browsing the web it is always important that you pay attention to where and what sites you are browsing to avoid being hacked. One thing you can do to avoid being hacked is the use of stronger passwords. If you use passwords that don't require a bit of effort then it makes it easier for you to be attacked. For example you could use something that is called a two-factor authentication. This is used for greater protection by it requires you to provide an extra form of identification past your log in ID and password. Many popular web services like Gmail, Microsoft , Apple, Twitter and Facebook offer this tool for users. Also paying attention to certain emails and suspicious links could also be something you should pay attention to so you could avoid any virus being downloaded onto your computer.

For future references paying attention while browsing online is key to avoid getting hacked. Many people are blinded by the decoys. If you pay attention and use protected passwords you can avoid being hacked.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

CIA's Enhanced Interrogation Techniques



 
Kim Possible
     Do you remember what you  were  doing the day of the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013? I remember where I was, I was in school and our principal made an announcement to the entire school letting us know what was going on in Boston. Me and my friends were worried because we had a over night field trip to Boston in less than a month away. When people do horrible things to our country or our people around the world, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is there for us, getting answers to every question almost any citizen has at that point, "Who would do something like this?" "Why did they do this?".  Our good friend Kim Possible, who fought off terrorists for many years will help explain how the CIA gets these answers and how they keep us safe.
 
     If a person or persons plans or commits a terrorist attack on us our CIA meets with them and interviews them, but in CIA terms, interrogate them. We use many techniques to get them to talk to us, like telling them what charges they face. But if the person did a horrible act, like the famous 9/11 attack they usually are more harder to crack, so our CIA has to use enhanced interrogation techniques. These  techniques
The 9/11 Attack at World Trade Center
are much more harsh and a tad bit more effective in getting answers. It's kind of like when you were younger and your parents made you go to your room or made you sit in a corner  forcing  you think about your bad decisions. One method is known as long time standing. Long time standing is when the suspect is asked to stand for at least forty hours or until they talk, which ever comes first. This is known to be very effective because of how exhausting it can be (1). Our CIA also uses another method that is seen as very  forceful. Sometimes our CIA would send in a very pretty lady to get the young men to talk, to get some information out of him (2), this work sometimes but when it does, it is surprising  how useful the information is and the CIA can use that to protect us even more. Kim Possible used many tactics to get the bad guys, Shego and Drakken to talk about their evil plans to take over the world. Whether it was tying up Drakken (which she did often) or fighting Shego, she knew she had to do whatever it takes to protect the world.
     Our CIA has made deals with many countries like Sweden, Afghanistan, Denmark and others that if a person from that specific country tries to attack us they will have to stay in that countries prison and not sent to prisons in America, this process is known as "extraordinary rendition" and the prisons where the detainees or criminals are held are known as "black sites" (3). The CIA stated that the reason they do this is because they don't want terrorists to be put on American soil so they can plot an escape and be on the land that they wish to terrorize.
Kim Possible
     Our CIA uses advanced technology to catch these terrorists and there where abouts. We caught many of Osama bin Laden's (the man leading the 9/11 attack) followers just through our improved computers. Kim Possible did the same thing when trying to locate Drakken. She used many advanced gadgets given to her from her entrusted tech fancy friend, Wade. She used many things like a laser in the shape of lipstick and sunglasses that were used to find the evil Drakken in the dark. Now, our CIA doesn't have fancy lasers in the shape of lipsticks or anything like that, but our technology is efficient in finding the terrorists.
     Even though our CIA is trying their best to protect us from terrorists attacks, there are a few citizens that believe we should not use these tactics on criminals suspected of terror. One woman said in a poll she was asked to do, "The U.S. is not supposed to be that way. We are not like other countries that do torture" (4). There is much controversy whether or not our country should continue to allow our government to keep these methods. But one thing that citizens are thankful for, whether they agree or disagree, is that our government is very open in discussing these topics  with us.
The CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia
    Our government has the full ability to hide this information. They hid the conspiracies on Area 51 and many other things, but not this. President Obama decided to release this information to the public in December of 2014 (5). He believed that it was the right thing to do for the tax-paying citizens of this country, and Senator McCain- President Obama's former opponent agreed. Senator McCain stated to President Obama, "The truth is sometimes a hard pill to swallow. It sometimes causes us difficulties at home and abroad. It is sometimes used by our enemies to haunt us. But the American people have the right to know it, nonetheless" (6).
     Now whether or not you are for or against the CIA using these methods on suspected terrorists, it is important to remember that they are doing everything in their power to protect us from foreign and domestic enemies. It's just like how Kim Possible is protecting her beloved friend, Ron Stoppable and his naked mole rat, Rufus. She did everything in her power to protect them, to let no harm get near them and luckily she achieved that goal through many horrific circumstances. No matter what attack, the CIA is ready and in full effect to protect us, no matter the lengths they have to endure.


