Workout Tips

Fitness is one thing that people either love or hate. Everyone has different goals, strengths, weaknesses, level of experience and body types. I enjoy working out, therefore, I workout a lot and I work at a gym. I have had five years experience of weightlifting due to high school athletics and personal motivation. I want to share some of my experiences and things that I find helpful, in hope that they can help someone else. 

1) Goal:

The first step in your fitness experience is determining why you are working out. It is important to determine this goal because it will help in establishing your workout plan. For example, a person looking to gain strength and a person looking to get toned will have a different plan. As a general precursor, when looking to gain strength, the weight will be heavy and the reps will be low. For a person looking to get toned, their weight will be low with high reps. 

2) Planning:

The planning step is vital to your fitness. Starting off with fitness is something you have to take slowly. If you attempt to workout 7 days a week, chances are you will burnout and give up. I would suggest starting with 3-4 days a week with one day of rest/recovery in between. This will allow your body to heal and allow your mind to process the changes your body is going through.

Proper sit-up Technique

3) Misconception:

There are a few misconceptions of fitness that need to be clarified. If you are prepping for spring break and attempting to get the perfect set of abdominals, doing 1000 sit-ups is not what you want to do. Yes, this is not the way to get the toned body you want. Cardio is the most important aspect when you are trying to tone your core. High-intensity cardio will get rid of your unwanted fat and weight. Of course, you do need to do some abdominal exercises, but these are not the only things that you need to do. What happens when only abdominal exercises are performed is that the muscle is built underneath the layers of fatty skin. This creates strong muscles, but not a toned body.

4) Misconception:

Many people think that they need to pay for a trainer or go out to GNC and buy supplements to get fit. These are plausible options that could enhance your fitness experience, but they are not necessary and they can become costly. Trainers are motivators and a great source of advice and experience. They will tell you what to do, how many to do, and they will hopefully push you to your limit. Supplements are a great way to increase your gains in the gym. Pre-workout supplements can get you focused and pumped up before your workout begins. Post-workout

supplements allow your muscles to grow and recover faster because of the great proteins and nutrients that it puts into your body. I would suggest any sort of Whey protein to use as a post-workout. Pre and post-workout supplements are the most basic supplements that people can take. When you get more advanced in your program you can begin to look into supplements such as creatine, bed-time supplements, and nutrition packs. 

5) Rest:

 One thing it took me personally long enough to realize is that rest is beneficial to your muscles. Actually, taking even up to a whole week off is beneficial. In one week, you will not lose your strength, tone, or endurance. Having a whole week to grow allows your muscles to fully recover. When working out, muscles are actually torn and then they recover by growing back together.

6) Eating:

 Eating. Eating. Eating. This is one of the MOST important things to do when you begin your fitness life is to watch what you eat. Fast food is not ideal when you are trying to make a change in your life. Eating healthy is super hard, for me personally, it is harder to do that the everyday exercising (which is pretty intense). You want to eat foods that are natural, not processed, high protein foods, low sugar/sodium foods, and fruits. Foods such as eggs, chicken, beef, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and sweet potatoes are all great sources of proteins. Eating things such as bread, candy, and chocolate are ALLOWED! Yes! You can actually eat some of your favorite things - pizza, pop, and ice cream. These are foods that you can eat in moderation. You can eat these foods as long as they are not something you eat everyday.

CAUTION: Video is gruesome.

7) Socialize: 

Socializing at the gym is highly beneficial. There are so many things that can come from having friends in an environment like the gym. Having regular people that you enjoy seeing, at a place that is not the most fun in the world is good. It makes the gym bearable for some people who have something to look forward to. Also, when you are performing some exercises, having a person who can "spot" you while exercises. A spotter is a person who watches over you while performing an exercise with weight that you make not possibly be able to perform the maximum number of repetitions. They can assist in you finishing these repetitions if you are not able to do so on your own. Some of the best exercises - bench press, squat, and types of press exercises - are not capable of being done to the maximum potential without a spotter. These exercises can actually be dangerous if the spot is not done properly.

