Do I Have A Cell Phone Addicition?!?

Cell phone use in 2019:

• We have cell phones with us for roughly 16 hours a day
• On average, we check them 150 times per day
• 68% of us have them next to us while we sleep
• Each person sends on average 763 text messages per month
• 90% of texts are read within 3 minutes of receiving them

I was glancing through a list of statistics about the average cellphone use in recent years and all I could think was, 

"these stats seem really low... I definitely send more than 763 texts each month and unlock my phone more than 80 times each day"

This revelation raised the question, "am I addicted to my phone??"

So naturally, I reached for my phone to ask my friends if they feel the same way. Here are the results:

After reviewing the mixed results, I realized that most of my friends probably are addicted to their phones to some degree. While this sounds really bad, I believe that, as the world changes, humans must adapt and change with it. This technology is the main form of communication in today's world and there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of it. 

I acknowledge their are definitely dangers and issues to be wary of, such as texting and driving or being absorbed in one's phone while surrounded by friends or family. However, I believe that most people can find a good balance between cell phone use and in-person interactions.

Although I prefer to have my phone with me at all times, I know I can put it away and not use it if a situation requires it. Most people in my generation have this same mindset when it comes to their phones.

Looking at the statistics above, the growing addictions to cell phone use seem scary, but most people are aware of the issues and are able to use self-control. 

Source for stats: https://mobilecoach.com/8-surprising-cell-phone-statistics/

The Blame Game

An army of drones attacked Saudi Arabia's oil facilities on Saturday, September 14th, 2019. Because Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter, oil prices have sky-rocketed and Saudi Arabia's economy is under immense pressure. 

After the bombs exploded
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Yemen’s Houthi movement took responsibility

for this assault but the U.S. chose to ignore theirconfession. Instead, the United States government officials  pushed the Saudi Arabian government to blame Iran for the attack. In the end, the Saudi's accused Iran, to entice them into going to war and because the U.S. advised them to take this action. Responding to the harsh accusations, Iran denies involvement in the raid. 

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Despite having a strong military, Saudi Arabia seems totally unprepared to defend themselves against the drone attacks. Pushing for U.S. military involvement, President Donald Trump and other U.S. government officials announced the U.S.'s readiness to retaliate against Iran, possibly instigating war. 

While it is possible that Iran performed the attack, the U.S.'s eagerness to throw blame, when Yemen has already taken responsibility, raises suspicion.  In this situation, American's must ask several  difficult questions, which have answers they probably do not want to hear.

Why does President Trump want to go to war so badly?

Why did the U.S. and Saudi Arabia's governments choose Iran to blame? 

Why are the U.S. government officials eager to get involved in the tension of the Middle East?

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While we should assist our allies and countries that need military aid, we should not toss blame onto other countries to intensify tensions and start a war. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper claims the U.S. is only trying to "defend the international order” and promote peace but it seems they are antagonizing issues between countries and pushing to go to war with them.




Sources:
https://news.antiwar.com/2019/09/16/us-tells-saudi-arabia-iran-is-to-blame-for-drone-attacks/
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/saudi-arabia-aramco-oil-facility-attacked-what-makes-drone-attacks-so-dangerous-1600169-2019-09-17

Time to Re-Think Facebook?

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In today's society, social media rules the lives of most people, especially the individuals between the ages of 12 and 30. However, online sharing platforms also have a hold on the older generations. Below is the age distribution of Facebook users.

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While most users are middle aged, a significant amount of users are older and younger. 

With 1.59 billion people logging on every day, Facebook is one of the largest media sites of this age. Each minute, an average of 510,000 comments and 136,000 photos are posted.

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A UK researcher, Elliot Murray, uncovered a public database containing Facebook users phone numbers and names. This database is accessible to anyone with the correct IP address. Scammers could easily find and use this private information, along with the public information on facebook profiles to scam many individuals. Because the scammer has so much insider knowledge on each person, it is simple to trick him or her into believing the lies. 

Murray recommends that you set your account to private, if possible. Scammers are more likely to leave the private accounts alone and attack the public profiles, simply because it requires less effort.

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Sources: 

https://zephoria.com/top-15-valuable-facebook-statistics/

https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-user-phone-numbers-still-online/

The Evolution of The US Supreme Court

“The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme Court.”

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-The Constitution

The year is 1789. George Washington is President of the United States. Congress uses their Constitutional right to determine how the Supreme Court will be organized. The Legislative Branch passes the Judiciary Act of 1789, stating that six judges will make up the Supreme Court until they retire or pass away. Throughout the years, congress changes the number of judges in the Court various times. The current amount, nine, has been set for 150 years.

Trump's Supreme Court Justices

On August 3, 1791 the Supreme Court judged their first trial. It was an unexceptional financial case involving a farmer in debt. For the next century, the justices had to attend two circuit courts each year, due to the laboriousness of travel in that time. Since then, the amount of cases the Supreme Court holds per year has increased to 75-85.
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To decide which cases the Supreme Court accepts, the justices use the "Rule of Four." Four of the nine judges must believe the case has value. They assign this value bases on how the case will affect the entire country, instead of just the involved individuals. When taking on a such an impactful case, the Supreme Court sets a model that the lower courts must imitate. This precedent ensures that all people, independent of where they live, are judged equally and fairly. As the chief federal court in the United States, the Supreme Court plays a huge role in the lives of Americans, whether they realize it or not.

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Information Sources:

https://www.history.com/topics/us-government/supreme-court-facts

https://judiciallearningcenter.org/the-us-supreme-court/