Sunday, December 15, 2013

TOW #13

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/30/showbiz/actor-paul-walker-dies/

Paul Walker, star of the Fast and the Furious movie series, and a friend, Roger Rodas, died on November 30th, 2013, at around 3:30 PM, while they were on their way home from a charity event to help victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. The cause of death was a car crash, as the car (2005 Porsche GT) slid off of the road and into a light pole before bursting into flames. They were just meters from their destination, which was probably Rodas's shop. Multiple fire extinguishers were used to try to stop the flames from killing the two men inside the car, but they were trapped, and the flames continued to burn. The site was surrounded for hours by fans and curious onlookers for hours, and was later decorated with flowers to pay tribute to the actor. According to the press, Paul Walker was also a philanthropist, who would often give money to those in need. Recently, it was decided that all proceeds from the Fast & Furious franchise would go towards Walker's charity, Reach Out WorldWide.

TOW #12

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ap-gfk-poll-health-law-131659580.html

The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, was flawed in its institution according to many Americans. Rising premiums and deductibles have been blamed on the health care overhaul, which adds to Obama's list of problems. This list, including the functionality of the healthcare website, healthcare.gov, has been under America's spotlight recently. The overall turnout was the opposite of what the White House was expecting, as they were looking forward to a positive reaction from people as they saw how well the law would slide in to current society. Now, on the contrary, the Republicans are using it as another reason to pick at the Democratic party. The benefit, however, is that 11% of people who responded to a survey conducted by the Associated Press tried to sign up for healthcare that they were previously not able to. The survey was conducted via the internet, and the respondents were interviewed online.

TOW #11

http://news.sky.com/story/1181130/australia-gay-marriage-law-reversed-by-court

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25344219

Last Saturday, the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) passed a law that would guarantee same-sex partners marriage. Soon afterwards, the Australian High Court ruled unanimously against the ACT's ruling, saying that it was inconsistent with federal laws because in Australia's Marriage Act explicitly states that marriage can only be between one man and one woman. All of the couples who had been married on Saturday had their unions rendered invalid, which was heartbreaking, but, on the other hand, they did have the moment of marriage which some said was invaluable. Although this is a step backwards for Australia as a whole, the ruling is a baby step in the right direction because it cements the fact that the federal government controls marriage, not individual state governments, like in the United States.