He came, he conquered.

Restaurant Reviews - Hamburger Style

Bates' Burgers truly are better. Bates' features sliders that you can bang out quickly. The service is always top of the line which helps their foot-track flow quickly. The diner is a little on the small side, which is rather odd for their massive business. Many people choose carry-out because of this factor. Personally, eating in is the best because the food is always served hot, fast, and cooked to perfection. The wait-staff is friendly and you will never see any of them slacking. Bates' Burgers is located in Livonia and Farmington Hills. Their prices are not too high either. This is a place that you can easily order four burgers, fries, and a shake and walk out with some cash left in your pocket. There are other options at Bates' such as hot dogs, chili, and breakfast. If in the area, this is a must-have meal. This place gets crazy, busy around lunch time so be careful when you decide to venture out, because like mentioned before, the small seating gets filled up fast.

Locations

All of the FREE Toppings

Five Guys hamburger joint is one of the top burger places on any given evening. Their menu includes hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, french fries and an unbelievable amount of soft drink options. They have a soft drink vending machine that has coke products, juices, and even gatorades, with every flavor that each drink comes in. Also, these refills are unlimited and free. When you walk to to Five guys you will be greeted by one staff member at the register ready to take your order. As you stroll up to the menu above, you will notice boxes of freshly imported potatoes and peanuts. Little do many people know, the peanuts are free and anyone is allowed to grab a handful of them to snack on while they eat. Throughout the restaurant there are reviews posted all over the walls. Also, next to the register you will see a city name posted. This name tells you where the potatoes that they are using for the day have been imported from. Once you are ready to order, the worker at the register will ask you what you would like. After you order they will turn around and inform the chef how many patties to put on the grill. You are able to watch your food cooked and prepped at every step in the process. After your burger has been cooked by one of the workers, it is passed along, in conveyer-belt fashion to the condiment station. Another worker puts the requested condiments on each burger. Also,

if you have ordered fries, you will see that they are cooked fresh in front of your eyes. Ordering a large french fries means that you get a massive cup of fries, plus they put an extra amount of fries in the bag with your fries and burgers; this is enough for three people to share. As the name of the restaurant shows, there are 5 guys (females as well) working at once. The fifth member of the crew is responsible for walking around the restaurant bussing tables and making sure the place looks clean. Five Guys is a tad expensive, but the return is worth it. Most burgers are double which means you get double the meat. This is a great restaurant if you want the bang for your buck.

Miller's is my second favorite place around Dearborn that I love to get a classic burger from. This bar is located on Michigan Avenue just East of Telegraph road. This bar is a favorite for all because of their special features. Miller's Bar is no ordinary hangout for people to come and have some brewskis. When you order a Miller's burger you get a fresh ground round with the option of swiss or velveeta cheese. The velveeta cheese is one thing that makes this bar so special. I am not sure if you have ever had a slice of melted velveeta cheese on your burger, but in my opinion, it is one of the best slices of cheese you can have. Also, this burger is served on a square piece of wax paper, another thing that is unique to this location. After you have finished your meal, you do not even need to wait for the check. That is right, NO CHECK!! You still have to pay, but you do so by heading up to the 

barman and telling him what you had to eat, honor code people! To go along side with your burger, Miller's also servers their onion rings (my personal favorite) and the classic 'burger and fries'. There are also a variety of sandwiches that you can order. During lent Miller's has a fish sandwich for those fasting. Other sandwich options include grilled chicken, corned beef, and grilled cheese. Do not take just my word for it; Miller's has consistently been ranked as one of the best burger joints around. Sites like Fox, WXYZ, and the Detroit Free Press have all done reviews on Miller's.

10 Most Storied Franchises in History (Updated)

In sports there is always a debate about who is the best. This is something that is so hard to define and determine a true "best" because of the roles and impacts that so many players make on their respective sports. Not only do fans argue about who the best players are, but even more so about which team is better. Fan's pride for their team plays a role in their opinions. People take a few specific factors in to their point, such as the amount of times a team has won a championship, the number of appearances, the athletes who play in these games, and also how long their franchise has been around. This list will be comprised of solely 3 of the 4 major North American sports, simply because, I do not know enough about hockey to judge their franchises. (If I were to include hockey, I'd choose the hometown boys. Go WINGS!) Leaving out this tremendous sport for hockey, I will be picking 10 teams from baseball, basketball, and football.

