Iran: Safer than Before

This morning a deal was signed between Iran and the United States that would make Iran nuclear free for the next six months. All nuclear facilities would be halted and they will be forced to undergo inspections at the scrutiny of others. Secretary of State John Kerry said that "From this day, for the next six months, Israel is in fact safer than it was." Safer in the eyes of Americans, not safer in the eyes of Iranians. Of course American nuclear facilities will not be shut down or inspected by international organizations, this is a very one sided deal.

This brings me back to a conversation we had in class last week about America having the a larger military than all other countries combined. The United States has more nuclear weapons than most countries combined as well, so why is it fair for the United States government to be putting a ban on the construction of weapons in other countries? It almost seems hypocritical. In a New York Times article I read, which can be found here, it was stated that "the deal would make Israel and Persian Gulf allies of the United States more secure." Although this seems like a large reason as to why they would want to partake in making this deal,  there could also be a hidden agenda. If the United States is already so intent on having the biggest and strongest military compared to other countries then wouldn't it be in their favor to halt the nuclear process in another country? What is the United States really trying to accomplish by making this deal? Do they have other potential goals when making this deal? Please leave your comments below.

Own Your Favorite Players

Recently a new company called 'Fantex' started a unique business platform in which many people would have never seen coming. Fantex is a brokerage service where you can buy and sell shares of your favorite sports players. Based on how well the player and their team are doing the cost of the shares my rise or fall accordingly. Currently Fantex only has two players that have agreed to become part of of this new stock exchange; Arian Foster and Vernon Davis. Unfortunately for Fantex Arian Foster is expected to be having a season ending surgery on his back and Vernon Davis suffered a concussion in this weekends game.

Fantasy Football leagues have become exceedingly popular in the past few years. It seems as if anything that people can have the thrill of putting their money on the line while cheering on their favorite teams is a good idea. Fantex could just be the next step to something like Fantasy Football, just a source of gambling and fun. Contrary to this though Fantex seems to look at their selves less as a game and more as a possible business venture and I also would argue towards this. Fantex says on the homepage of their website "the dollars, accounts, trades, risks and rewards here are all very real." The website can be found here. Fantex makes it very clear that it is not just a game and that everything that happens is real. For Americans simply cheering for a team just does not seem to be enough, it does not have the thrill you get from gambling. Do Americans no longer appreciate sports for what they really are? Do they need an added aspect to enjoy sports? Or is Fantex just a business venture for its users? Does Fantex seem like something you would want to use? Please share your feelings on the topic.

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Airports: Are They Safe?

Today at LAX airport on Los Angeles a TSA agent was shot dead by an attacker inside the airport. This morning a man identified as Paul Ciancia entered the airport and opened fire with has automatic rifle on any TSA agent he could find. Ciancia ended up only killing one agent but injured at least three more. Today marked the first time a TSA agent was killed while on duty since the creation of the agency. 

With all of the added security at airports nowadays it seems to always be expected that it is a safe as can be inside. Yet, today it showed that even when inside it is not as safe as we think. Ciancia was able to conceal his weapon and his over one hundred rounds of ammounition just by putting into a traveling bag. Once inside he was able to quickly take it out and open fire. Even though Ciancia did not get to a plane with his weapon or into the heart of the airport he was still able to do the damage that he wanted to do. 

Are airports as safe as we think? Is an addition to security screening necessary? Are Americans becoming over worried when this is the first time an agent has been killed in the twelve years the agency has been operating? Shar your thoughts.