In a comment to classmate Kara's blog post concerning the legalization of marijuana, http://karagovcurious.blogspot.com/, I wrote: 

  I have to say I agree with you on many points. America is a constantly changing nation because the people of this nation are constantly changing and push for progress. The people of this nation are now  pushing for the legalization of mari-juana.
    On the idea of the medical perks of marijuana, there is apparently overwhelming evidence that marijuana relieves various medical conditions. It is known to relieve nausea and vomiting, pain and spasms, as well as side effects of some prescription drugs. It is also know that it is less toxic than many pharmaceuticals, BONUS!Concerning the medical perks of marijuana there is more than just the medicinal benefits, there is also the research benefits of legalizing marijuana. Right now there isn't any good quality research on marijuana due to it being illegal, but legalize that sucker and that kicks open the door for a lot of research that could further benefit the people.
    Alcohol and marijuana are frequently compared, I believe because alcohol is a substance that is used by a large amount of people and that it negatively affects them on the basis of decision making, personality changes, development of health issues, and content. And for some reason it is easily accepted as a legal substance that people can purchase, but marijuana gets the controversy . The argument/confusion comes from the fact that alcohol is without a doubt known to have terrible affects on people, but is somehow more widely accepted than marijuana which seems to have more good effects than bad, if any bad effects at all. Another substance that is compared to marijuana is tobacco. Tobacco is also known to have serious negative affects on people, such as, I don't know, causing cancer! But STILL it is a substance that is legal, that is people are apparently more ok with than marijuana. I have to agree that this is just ridiculous. After looking at all the proven facts, the statistics, it is just astounding that people give the thumbs up to alcohol and tobacco, but have issues with marijuana, a substance that has not had a hard proven case to cause negative effects and only seems to have good ones, and even awesome ones.
   The legalization of marijuana has already been approved in Washington and Colorado and their system has not completely fallen apart. A constant concern is if we legalize it then of course there will be more children using it because it's more readily accessible. But in fact, in the states that have legalized marijuana there has been a downward trend in the statistics of teens who use it. These states have in fact set up very strict rules and regulations to control the usage and distribution of marijuana. And you see that this embracement of marijuana has not lead to some society of anarchy, but to a society that is growing exponentially. Colorado has actually opened up the first private marijuana club.
   So in conclusion I think marijuana should be legalized, it shows great benefits and I think in the end the voice of the population will ring out and we'll see legalization of marijuana across the nation.

Feud over airspace in East China

    Tension between China and Japan is rising in the wake of recent events. China has declared a new air defense zone that overlaps airspace that Japan has claimed. Both countries are trying to claim the islands that occupy the disputed space. 
    The tension started to rise this past year when Chinese and Japanese airplanes would fly in close quarters over the islands. Japan believes the islands are theirs, there is nothing to discuss and that the Chinese planes were flying in their air defense zone. 
    Apparently, this move by the Chinese government was approved by President Xi Jinping who has shown a hatred for Japan. It would seem that China has two agendas with this move. The first being to get Japan to recognize there is a dispute and thereby pulling them into negotiations. The other is to establish China's own air defense zone. It is seeking to be a "maritime strong power". By claiming the island China would extend its boundaries and breakthrough to the ocean.
    Vice President Joe Biden has gone to Asia and part of his trip will be spent addressing the air zone issue between the two countries. The first part of accomplishing this goal will have to be reassuring Japan of America's commitment to the region. Japan's confidence in America wavered after American airlines were advised to comply with the Chinese regulations over the area and identify themselves before entering. The State Department has said that the advise was purely a safety recommendation and did not mean they were recognizing the Chinese air defense control. 
    The second part of controlling the situation is going to be convincing the Chinese that their move was one of provocation and will be disregarded as far a military options are concerned. The Chinese' move is a huge change in the norm and concerns people about their intentions. Although Biden will not give a formal diplomatic protest he will make it clear that the U.S "will keep sending military aircraft into the declared zone." It is up to Vice President Biden to solidify America's resolve in maintaining its military presence and to work with China to bring and end to their "unilateral actions".