"Big Ben"

10) Pittsburgh Steelers: The Pittsburg Steelers are a franchise that every fan hates, and every player wants to play for. At one point in time, they had the nastiest defense in all of sports. They were referred to by the name of the Iron Curtain. The Steelers have won 6 NFL Championship/Superbowl in their franchise's history. Some of the best players they have had play for them were Mean Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Rod Woodson, Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Franco Harris, and Chuck Noll. To highlight some of these players - Big Ben is the all-time leading passer, Hines is the all-time leading receiver, Harris is the all-time leading rusher, and Noll is the winningest coach in their history. These players and coaches have all contributed to why the Steelers are on this list. Their all time record is 580-524-20. They have a record of 6-2 in the final game of the season.

9) Chicago Bulls: 23. 23 is basically all that I have to write for this franchise. Alone Michael Jordan, #23, made this franchise who they are today. Yes, there were other players that were critical to their success, i.e. Scottie Pippen, Bill Cartwright, Steve Kerr, and especially Dennis Rodman. Scottie was the only player on any of the championship teams to be there for more than three of them. He was with Jordan for all 6 of the Bulls's Titles. Every time a player becomes a superstar in the NBA and people wonder, "GOAT" (Greatest of All Time), they must be compared to Jordan. Some of these players who have been linked to Jordan have been Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. Anytime that a discussion can be linked to your player, and your franchise, you will be a relevant and outstanding franchise. They did only win 6 Championships in their history, but that actually is third most all time, behind two other teams on this list. Also, he won those 6 titles in an 8 year span. Michael had a few famed dunks he performed in his career and in dunk contests.

Dunk Contest Jordan v. Wilkins

Red Sox Founding Fathers

8) Boston Red Sox: The Boston Red Sox rank at number 8 because of their history, longevity, and success in the post season. Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox, is the oldest MLB stadium in the Majors right now. It opened in 1912 and is now considered a jewel box stadium. A jewel box stadium is one that is a major foundation of the MLB history. Some of the greats to play for the Red Sox are Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Carl Yastrzemski, David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Cy Young, Roger Clemens, and Jim Rice - the list could go on for days. The Red Sox had a drought in their history where they did not win a World Series and this was known as the "Curse of the Bambino". This curse was when the Red Sox sold Ruth to the New York Yankees. This turned out to be one of the biggest mistakes in sports history. The curse was broken in 2004 when the Red Sox did something no one else in the baseball world had ever done. They came back from down 0-3 to beat the New York Yankees to advance to the World Series. This is one of the greatest feats in sports; it lead the Sox to their 6th of 8 World Series.

Young, Rice, Montana

7) San Francisco 49ers: The San Francisco 49ers had 2 of the greatest players of all-time. Jerry Rice and Joe Montana. The 49ers not only had one of the best quarterbacks of all-time, but they also had a replacement lined up to take his place. In sports, replacing a legend is the hardest thing to do. The 49ers did not have much of a problem doing this because Montana had Steve Young to replace him. Young came in and slung the pigskin around almost as good as Montana. Not only could they throw the ball, but they had one of the most physical teams in the NFL. This lead to the evolution and franchise style that would be put in place for years to come. The 49ers have won 5 of their 6 Superbowl appearances.

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Audition Show

6) Dallas Cowboys: Either you love them, or you hate them, there's no in between. The Cowboys have been known as "America's Team". They were given this name by the Vice President and editor-in-chief of the NFL Films, Bob Ryan. He gave them this nickname on account of that the Cowboys were always televised nationally and that wherever they played, fans had a 'Boys jersey on. The Cowboys can most commonly be remember by their "Big 3", similar to what type of roster they sported this year. Their Big 3 consists of a quarterback, a running back, and a wide receiver. Back in the late 80's-90's, the Cowboys Big 3 consisted of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith,and Michael Irvin. Currently, the Cowboys Big 3 consists of Tony Romo, Demarco Murray,and Dez Bryant. The Dallas Cowboys are also known for their cheerleaders. The DCC is one of the hardest NFL cheer teams to make. The Cowboys have a record of 5-3 in their 8 Superbowl Appearances.