1. Ross, B. & Esposito, R. (2005, November 18). CIA's harsh interrogation techniques described. ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/
2. U.S. Senate. (2008). Coercive interrogation techniques: do they work, are they reliable, and what did the FBI know about them?. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office
3. Singh, A. (2013). Globalizing torture. New York, NY: Open Society Foundations
4. Goldman, A. & Craighill, P. (2014, December 16). New poll finds majority of americans think torture was justified after 9/11 attacks. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/
5. Jackson, D. (2014, December 9). Obama condemns past interrogation techniques. USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/
6. McCain, J. (2014, December). Floor statement by senator john mccain on senate intelligence committee report on CIA interrogation methods. Retrieved from http://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2014/12/floor-statement-by-sen-mccain-on-senate-intellegence-committee-report-on-cia-interrogation-methods





 

GPS Tracking

Have you ever wondered how your parents can find a way to get anywhere without having to use a map or even ask for directions? Well it's actually quite simple! All your parent's have to do to find directions is put the address they want to go to into a device called a GPS. A GPS gives you a picture of the street you are on and where to go next. It gives you step by step directions until you get to where you want to be. To use GPS you can use different devices such as a handheld GPS, a cell phone or a software in your parents car. Here to help you navigate your way through this blog is Gene who is willing to help you understand how GPS's were first created and used.

Hello all! My name is Gene and you can see a picture of myself with a GPS off to your right. I am here to help make your stop here a little easier.

ALL ABOARD- STOP ONE

To start our tour, we are going to begin with some background information on how the GPS was first created! To start, the United States Navy first created and tested the GPS in 1960. They started out small in this phase with only five satellites in the satellite system that orbited the earth at all times (1). When the Navy's ships were out at sea, they would send their location to the closest satellite which would then read the information and send it to the Navy base. By getting the location of the ships out at sea, it let the Navy officers know where their ships were and if the men on them were safe and sound from harm.

When the GPS was first created, only the Navy was allowed to use it. It wasn't until 23 years later that the government let citizens, like you and I, use it (1). Since the citizens have been able to use the GPS, life has been made easier for everyone. When it first came out to everyone, GPS was first used for packages. Large company's like Walmart or Amazon would put a GPS tracking device on a package before sending it out to the receiver (2). This helped not only the company but also the buyer in knowing where there package was in the process of getting to them, as well as letting the company know if the package was lost during the process or if it arrived safely to the buyer.

STOP TWO

Next on our tour, we are going to look at how the GPS has influenced us in today's world. My generation, as well as yours, are surrounded by technology at all times. Whether you use your cell phone or a computer, you are able to access a GPS. Most, if not all, cell phones come with a GPS tracking device already downloaded in the phone. This means that if you find yourself lost, you have the right technology to find your way to where you want to go just as long as you have your cell phone handy. If you have never used the GPS on your phone, the picture to the left gives you a sense of how it works. The GPS gives you a picture of where you are and where you want to go and gives you the easiest way to go about it.

