The Green Team's Video Experience

By Bryan Alcala, Shannon Harmon, and Tammy Falcon

The Power of Social Media -- Yellow Team

Blue Team: A promising step towards human equality

By Hannah Roemer, Blue Team

On June 26, the Supreme Court made history when it demanded recognition of same-sex marriages in states where it is legal and overturned California’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage.

 

These new legislations marked the start of a bright future for the gay community. More than 1,100 federal rights will be granted to gay couples married in states that recognize their unity.

 

But this promising progress is marred by the rest of the nation’s resistance to the oncoming changes. A majority of the states remain unmoved by the Supreme Court’s new rulings and gay couples wishing to relocate to unsympathetic states will not receive the same benefit as heterosexual couples.

 

In the past, being considered homosexual was an insult and to practice it meant instant social exclusion. But in this day and age, individuals can declare their preference in partner without fear of shame or rejection. Despite this new conception of gay people, gay marriage is still firmly condemned in most parts of the country.

 

Although the U.S. has a clear separation of church and state, religion seems to play a key role in the continuation of prohibited gay rights. But by condemning same-sex marriages, the church only helps make a martyr of the gay community. Instead of rebuking the cause, they could sort through the issue with love and respect, therefore promoting their own beliefs.  

 

Contrary to popular belief, Americans would actually benefit economically if same-sex marriage was legalized. There are approximately 9 million gay people in the United States. Marriage and divorce industries would have a drastic increase in clientele if these people were allowed to wed.  

 

Thirty states remain hostile toward the legalization of gay marriage, but the only realistic argument against it is a matter of moral opinion. People should not be denied the right to marry a loved one because of someone else’s moral obligation. The Supreme Court’s ruling is a promising step towards human equality but for now the closet is firmly closed.

Blue Team: Needed change on climate change

By  Whitney Wright, Blue Team

Change is coming on the issue of climate change.

In President Obama’s second inaugural speech, he promised that he will do more regarding the issue of climate change.  Climate change is a lasting disruption of weather patterns  caused by types  of pollution such as carbon monoxide released from fossil  fuels.

In Jacksonville and other coastal areas, the sea level is rising. Ice from the glaciers melting causes the levels to become higher than usual. Way higher than usual!

It’s an issue we as a nation are facing, epically for the upcoming generation. Obama said “ I refuse
to condemn your generation and future generations to a planet that’s beyond fixing.” From this step
forward, he plans on keeping his word and taking action to this issue.

“As a president, as a father, as an American, I’m here to say we need to act.” Obama stood tall as
he spoke to an audience at Georgetown University as he talked about his plans on how we’re facing the issue of climate change. He plans on taking immediate action by taking care of the controls over  the existing and new power plants that produce carbon dioxide.

Obama listed the United States  as a leading country that will help in the advances and solutions on what we can do to help clean and clear our earth and prevent more damage from happening.  Challenges Obama will face is limits on power plants will be faced in court and as well as the process of carrying out the plan itself.

We could all help in the change by doing the simplest things such as limiting the use of our resources. Later we will all be thankful for trying to contribute to stopping the madness we’re all facing.

Together we can all help and support in the change on climate change.

The New Camaraderie Within Journalism (Red team)

By Anika Henager and Gianna Doxey

We were anxious to gain insight about the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications along with 60 other high school students packing the Gannett Auditorium in Weimer Hall.
Speakers ranging from students and professors to Dean Diane McFarlin encouraged a sense of enterprise for multimedia communication.
As two aspiring telecommunications majors, we liked how they showed the technical aspects and wide reaching impact of each form of media.
We explored the one-year-old , state-of-the-art Innovation News Center discovering there are more communication outlets to reporting. We learned from Student Experiences Coordinator Renee Gork “It’s no longer a set track of Print, Radio, or Television.”
All three mediums are connected through digital media advancements.
“The mastery of audio, imagery and the written word all intertwine to become the ultimate multimedia journalist,” she said.