Vintage Ozzie Backflip

5) St. Louis Cardinals: The Cardinals are a perennial World Series contender, but they always fly so low under everyone's radar. They are not a flashy team that needs media attention, or massive contracts. This was displayed especially when Albert Pujols contract came to an end a few years ago, and they did not resign him to a longterm deal. Everyone thought that they would be irrelevant after his departure, but they did intact remain stellar. They have been to the Championship series the last 3 seasons and to the World Series once in those three. They lost in the other 2 Championship Series to the future winners of the World Series, the San Francisco Giants. In their history the Cardinals have won the second most titles, 11. Some great Cardinals are: Chris Carpenter, Ozzie Smith, Stan Musial, Tony La Russa (manager), Albert Pujols, and Bob Gibson. 

4) Los Angeles Lakers: The LA Lakers are the 2nd basketball team ranked so far. They are on of the winningest teams in all of sports. They have won 16 NBA Championships. This number is slightly misleading. The LA Lakers have won 11 Championships, and the Minnesota Lakers won 5. All of these wins are credited to the Lakers franchise. Even if you only count the Los Angeles wins, they still rank second most all-time in franchise Championships. One thing that sets the Lakers apart from all of the other teams in sports is their big name players over the years. LA is one of the most desired places to play, as shown in who signs with them. The list of LA greats is rather long, so here is a condensed version of the greatest: Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain, James Worthy, Kareem Abdull-Jabbar, and Jerry West. These players all lead their teams to title wins and they are also ranked as some of the best NBA players in the history of the league!

3) Green Bay Packers: The Packers are the 4th and Final NFL team on this outstanding list. They rank at number 3 because of tremendous history, and current powerhouse rankings in the NFL. The Packers have returned to greatness with their dominant team that they send out every week. Overall, the Packers have a 4-1 record in the Superbowl. This is not the most wins or appearances in the Superbowl, but they are close to the others and they currently have a better team, which lands them this high. The Packers were one of the first teams to play in the NFL Championship game. Some of the best Packers have come from the quarterback position. The top three Packer Qb's are Bart Starr (won the 1st and 2nd ever Championship in NFL history), Brett Favre (the gunslinger), and current quarterback Aaron Rodgers (Favre's replacement). Not only do the Packers have some of the best players, they also have some of the best fans. Their fan base is also known as "Cheeseheads" and they have a patented touchdown celebration, "The Lambeau Leap", where the scoring player jumps into the stands.

A Ring for Every Finger

2) Boston Celtics: The Boston Celtics historically have been one of the most decorated Champions in all of sports. They have won the NBA Championship 17 times. This franchise is ranked so highly because of the streak that they had in the 60's. At one point in time, the Celtics won 10 straight titles! This is unheard of in the world of sports and is almost guaranteed to never be repeated. The amount of teams in the league was much smaller than it is now, but that is still no excuse for a decade of excellence. The key piece to this franchise can be tied down to one 6'10" giant, Bill Russell. Russell is possibly the greatest champion in all of sports. In all but 2 of his seasons of playing in the NBA, Russell won the Championship every season. Along with Russell, a few other stand-out Celtics would have to be (recent great) Paul Pierce, Sam Jones, John Havlicek, and Larry Bird. The Celtics franchise is most glorified for their success a few decades ago, but they did hoist the trophy in the 2008 season.