STOP THREE- FINAL DESTINATION

Our third and final stop on our tour is a recap of what we talked about on todays adventures. The GPS was first created in 1960 by the United States Navy and has since helped and benefited everyone since. Although it was restricted from the use of citizens up until 1983, it has grown into a useful device. Now we use it for many different reasons such as getting directions. Well, everyone, I hoped you liked your tour with us today and hope you come back soon!


Resources:
(1) "History of GPS- Mio Technology." History of GPS- Mio Technology. N.p., N.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2015
(2) Xu, Dawei., Deng, Leilei., & Ren, Shan. (2014). Development of Logistics Tracking System Based on RFID, GPS, GPRS. Applied Mechanics and Materials, 644-650, 5717-5720. doi: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.644-650.5717

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Being Safe, Don't talk to Stranger?

Figure 1: Jay-Jay the Jet Plane 
Can you imagine how many young kids like yourself end up missing because all they wanted to do was have FUN without adult supervision. Having FUN is great to do to enjoy yourself but you also need to know consequences that could happen if you are not with an adult.In your school you might have safety procedures you do for practice such as a fire drills, or doing shelter in place, BUT "HOW CAN YOU BE SAFE OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL?" Well kids, I have some tips for you and a story about Jay-Jay the jet plane (See Figure 1) and what he could of have done on how he could of stayed SAFE AWAY FROM STRANGERS later on, but first I want to chat for a second. 
Every school board district is required to have a police system set up to help keep you and your peers safe from predators, violence, and disturbance within your community. However this does not mean that there is always going to be a school polices officer watching every second of the day because they also have other duties around the school that they need to be aware about. They are the protectors of your school. You are probably thinking, "Well, I already know that", but my question is, do you follow them? One thing that your school officer pressures to students like yourself is for everyone to go and get home safe. So of you guys say your going home but don't actually go home. You may not feel in danger in the moment when you are going out to hang with your friends but did you know that there is NEARLY 700 KIDS or MORE that go missing or killed each day (Postma, B). You have to keep in mind about what wrong actions  can do to you if you don't follow the rules when you leave school for the day. Here is some rules you should at least know after leaving for dismissal in case you were not informed.      

RULES FOR WALKING HOME FROM SCHOOL:
1. Always walk home with a buddy or partner.
2. Go straight home. Find a route that gets you home quicker.
3. Keep your phone in handy in case of an emergency.
4. When crossing the street, always cross at the corner, if one is near.
5. Always wait for the crossing guard to tell you that you can cross the street.

The little thing we take for granted sometimes and its often with our lives. Why do we do that to ourselves? Could you imagine if there was any school police, or crossing guards helping you cross the street. Imagine how you would feel if some random stranger would just walk into school and start raiding it. Would you feel safe?
One thing my mother always taught me, is to NEVER, EVER  to speak to stranger because you can get kidnapped. This is what happened to my friend Jay-Jay.

