Ever wonder what the United States may be like in 2030? According to the “Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds” report, the United States is not holding all the cards. The National Intelligence Council shared their 160 page report and painted an ugly picture for our climate, national security, and food and water sources to name a few issues.

Photo Courtesy of Google images.

The report predicts that the United States will continue to be the “first among equals, among the other great powers.” However, with the swift rise of other countries, the Pax-Americana era, which is defined as the era of American ascendancy in international politics that began in 1945, is coming to an end. The United States will also be surpassed by Asia in terms of global power. Asia will have a larger population and spend more on military and technological investments.
Wondering about the rest of the world? In 2030 the world population will reach somewhere near 8.3 billion people, which could potentially cause food and water to run scarce in places such as Africa and the Middle East. Climate change will not benefit a food shortage, only make it worse. Climate change analyst suggest that the severity of weather patterns will increase, with wet regions becoming wetter and dry regions becoming more so.
Regarding cyber systems the report stated, “With more widespread access to lethal and disruptive technologies, individuals who are experts in such niche areas as cyber systems might sell their services to the highest bidder, including terrorists who would focus less on causing mass casualties and more on creating widespread economic and financial disruptions.”
The council urges that it is not trying to predict the future, rather outline possible futures and their consequences. The ultimate goal is provide lawmakers with an idea of what the future holds in order to help them steer the right economic courses.

We’re coming up on the one-month mark since President Obama was re-elected to office. We can keep tabs on the President everyday just by turning on the television or looking at our phone. So what is Mitt Romney doing? The Marriot International Inc. announced on Monday that the former presidential nominee rejoined the Board of Directors for the company. Romney resigned from Marriott’s Board in January 2011; a year before the first votes in the GOP primary and caucus season. He served on the Board beginning in 1993, leaving in 2002 when he served as governor of Massachusetts. He rejoined the Board again in 2009.

Photo provided by Google Images.

Romney was quoted saying, “It is an honor to once again be able to serve in the company of leaders like Bill Marriott and Arne Sorenson and to support the work of the tens of thousands of Marriott associates who make Marriott International the renowned success that it is.”
 Marriot International Inc. later released a statement saying, “”We are delighted that Gov. Romney has agreed to rejoin our Board, on which he has served with distinction twice before. We will benefit from his tremendous energy and capability to guide long-term success in an increasingly complex business environment.” 
Returning to the Marriot family is a step towards normalcy for Mitt Romney. The former GOP nominee will also be spending more time with his actual family by subletting office space from his son Tagg’s investment firm in Boston.

In 2015 a United States astronaut will set a record for the longest space mission. NASA announced Monday that Captain Scott Kelly will join cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko for the one year mission to the international space station in 2015. They will depart in the spring from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, traveling aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

Photo courtesy of Google Images.

Part of the mission is to aid scientist in exploring the effects of living in space and what it does to the human body. The data they will gather will include; information on health and crew performance and determining risk reduction matters.
Kelly currently has spent over 180 days in space already and Kornienko has cumulatively spent over 176 days. Besides Captain Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko, only four other humans have clocked in a year or more in space at a single time, those missions involved the Russian Mir space station.
William Gerstenmaier, an associate administrator for human exploration and operations with NASA stated, “The one-year increment will expand the bounds of how we live and work in space and will increase our knowledge regarding the effects of microgravity on humans as we prepare for future missions beyond low-Earth orbit.”

President Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton have had multiple phone conversations with countries including France, Egypt, Turkey, and Qatari regarding tensions between Israel and Gaza. The United States has sent three warships into the eastern Mediterranean. The USS Iwo Jima, USS New York, and the USS Gunston Hall were supposed to arrive in Norfolk, Viriginia after Thanksgiving, but with possible American evacuations looming, their attendance in the Mediterranean is needed.

Photo courtesy of Google Images.