1) New York Yankees: The Bronx Bombers, The Pinstripers, The Evil Empire, Murderer's Row, The New York Yankees. Regardless of what you refer to that one team from the Bronx as, there is no other way to identify them as than as winners. This franchise has won the World Series 27 times! That is more than DOUBLE what any other team has won! The Yankees a lot of time were considered the bad guys because of the players on their team. They were called dirty players, cheaters, and straight up bad guys. Some people feel this way just because of how good the Yankees were. Their teams are always poised to strike for a title. Some of the all-time greatest players have worn the pinstripes. If I were to try and list the number of great players on their team, would would be here for days. A few of the ones that really attract the eye were: Ruth, Jeter, Rivera, Mantle, Gehrig, Berra, DiMaggio, Posada, Clemens, and R. Jackson. WOW! What a list. The Yankees even have a site for your personal "Greatest Yankees". This is a fun and interactive site. The Yankees are, and probably will be regarded as the best franchise is all of sports for a long time. They are leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else in the Championship category.

Retired Yankees Numbers

Most Prolific United States Serial Killers

#1 The Milwaukee Cannibal

Jeffrey Dahmer

Jeffrey Dahmer is most famously known as the Milwaukee Cannibal and is ranked number one on my list. Dahmer would rape, murder, dismember, and eat young men and boys. Jeffrey claims that he began his love for necrophila began when he turned 14. This is rather young, but given his family situation, it is highly possible that as a child he did things that would not be considered normal. He has been sentenced to having 17 victims. Dahmer recorded his first victim in June 1978 at his parents house. His first victim's name is Steve Hicks, a hitchhiker that Jeffrey found on the road. Jeffrey picked up Mr. Hicks, drove him to his parent's house and continued to drink beer and have sex. After Hicks tried to leave their house, Dahmer struck him on the head with a barbell and dismembered the body. He proceeded to place these body parts in ziplock bags that he would then take and bury in the backyard. This was Dahmer's only kill for a few years. After a brief two-year stint in the military (discharged for alcoholism), Dahmer returned to the woods where he dug up Hicks's body parts. He then smashed up these pieces into more parts and reburied them. Dahmer took his second victim from a gay bar in 1987. This was what is described as his hunting grounds. Jeffery would target primarily African-American, gay men at gay bars. He would take him to his grandmother's basement where he would promise sex and money. Jeffrey would drug and feed them enormous amounts of alcohol before strangling and murdering them. This is where his story gets weird. He most enjoyed having sex with the body's post-mortem. After finishing his desires he would cut the body up and put them in bags, sometimes keeping male genitals and skulls as trophies. Jeffery was in operation from 1978-1991 and was sentenced to fifteen life sentences. While serving his sentence Dahmer was murdered by an inmate.

Ted Bundy

#2 The Lady Killer

Electric Chair

Ted Bundy was given this nickname due to literal, and figurative meanings. A lady killer can be classified as a person with great charisma, charm, and good-looks. The literal meaning in Ted's case is that he killed only women. Ted was convicted of killing, raping (pre- and post-mortem), and disposing 35 women's bodies, but is believed to have possibly hit 100 plus victims. Ted had one of the craziest upbringing I have ever heard of. He was born an illegitimate child and to hide this, he was raised as an adopted child by his grandparents. They told him and others that his mother, was actually his sister. Bundy grew up with an interest in death and a fascination with knives. Bundy grew up with no killings until college when he met his ideal girlfriend. He became enraged when she broke up with him; many of his future victims resembled this girlfriend. Ted would lure his victims in to his car by acting like he was hurt and requesting their assistance. Throughout his life Bundy would move around the country. Everywhere he went women would go missing; the police began linking him to these murders when people came out saying, "a dark-haired man named Ted", was connected to the victims. Bundy had a crazy way of escaping from the law, sort of like the Houdini of serial killers. Ted escaped custody, through a cell, and from an courthouse. His final escape led him to the location where he would end his life, Tallahassee, Florida. In Tallahassee Ted snuck into a sorority and attacked four women, killing two. In 1989, Bundy was given execution via the electric chair. Ted, as odd as it sounds, became a rockstar during his trial. The American public found him compelling enough to create a movie called The Deliberate Strangler. Ted can be classified as one of the most glorified serial killers of all time due to his charm and good-looks. These characteristics caused many of his followers to believe that he was a normal human being.