Figure 2: Jay-Jay and his friends
My friend Jay-Jay over to the left (See Figure 2), who is the blue Jet had almost had a crash int he middle of the Pacific Ocean after leaving school because he decided one day, he was not going to go straight home to the airport after leaving pilot school for his training. Instead he went to go fly around with some friends after school because their parents let them do it. One thing Jay-Jay did not do was to inform his parent where he would be. Jay-jay and his friends where flying around for hours playing freeze tag and hide and seek. They were having so much FUN, they lost track of time but after a while they all noticed the sun was starting to set. Jay-Jay wanted to play one more round of hide and seek and they all agreed. Since Jay-Jay suggested one more round of hide and seek, his friends said he had to be it but he didn't mind. As Jay-Jay started counting, his friend thought that it would of be a great idea if they went home back to the airport where he would find them. They both told Jay-Jay to count to fifty very slowly and to don't go no where, then they flew home. As he was counting, he started to feel rain drops on his heads and the clouds started darkening up. Then there was a big thunder bolt that came from the sky and Jay-Jay started to get scared. He yelled for both of friends but little did he know they both left and went back to the airport. The rain started to pick up and Jay Jay finally gave up look for them and started to fly back. The sky was so dark that he could not see anything.
Jay jay could not see ahead of him so he started flying lower so he could land. He spotted a green plane below that looked upset. Little did he know that he was evil. His name was "Shift Change", the evil plane. He changes color when he uses different emotions. When Jay-Jay spotted him, he was a green looking plane as seen in Figure 3
Figure 3 Shift-Change: the evil plane that can change colors.
. Jay-Jay wanted see if everything was okay. Jay-Jay introduced himself and then he asked was he okay. Shift-Change responded and said, "It 's very nice to meet you Jay-Jay. My name is Cory. I almost out of oil. You don't happen to have any extra to spare". Shift-Change lied and told Jay-Jay that his name is Cory to keep his self under cover. See Shift-Change didn't like planes who were blue because that was only color he couldn't change into. As he was talking to Jay-Jay he was planing on kidnapping and get rid of him. Jay-Jay said, "Yeah, I do actually do have some extra oil in my tank that you can have, but I will give it to you only if you could help me find my way back to my airport because I am lost". Shift-Change agreed to do it. He wanted Jay-Jay to give him most of his oil so that he could run out. Shift-changer convince Jay-Jay to give him even more oil because he told him that they were not too far from his home. Jay-Jay only gave up the extra oil because Shift said that they was close to his home. He could refill his tank back up when got back home. Jay-Jay said, "Yeah, I can do that. That would not be a problem". The rain started to slow up so Shift told Jay-Jay, "Let get ready to depart so I can get you back". Jay-Jay said, "Okay Cory, lets go". As they where flying in the sky, Shift started asking Jay-Jay so many personal questions such as what is his tracking number his plane, where do he keep his chip from tracking him, and where does he keep the emergency switch on his plane. Jay-Jay became a little suspicious because of all the weird questions he was asking but he assumed that he was being concerned that something happened. An hour had passing by and Jay-Jay light from his fuel tank came on. Shift-Changer started to get excited and said that they were almost their. Shift started fly Jay-Jay toward the Pacific ocean. Jay-Jay started to get worried because none of his surrounding looked familiar. Then Jay-Jay asked, "Hey Cory, are you sure were are going the correct way". Shift said, "Yeah, you
Figure 4  Shift-Change:Turning red and looking evil.
trust me, don't you". He said, "Yeah, but this does not look like the way back to my Airport". He responded and said, "Well that is because we are on the other side, we have to fly across to the other side". Jay-Jay asked, "Well how are supposed to get across if I'm almost out of oil". Shift did not respond. Shift started slow up, and he turned into a red villain (See Figure 4) with pointy teeth. He charged towards Jay-Jay and shift bit off his engine and said, " I was never helping you find your way back home. All I want was your oil fool". Jay-Jay came crashing down almost landing into the ocean but military planes came to rescue him. What Shift-Changer didn't know was because they were flying in the air for more than hour and it was raining, the military cautious about it. What Shift also forgot that there was is a military base close to the Pacific. Shift-Changer was arrested and taken into custody by the "United States Plane Government" for kidnapping.
If the the Military jets didn't save Jay-Jay. He would still be Missing. If Jay-Jay had went home first to let his parents that he was home safe, he would had to go through this situation. He could of asked his parent after he got home, could he go hang out with his friends. At least your parent would aware who and where he would be. This is all apart of learning how make smart, wise choices. You have to think, "If you do something, will there be a consequence behind it". It's all about being safe and learning responsibility. If you want to find out more information how you can be more safe, you can log on to http://www.safetynetkids.org.uk/school-safety/ and this will give you resources to do so. Kids always remember to always be aware of your surrounding and do not trust everyone who you talk to. Try to avoid the conversation unless you know them. One thing I want to leave you guys with is method from this website. It is called, "Stop, Think, Go"(See Figure 5). Always remember, stay safe, and don't talk to STRANGERS!!!!!
Figure 5: "Stop, Think, Go" tips of how to be safe.