The warships presence is considered “due diligence”, according to officials. It is better to be prepared, but the warships are only there to assist in possible evacuations not for combat. The Obama administration is not planning an immediate evacuation, but Americans living in the area have the option to leave on commercial airlines.

Along with the three warships moving into the area, there are currently three to four other warships off the coast of Israel. They are not new to the area, due to the consistent ballistic threat from Iran. These ships have the capability to shoot down ballistic missiles.

Cast your vote today! Click this link for your registered voting location!

On Tuesday, November 13^th, SCCC’s Criminal Justice club and Student Ambassadors will be hosting a clothing swap and clothes drive for charitable fundraising.

Held in the Student Theater, students are encouraged to bring in a bag of clothing, gently used and cleaned, that can be either swapped or donated. For one dollar, participants can swap their bag of clothing for another bag of clothing of their choice.

All other un-swapped items are available for purchase at just one dollar each. All funds and remaining clothes will go to charity.

Exceptions for donations include shoes, socks, undergarments, and bathing suits.

Your contributions and participation is greatly appreciated. Mark your calendars for this benevolent event!

By Kevin Howard

Ever had an idea or project that you always wanted to do, but never had the money? Do you want to direct a movie, write a novel, create art or develop a video game?

Kickstarter.com is only a few clicks away from helping you realize your lifelong dream.

Logo courtesy of Google Images.

Put your project on the website and ask people all around the world to fund the project. You set a goal for how much money you need to start the project. Then, you set a date for the collection process to end, and if the project idea earns the minimum, then all the money pledged will be awarded. If the project does not make the minimum, the pledge money will not be given.

To entice potential funders, the project creator can set a list of rewards for people that fund the project. The rewards range from $1 to $10,000. The higher amount a person pledges, the better the reward would be.

For example, depending on the type of project, for spending $5 you could get a set of stickers. For $20, you can get signed copies of CD. For a few thousand dollars, you can become a character in a video game or a free trip to meet the project creator.

According to the website, 48.84 percent of projects are moderately successful, with some developing into huge successes.

The most successful project is the Pebble E-Paper Watch. It can connect to your iPhone or Android device and then download applications right on to your Pebble. The Pebble E-Paper Watch made its $100,000 goal in two hours after it went live, with 30 days still left for funding. It finished with $10,266,844 with 68,928 pledges 28 days later.

The video game called Double Fine Adventure by Double Fine Production made $3,336,371, the fourth largest sum raised.

The documentary film Sun Come Up by Jennifer Redfearn and the film Incident in New Baghdad by James Spione, both financed by Kickstarter.com, were both nominated for Academy Awards. Two kickstarter.com-financed works of art were shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2011.

Even Whoopi Goldberg has used Kickstarter to fund a documentary film called I Got Somethin’ To Tell You. The film is about Jackie “Moms” Mabley, an American Stand-Up comedian.

By Andrew Casasnovas

Microsoft will be launching Windows 8 on October 26^th of this year.  There are some key differences in the look and performance from other Windows systems, which may revolutionize the computer industry. Windows 8 main screen is no longer a desktop model.  The system has been redesigned for touch screen, however, it is just as easy to use with a mouse.  The new terms associated with these changes are tiles, charms, groups, and apps.

Photos provided by Google Images.

Tiles are the general buttons on the screen and can be adjusted in any order and even resized to fit your style.  You can use “Groups” to connect similar tiles together for a fast, easy, and controllable home screen.   The tiles have a live feature that allow them to stream information in live-time.  The feature on the tiles will have up-to-date information about weather, sports, news, Facebook, etc, dependent on what app type that the tile is for.  Tiles can be removed and added without effecting the programs they are associated with by using a bar at the top of the screen.

Charms are on a program bar located to the right of the screen and are used for the most common computer functions including the “Share” charm of which allow you share information on Facebook or Twitter quickly without losing what you’re doing.  The “Devices” charm allows you to print or install new hardware.  The charms allow quick access to important features that are often needed in a quick and easy location.