#3 The Green River Killer

Gary Ridgway

Gary Ridgway, also known as The Green River Killer, ranks number three on this list. He is ranked number one because he is expected to have the largest body count of serial killers in the United States. Gary has been proven to have murdered 49 women, and has admitted that he had more than 90 women in total. These extra victims have not been proven yet, and it is believed to be a publicity ploy by Gary. The Green River Killer would prey on runaway females and prostitutes along the state Route 99 in South King County, Washington. Gary's tactics included a few steps; the first of these being he would abduct them along Route 99. He would then bring them back to his home and strangle them. Gary received his nickname because he left his beginning victims in what is now known as the Green River. Growing up Gary had a rough life. He was a serious bed-wetter. His mother would embarrass him in front of his father and brother. This was devastating to Gary's confidence which led to his difficult high school life. Gary's situation was rather interesting because of how religious he was. Despite his religious views on divorce, Gary had three different wives. Most of his divorces came about because of his strong will to have sexual relations. When he could not get what he wanted from his wives, he would seek out prostitutes to quench his needs. After Gary was done with the prostitutes services he would extinguish them. Gary is on the record for saying, "most of the time I killed them the first time I met them and I do not have a good memory of their faces. I killed so many women I have a hard time keeping them straight." This statement shows little remorse and that he was simply using these women fairly quickly for their sexual favors. Ridgway was acting from between 1982-2000. Gary was convicted in 2001 and sentenced with two life sentences after he made a plea deal with the judge to reveal where he was stashing bodies.

All-Star Game 2014

The starting lineups for this season's summer classic have been released. (American League & National League).

Considering this is an All-Star game, each team will have STACKED rosters; I believe that one team has the edge, though, this year. In my opinion, the National League has a stronger team this year.

Over the years the AL has been considered more of a hitters league, while the NL is predominately the league with tremendous pitching performances. It seems this year the NL has both. Their lineup is the most balanced it has been in the past five years, and they arguable have three of the best starting pitchers in the game right now (Kershaw, Cuteo, and Wainwright).

The American League lineup is not by any means a cake-walk for any NL pitcher. They have some strong players in that lineup. Miguel Cabrera, the best hitter in the MLB the past four seasons, will be batting cleanup in this lineup. He will be protected by Mike Trout, 3rd, and Jose Bautista, 5th. The table setters for these three big bats are Derek Jeter leading off and Robinson Cano in the two-hole. (Projected lineup spots)***

The "X-Factor" for the American League team will be Jose Altuve, when he gets in the game. This man has mad game. He can hit, field, and run the bases. When Altuve gets the chance to take his hacks, he WILL make them count. Any chance Altuve has to display his skills, he will take them. A single in the scorebook can turn into a double within a matter of seconds. Altuve is not in the starting lineup, but he could end up being the key to the AL's bid to win this game.

The National League will have a big game from Yasiel Puig, who I predict will be the ASG MVP. Puig will probably bat at the top of the lineup, two or three most likely, and he will play a starting outfield position. Defensively is why Puig will win the MVP. Yasiel has an unbelievable arm that will assist him in throwing out a runner one the bases in this game. He will also have a solid day at the play with a pair of hits, potentially a homerun.

As we have grown to know the importance of the All-Star Game, determining home-field advantage for the World Series, this is a game to be taken seriously now. As I stated earlier, I predict that the National League has the better team this year, therefore I feel that they will win this game 3-2, lead by Yasiel Puig offensively and defensively.

Minimum Wage, No Longer Minimum...?

Is a $10-15 minimum wage really the best answer to solving the present problems?

Michigan's minimum wage is currently at $7.40. Recent protests have been staged to raise the minimum wage up to $15.00. This large increase would be more than double what it already is.

People supporting this raise feel that this is a logically thing to do. In this blog I will tell you five reasons as to why I feel the minimum wage should not be raised.