Reference:

Postma, Brady, N/D, How many people are kidnapped each day in the US?, Retrieved from http://www.quora.com/How-many-people-are-kidnapped-each-day-in-the-US

N/D, April 23, 2015, "9368" Retrieved from
http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120213201851/creepypasta/images/6/60/9368.jpg

N/D, April 23, 2015, " Jay Jay the Jet Plane - Episode 4 - Snuffy's first day of school", Retrieved from
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pCKQhVzqXy4/hqdefault.jpg

N/D, April 24, 2015, "Angry Plane", Retrieved from
http://www.clker.com/cliparts/b/8/7/f/134195069728401234Angry%20Airplane.svg

N/D, April 24, 2015, "Cartoon Plane Isolated on white with flag of France", Retrieved from
http://t1.ftcdn.net/jpg/00/38/36/40/400_F_38364023_7DbIn9FXGpfP43IvQNBQoiErIBA6UYPS.jpg

Safenetkid.org Staff, N/D, April 4, 2015, Retrieved from
http://www.safetynetkids.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/stop-think-go.jpg


The Patriot Act



How does our government protect us?

Figure 1
     As citizens of the United States we have a lot to be thankful for. One big thing we can all appreciate today is how our government keeps us safe from our nations enemies. It wasn't until September 11, 2001 that our country realized just how much damage our enemies could do to us. Figure 1 pictures the tragedy in which nearly 3,000 people were killed from a terrorist attack on New York City. Immediately following this our government knew it had to change some things to ensure an attack like this would never happen on the United States again. The answer they came up with was something known as the Patriot Act. 
Figure 2 
    The Patriot Act is an act of congress that allows the government to protect me and you from terrorist attacks better. Before 9/11 there were certain tools that the government had to protect us. Think of this protection as an average size umbrella that someone would walk with. Now after the Patriot Act was passed think of this umbrella growing substantially to allow for better protection, like in figure 2. The tools in which the government can now use to protect us have grown substantially. One of the these tools is the governments use of new surveillance techniques. Basically, the government can watch over what people are doing in our country very well now. If someone is suspected of plotting an attack on the United States, law enforcement agencies can monitor their emails, text messages, and even phone calls. The Patriot Act aims to prevent attacks before they can happen. In addition, this act also allows law enforcement access to records. For example, say the cops suspect a guy named Bob is trying to learn about airplanes because he may steal one. The cops can go into the library and demand the records of which books Bob checked out to see if hes reading up on airplanes.



Figure 3 
In addition did you know besides plotting attacks, terrorists also try to hurt our country by stealing money from our nations banks? This is why the Patriot Act has a money laundering section as well. Money laundering is a term that describes crimes that deal with money. The Patriot Act changed the way banks and financial institutions run. They now have to monitor accounts more closely and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement. It mainly aims to spot international crimes. Imagine if a hacker in a different country hacked into one of your parents bank accounts and stole all the money just by using a computer. The Patriot Act helps ensure crimes like these don't happen.

Growing up in the United States we should all appreciative what our  government is doing to keep us safe from terrorists.  Every second of the day someone, somewhere is keeping an eye on whats going on in the United States. The Patriot Act is working great. Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, nothing near this scale of an attack has occurred on our country. Our countries enemies still try to bring harm on us, but with the Patriot Act in place they will have a very hard time succeeding. 
 

References 

Figure 1, http://www.news.com.au/world/pictures-of-911-that-show-you-why-you-should-never-forget/story-fndir2ev-1226717187453

 Figure 2, http://www.subbota.com/2015/03/18/esli-zavtra-potop/

Figure 3, http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2014/12/11/austins-bank-break-down-the-biggest-and-most.html