Apps are a new trend that has now attached itself to Windows 8.  Since the new Windows system will be app driven the Windows App Store will be the most likely location people will purchase their apps.   People easily understand the app system from their phones and the computers will be no different.  Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro will support older programs through the Desktop app, however, the RT version of Windows 8 is an app only version.  Windows 8 versatility will allow you to run two Apps at once on a split screen or quickly cycle threw apps by using a bar on the left side of the screen.  Closing an app is done by dragging it to the bottom of screen, which is a bit different from previous systems.

Overall the new Windows 8 system is impressive, but it does take some getting used to.  The touch screen options are easier to use than the functions for a mouse so look into what monitor would have that function.  The system will be running on tablets, laptops, and desktops and has high compatibility with other Window based Systems, such as Windows phone and Xbox. By using online options like SkyDrive the windows system allows for quick transfer of files and information sharing.

In conclusion, if you’re interested in purchasing a new computer you might just want to wait a couple more weeks to see the new Windows 8 systems.  If you were thinking about upgrading; you will need approximately 20 gigs for Windows 8 system installed on hard drive, 2 gigahertz processor and 4 gigs of Ram recommended.

Energy drinks: not the healthiest beverage, but we get out of it what we want, and that’s energy. Some drinkers prefer them instead of coffee or to give them that boost at the gym. Some coinsures simply enjoy the taste. Energy drinks are loaded with sugar and caffeine, a drug that acts like a stimulant, and that these beverages contribute to our visits to the dentist’s office. Cavities aside, energy drinks could possibly kill you.

Photo provided by Google Images

The U.S Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A) are investigating five deaths that all have one thing in common: the consumption of the energy drink, Monster. The latest controversy stems from the death of a fourteen-year-old girl who died late last year from cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity. It is stated in the lawsuit that the girl consumed two 24oz. Monster energy drinks within a twenty-four hour period. The caffeine toxicity affected her underlying heart disorder. The four other related deaths and one heart attack have occurred since 2004 until June of this year. It is unclear if drugs or alcohol were key factors in each incident.

Congress is calling for greater regulations put on the energy drink business. Monster energy drinks already have labels that state their products are not recommended for those who are under the age of twelve and people who are sensitive to caffeine. What Monster, or any other energy drink company, does not reveal is the amount of milligrams of caffeine each product contains. For example, a 24oz. can of Monster contains’ 240 milligrams of caffeine, which is three times more than a 8 oz. can of Red Bull. Current F.D.A rules state that these companies do not need to expose caffeine levels in their beverages.

Adults who are healthy can take in a large amount of caffeine without issue, but that does not excuse the excessive amount of caffeine used in a single energy drink. Senator Richard J. Durbin a Democrat from Illinois pressed that the F.D.A implement caffeine levels in energy drinks. Changing the caffeine levels in energy drinks could determine whether a person lives or not.

The Army’s’ mission is to improve readiness through the development and enhancement of the Army Suicide Prevention Program policies designed to minimize suicide behavior; thereby preserving mission effectiveness through individual readiness for Soldiers, their Families, and the Department of the Army civilians.
With the war in Afghanistan dwindling down, the amount of suicides within the Army’s family is not. Suicide in the Army is on the rise with July of this year being the worst month since the military started keeping record. The number is up 22 percent compared to last summer, with an estimated rate of one suicide per day. Surprisingly, the non-commissioned officers who have been serving longer are committing suicide more often than younger soldiers. Current soldiers are not the only ones affected; veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are also at risk.
The Army offers counselors and hotlines for soldiers and their families to speak to about relationship issues, alcohol and drug abuse. Counselors and hotlines are helpful, but having a great battle buddy is extremely valuable. Soldiers spend a lot of time together and getting to know the people around you can one day stop someone from committing suicide. It becomes easier to notice options to choose from when it comes to getting help. If our peers can speak up when a problem is developing we can save more people from committing suicide and getting them the help they deserve.