The Amish Project

Jake Reilly is a 24-year-old copy writing student at the Chicago Portfolio School, where he also works and lives. From October to December Jake decided that he didn't like how necessary his virtual life was becoming to him, so he decided to cut himself off for 3 months. Reilly cut off his cell-phone completely, and limited his computer usage to online bill paying and nothing else, including work. Along with these things he didn't use an iPod or any other version of technology.
Reilly says that one of his motivations for doing the Amish Project was that his roommates and him had some friends from New York come to stay with them, they only get to see them about once a year and while they were together all any of them did was use their computers or cell phones, or iPods. This was absolutely appalling to Reilly, he did not understand how him and his friends went from being so excited to see each other once each year, to barely spending any time together while they were together and not even caring that they didn't.
What do you think.Would you be able to cut yourself off from technology for 3 months? Would you be able to find new ways to communicate with people, face to face? There is no hiding behind machines and avoiding people, if you need to talk to them it will either be in letter form or face to face. Do you think that its normal that everyone is using technology too much? Would you try and change your habits?

Change the Tax rate

Mitt Romney made 24.7 million dollars last year and had a tax rate of about 15%, while the average person has a tax rate of about 30%. Now you tell me how is this fair? You take a poll of some of the richest or highest paid politicians, and just general people for that matter and find out their tax rate. Now compare it to the average tax rate of the working class, big difference huh?

                You tell me, how is it fair that the highest paid people in America have the lowest tax rates, while the people who need their hard earned money to put their kids through school, or pay their mortgage are stuck paying around 30% to taxes. I’m not implying that these upper-class people aren’t good people or don’t understand what it’s like to have to pay to put your kid through school, or pay a mortgage, or that they don’t care, I am simply saying that it needs to change. If you want a lower tax rate for yourself or even just a fairer one, then contact your local representative, or get involved. Let people know how you feel, get the word out and change it, because you shouldn’t be stuck with high taxes unable to pay for your home while some wealthy man just throws his money away at whatever he likes, not worrying a single bit about taxes.

Keep our voices loud

Wikipedia is closed for the day. Its Wednesday January 18 and Wikipedia along with a few other websites, including Google have "closed their doors" for the day in protest of new laws going through the House and Senate.The PIPA or Protect Intellectual Property Act bill is going through the senate right now, as the SOPA or Stop Online Piracy Act is going through the house. These bills are both designed to stop the sales pirated American products overseas.These bills both have the support they need from the film and music industries, but they have yet to gain the support of the internet, as you can see by today's protests.
Wikipedia and Google, along with many other internet sites believe that these bills would hurt the industry and infringe on the free speech of people, as well as threaten theses sites credibility. So what do you think? Do we need to stop these bills from being passed and save our freedom of speech, or do we let them silence our voices.
http://news.yahoo.com/wikipedia-editors-sites-blackout-120914984.html