The first reason addresses the fast food workers on strike. You work at a fast food restaurant. You are filling a job that is easily replaced by any commoner walking the streets. A degree or diploma is not required to work as a cashier, drive through operator, or patty flipper.

Secondly, working at a fast food restaurant is not going to make you rich. Typically, you work at one of these places because you can not get a better job. People do not grow up hoping they will work at the local McDonalds.

Adding on to the previous salary comment; you can not sufficiently support a family working at a place like one of these restaurants with a $7.40 minimum wage. With that being said, it sounds like I am advocating the raising of the minimum wage. I do not at all feel that way. I would tell a person who uses that as their argument that they should not have had so many kids or that they should work for a better job.

Also, with college being so expensive, young adults are beginning to look for jobs. If the minimum wage was raised to $15, a lot of kids would be swayed to apply for these jobs, forcing the current holders out of their jobs. If that were to occur, there would a big commotion about hiring all new workers. Employers could possibly be convinced to hire the youngsters who have interest in working, in addition to the same credentials, possibly better.

The fifth and final reason that the minimum wage should stay the same has a little more to do with society than the actual money. Fast food restaurants are not a good thing for our nation. They are a great concept, with many short term benefits such as: a quick-and-easy dinner, great taste, typically hot, etc., but there are also draw-backs. Fast food restaurants are causing our youth to be overweight. It is not healthy how much kids have gained in weight with all of the fast food at their fingertips. By raising the minimum wage, there would be no incentive to get rid of these types of places. It is an unrealistic goal to remove fast food from our growing world, but it is most definitely not a step in the right direction to encourage their growth.

United States of Secrets - Edward Snowden and Post-September 11th (UPDATED-5/15/14)

PBS aired a Frontline episode called "United States of Secrets". This episode was about the American government post-9/11 and their actions in dealing with surveillance.

They begin this showing by showing a computer screen displaying all of the documents that had been obtained. There are lists of different confidential documents, power points, pictures, and emails.

The people meeting with Edward were thrown off by the man they were meeting. They were expecting an older man, but instead were meeting a younger, skinny, student-like man. Also, meeting him in the hotel room was a little suspicious. They described that Snowden had pillows and blankets covering the doors so no one could listen in through the walls. This was a sign of danger for the group.

The interesting thing with the NSA is that it was created after the Pearl Harbor bombings to prevent another dangerous attack on American soil. We did not want something like these events to ever happen again, yet they did. No one knew how or why this happened, considering we were suppose to have knowledge on actions like this.

Bush was open to allowing the NSA to do what they wanted. He said "what do you want that you already can't do that would help prevent another 9-11." Chaney outlined the program as gathering data from phone calls from millions of Americans, and then using that data to search out possible targets. Bush was hesitant that this program would not be legal; he was then convinced by Michael Hayden that this program was necessary.

The people involved in this decision did not pass this right away. They were certainly concerned about the legality of this, but in the end, decided that this program was completely necessary for America's safety. General Hayden sited the Constitution in Article 2: "The president's authority as commander and chief".

William Binney, Former NSA agent. 

Thinthread. This is the brainchild of Bill Binney; it worked to sort through massive amounts of phone and email data. This program had a built in system that you could not gather data on American citizens, unless there was a court order saying they were allowed to take information on our people.

High-ranking NSA officials did not want anything to do with Bill's thinthread program (we later find out that they actually used it). They did not want to communicate with him as to why they were not planning on using his program. This was a little suspicious for some people because they knew that the NSA was gathering information on all people, even US citizens. Thinthread was actually being used by the NSA but they removed the part of the program that encrypted all US citizens information.  At the time, the NSA was operating under a "no questions asked" way of business (since they knew that their operations were becoming illegal).

At the time, no one in the government wanted to stand up and take full responsibility of their actions; they continued to beat around the bush, and make justifications for these programs.

Judge Collen Kollar-Kotelly

Judge Kollar-Kotelly ruled that the government was performing lawful actions. The President and high-ranking officials sought out reasons to justify that gathering information secretly was legal. After this ruling of warrantless search and seizure being legal, all actions were back on. President Bush acknowledged that they were accused of searching without warrants, he assured the American public in a speech that all of their findings were legal and through warrants.