Two budding telecomunication journalists.

We were eager to begin our assignment as proud Red Team members, but first we wanted to further explore the facility.

During an engaging half-hour conversation, Selapak reassured us that “no one is limited by physical traits or location,” and that every skill can be learned and every obstacle can be overcome.
Furthermore, he informed us of the true duty of all Telecommunication majors of all concentrations: to come together to produce a final product for the good of informing the American people.
It was a learning smorgasbord for us throughout the program. We love the UF College of Journalism and Communications.

Blue Team: Gay marriage means equal rights for all

By Amber Woodard, Blue Team

The Supreme Court decisions on gay marriage this week are positive steps as public opinion moves towards the idea of same-sex couples getting married.

Though the battle for same-sex marriage has been going on for years, Congress has been fighting to keep gay marriage illegal. Despite the actions of Congress, 13 states, such as Iowa and Rhode Island, have passed laws allowing same-sex couples to marry. It would also give them the same benefits of married couple.  

Congress has made arguments like gay marriage ruins the institution of marriage. Congress fears that if gay marriage becomes legal in the U.S. that it would encourage other countries to also allow same-sex marriage.

The public is leaning towards the idea of same-sex marriage. It seems more people are coming out and admitting they are gay.

The Congress is about equal rights for citizens of the U.S.  Citizens in the country are gay but are treated unequal for the people the people they want to be with.

The thought of marriage between same sex couples is growing in the eye of the public. So Congress’s views should grow as well and allow gay marriage.

 

Blue Team: Don't sweat Obama's climate change plan

By Yvonne Bertovich, Blue Team 

Attempting to come across as a superhuman force, the valiant chief executive of the USA is back, this time in a short-lived and aggressive battle against the entity of climate change, whose utter existence is still debatable.  Despite the support from scientists and Earth-enthusiasts, however, President Obama is still sweating. 

Such perspiration is stemming from perhaps a variety of sources, and no, not any of them are truly reflective of a heating planet. 

The president delivered his latest plan of action to save Mother Earth and “future generations” in the heat of June, in the middle of the day.  The reason why Obama had to remove his suit jacket was not due climate change, it’s something called summer.  It’s something called the sun.  These two notions are actually conceptually and scientifically backed, and have been for hundreds if not thousands of years.

Perhaps somewhere, beneath the unwavering exterior and the “before it’s too late” battle cry, Obama is sweating because he is fearful of opposition.  Perhaps he is fearful of actually having to react to opposition. 

He claims that, “I refuse to condemn your generation and future generations to a planet that’s beyond fixing,” which sounds incredibly noble albeit incredibly vague as well.

Such condemnation, according to Obama, is the continuation of coal-powered facilities and affiliations, as well as carbon pollution.  However, such leaps, especially when preached by someone who has incredible power yet little real scientific education; there is an awful lot of artful speculation.

The speculation continues in terms of the Keystone XL and the nation’s need for oil, not to mention a growing wish to avoid entangling foreign dependencies.  Obama in stating, “Our national interest would be served only if this project does not significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution,” he is essentially suggesting that we won’t know the results unless we try, but the thing is, something will come up and we never will try. If Obama really wanted the Keystone XL to be put in place, it would have happened already.

He is calling for sweeping steps and reforms to revolutionize power and production in this country, yet we barely have the resources to support current needs.

In regards to climate change as whole, how does Obama know, or how do Obama’s sources know that global heat isn’t cyclical?  Some scientists claim that these are the hottest temperatures and most extreme weather occurrences in 100 years.  What about what happened 101 years ago, or before records?

Scientifically backed or not, environmentally sound or not, superhero Obama’s latest battle against climate change and attempt to save everyone and their mother and their Mother Earth has already been brushed aside for his random visit to Africa.  Hopefully, for the President’s sake, it’s a bit cooler there. 

Like any real results coming out of this recent push against coal and carbon, and demands for cleaner, incredibly expensive energy, it’s highly doubtful.