Articles by Manuel Flores

President Barack Obama announced new sanctions against Iran's energy and photochemical sectors this week. The sanctions also isolate Iran from two banks, China's Bank of Kunlun and Iraq's Elaf Islamic Bank. The Executive Order is an attempt to halt Iran's nuclear program. The new sanctions entail significant reductions in the purchase of Iranian oil. The Unites States seeks to impair Iranian acquisition of photochemical products. "Sanctions are also authorized for those who may seek to avoid t...

Credit: ipu.com On Friday, Barack Obama signed the US-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012. First announced by bill sponsors Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Representative Howard Berman (D-CA) in May, the recent act provides Israel  with an additional $70 million for the funding of their missile defense system. The system, known as Iron Dome, has proved successful at stopping rocket attacks fired at Israeli civilians from close range, including from Gaza. The Israelis will be loo...

Credit: defenceimages.mod.uk Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Susan Collins (D-WV), John Rockefeller (D-WV), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Thomas Carper (D-Del.) are pushing  for a vote on the revised Cybersecurity Act of 2012 before Congress goes on break in August. The The Cybersecurity Act of 2012, S. 2105, was first introduced on February 14, 2012. After harsh criticism in regards to privacy-related issues and data sharing between the government and intelligence agencies, the bill was reworke...

President Barack Obama recently communicated his urge to have Congress pass the Cybersecurity Act of 2012. In last week's Wall Street Journal Opinion the President echoed his belief that the nation's cyber defenses are at risk. Much of what he wrote was reminiscent of Len Wiseman's 2009 movie, Live Free or Die Hard, when a former a Department of Defense analyst shut down the nation in a matter of days. In reality, the US does not have Die Hard's hero John McClane to stop such a catastrophe. Pr...

Credit: soitgoesinshreveport.blogspot.com California Governor Jerry Brown spearheads Proposition 30, commonly know as Brown's Tax Initiative, but leaders of California's university systems are eying November results cautiously. University of California and community colleges are gearing up for the upcoming 2012 elections as they face tuition increases, frozen enrollment and scarce amount of courses and services if Proposition 30 does not pass. Proposition 30 proposes an increase to state sales...

Credit: Mason-Dixon A recent poll conducted by the Mason-Dixon Polling and Research Firm, found most Floridians support the controversial "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law. Eight hundred registered Florida voters were polled and most are likely to vote in November's presidential election. More than 64% of the voters agreed that the state's 2005 "Stand Your Ground" law should remain the same. According to the poll, 18% of Floridians would like the law to be repealed, 16% would like the law ...

Five democrats voted in favor of the health care law repeal earlier this week. The United States House of Representatives voted 244 to 185 on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 to fully repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as 'Obamacare'. Mike Ross (D-AR), Dan Boren (D-OK), Mike McIntyre (D-NC), Jim Matheson (D-UT), and Larry Kissell (D-NC) were the sole Democrats to vote with the Republicans in favor of the 'Obamacare' repeal. All five democrats were also amongst the 39...

The California Community College Board of Governors voted recently to alter enrollment policies by 2014 to provide students on track to graduate with an upper hand towards enrollment. The final vote prioritizes students who are academically promising over those with more than 100 units. The demand for community college classes in California is at an all-time high. The recent budget cuts have spawned a domino effect of restrictions. Community colleges have reduced course offerings by 15 percent ...