Thomas Tamm (anonymous whistleblower) decided that he should call the New York Times and expose the government on their actions. After leaking this information, he returned to the shadows of the Justice Department. It has not been proven that he indeed leaked information and he has not been charged with anything.

When the government found out that Tamm "blew the whistle", they called up the New York Times immediately. The calling officials told the Times that all of the reports, are false and that they should not report on these disclosures. The editors of the Times were concerned that the White House was misleading them on certain information and that they should not run the story for legal purposes. The story about these programs was not run, for the time being.

After thinking things over, the Times reconsidered the story. The editors of the New York Times were called in to the oval office. The President and Hayden threatened the editors that they would be held accountable if there were to be another attack similar to 9-11. Even with this weight resting on their shoulders, they went on to publish the story.

After the story was run, President Bush spoke publicly and admitted the programs to in-fact be real and true. He downplayed the actions of the programs, though. Bush said that all findings were legal under the Constitution and that all of the surveillance was only of known suspects. He failed to mention that all citizens were at one point were watched. The lies from the government continued to pour in. General Hayden did the same when he spoke later. Hayden said that no one in the NSA considered this program to be worrisome. This is known to be a lie after some of the members were interviewed.

Thomas Drake was watching the speeches from the NSA. He thinks that the top ranking officials speaking were lying. Drake was not happy that they were lying to the public about what they were doing, considering, they were coming out about lying about the programs. Drake went to the Baltimore Sun to Siobhan Gorman to expose only "unclassified" documents.

Chaney was not happy with all of the leaks about their programs. Attorney General (2005-07) Alberto Gonzales was the lead detective in this investigation into the leakers. The FBI raid the houses of those considered to have been a whistleblower. All electronic devices were ceased. Drake was prime suspect number one as being the person who leaked to the New York Times, even though there was no evidence that could connect him to the New York Times, or the Baltimore Sun for that matter.

Senator Barrack Obama addressed the whistleblowers in his speeches for Presidency. He said that they will hold all people responsible, and that there will no longer be anymore secret wiretapping, email gathering, or other unwarranted surveillance of innocent citizens.

44th President, Barrack Obama

President Bush decided that he needs the help of Congress by amending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). This was a sneaky way by the President to actually allow the NSA to gather information on all foreign intelligence. It not only validated the legality of their recent investigations, but also gave them more power. At the time, the people did not read the fine print of FISA, therefore, did not realize what really was granted after this was passed.

After this bill went through Congress, Senator Obama had to make the decision whether to vote in favor of FISA. If he voted to pass this act, he would be contradicting his recent comments on halting further surveillance; if he voted to veto the act, people would be questioning what the purpose of the act truly is. He voted to pass the bill, and later became the 44th President of the United States. After being elected, Obama could have decided to take down the surveillance programs, but he opted out of doing so.

With all of the data being gather, the NSA needed highly-skilled computer programers to control their system. This is when twenty-five year old, Edward Snowden comes into play. He was a high school dropout, living only twenty minutes away from the NSA. Snowden enlisted into the military but was forced to leave after breaking both of his legs. Edward Snowden had the credentials that the NSA was looking for. In 2009, Snowden was working in Tokyo, Japan as an NSA contractor. He knew a great deal of details about the NSA and all of the information that they were capable of having their hands on. In his little investigation, Snowden found one of the most important documents about the program.

April 14, 2010, Thomas Drake was indicted for being the enemy of the state. He was charged with violating the Espionage Act. The government actually framed Thomas Drake. All of the files that the government had that Drake leaked were clearly labeled "unclassified". After ceasing these documents, they crossed this line of text off and wrote "classified". Days before the trial began, the charges on Drake were dropped!

Snowden did not want to take his findings to the New York Times. He went to the Washington Post with all he knew. Snowden had every single document he could ever imagine having and no one in the entire NSA knew that he had a single one of them. This is considered to be one of the biggest breaks in national security ever, and it was just getting started from there.