This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bucknell chapter.

SPYING ON OUR PAL, GERMANY

Many of you probably heard about some of the US allies being especially peeved when they found out that the National Security Agency (NSA) has been listening in on phone calls and other correspondences.

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany was one of the most outspoken in her displeasure when she found out that the agency had tapped her cellphone for years. Peter Schaar, the German federal data protection commissioner made comments on how the bond between the US and Germany suffered a large blow. “If we want to return to a relationship based on trust, it will require serious effort,” said Mr. Schaar, who has long been critical of American data privacy policies. “Officially the Americans said that they respected German law. Now we know that was not the case.”

The Obama Administration is now debating on banning the act of spying on heads of allied states. It would be a huge move prohibiting the far-reaching powers of the NSA, which has nearly unparalleled access to collect data on virtually anyone around the world ranging from ordinary citizens to heads of state.

OBAMACARE IN MOTION, WEBSITE…NOT SO MUCH

The Affordable Care Act will go into effect in 2014, however the online website where citizens can view the federal health insurance marketplace, HealthCare.gov, has had major technical issues. The malfunction of the website has many Americans further criticizing the bill and saying that it is inefficient in its entirety.

The Obama administration have thus reported improvements and say they have resolved certain “network failures” that blocked the federal website. The administration is putting some blame on a subsidiary of Verizon Communications, but Verizon refuses to comment.

Although the government is taking steps to fix the current website, it probably would have been wise to test the website before its launch.

HEALTH OFFICIALS WARN TRICK-OR-TREATERS ABOUT DANGERS OF SUGAR

Apparently there is something scarier than Halloween ghosts, vampires, zombies, and the new hottest “sexy ___” costume: sugar in Halloween candy. According to the American Heart Association, Americans eat far more added sugar than is recommended.

Concerning the affect on your teeth, dentists say they aren’t overly concerned about the candy consuming on the one day of Halloween, however if you hoard it and continue to eat it in large portions for a few weeks, that could be extremely problematic. You are subject to risking eroding important tooth minerals, which can lead to cavities. Chocolate is the best candy for teeth, as it is not usually gooey and sticky and less likely to get stuck in teeth for extended amounts of time.

PENNSYLVANIA PREGNANT WOMAN FILES LAW SUIT AFTER BELLY IS RANDOMLY RUBBED: ABOUT TIME!

I’m sure everyone has seen it: when a pregnant woman is showing people are often excited and get emotional and sometimes take their own volition to reach out and rub their belly. I have often thought that this was kind of weird, for if the woman weren’t with child I would assume it is socially and legally unacceptable to just rub a woman’s belly. Pennsylvania has harassment laws in place that cover unwanted touching. A Pennsylvania woman, Michelle Troutman, was approached by her neighbor, Richard Beishline, and Beishline reportedly hugged Troutman and said, “I just want to be friends.” He then proceeded to rub her stomach without permission, which prompted Troutman to push him away and contact local police.

I think this should be a social rule already put in place, but this woman pressing charges outrages some people. For those of you who don’t understand, I will spell it out for you. When women are pregnant, they are rarely in a good mood, very tired, sore, nauseous, and often times angry. I can assure you that they do not want random men and women touching their bloated stomach, unless you are given permission.

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