A classmate made it known to me that there may soon be graphic cigarette warning labels. According to NYTimes.com, there are over 36 proposed warning labels out there, and the ones that are shown in the NY Times article are absurd. I know that cigarettes can kill people, and are one of the leading causes of death here in the United States, but there is no need for a picture of a man with a hole in his throat to be slapped on cigarette packs. People who smoke aren't stupid, most likely they know the dangers of smoking, and choose to continue smoking because they enjoy it. It all boils down to the fact that it is a personal choice, a written warning label is enough to get the point across. The smoking ads on television are intense enough...

things are looming in the distance...

Hockey...ness

According to Denver Post, the Colorado Avalanche have four players out from concussion injuries, more than any other team. You could say this is a random bad luck stat, considering how many people get concussions in the NHL, but there could be more. My theory is that these concussions are a result of the absurd amount of young players on the Avs. Obviously these youngsters are fit enough to play professional hockey, or they wouldn't be in the NHL. The problem is that if one of these young guys gets hit by an angry, older, Canadian man, the chances of a serious injury like a concussion may be higher. Oh well, hockey isn't that important anyways...

With Haiti still in the recovering stages from the horrible earthquake, vulnerability grows as hurricane Tomas nears.

As of now the hurricane has not hit Haiti yet, and could technically change paths. The rain from the storm, however, has already began to ravage Haiti, and it is beginning to be difficult to shelter the masses of homeless people. If Tomas makes landfall, it will be hard to keep things calm.

Haiti has been ravaged by the elements this year, almost without any breaks. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010 did such massive amounts of damage that the cleanup process still has a way to go. The reason that the cleanup process is taking so long is partly because of the huge amounts of building rubble. Much of this material could technically be used again, but this lengthens the recovery process even more. This means that the materials have to be organized and sorted out during cleanup.

Another big issue is the homeless situation. According to npr.org there are around 1.5 million people trying to find homes. How will they be protected if hurricane Tomas hits? Having another session with mother nature and her wrath would surely be horrible for the recovery process and the homeless in Haiti. With hurricane Tomas right around the corner, the biggest problem to arise could be the spread of diseases amongst the homeless. Most of these people are living in large tented areas in masses. If bad weather comes along it could cause worse living conditions, and raise the chances of disease.

What has America done to help the Haitian people? There have been plenty of cleanup crews sent from the USA, and, according to usatoday, we are currently docking navy ships in Haiti with supplies to combat the potential devastating effects of hurricane Tomas if it hits. There have been many people who claim that America could do more for Haiti, but how much more? If we take it too far then it will turn into another place that America is trying to control. It will be another Iraq type of situation. The best thing to do is keep helping like we have been, cleaning up and sending supplies when necessary.

Eventually the situation in Haiti will be fixed and come to a rest, but mother nature is making it difficult to progress. If New Orleans is still not completely cleaned up from hurricane Katrina, then it will take an extremely long amount of time to clean up Haiti. Our country is definitely helping the process, but maintaining this constant help will be what makes the difference. The Huffington Post gives many charities and options for helping the Haitian people.

yeeeeehaw!