US: How To Go To College For Free

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Right now, protesters are camped out in front of banks, financial institutions and universities to draw attention to a broken system. One of the points in their plan the fix the economy is forgiveness of student loan debt. Rather than continuing to make things easier for big banks through deregulation and tax cuts, we can stimulate the economy by giving that money to struggling college graduates who entered the workforce with massive debts at a time when good jobs are scarce. Tuition costs have steadily risen as the economy has gotten worse, and as a result the average student is now graduating college with $20,000 in student loan debt, and many have no way to pay it off.

If you don't want this to happen to you, there are still a few ways to get through college without having to take out any student loans.

Androids: Keeping Artists Inspired

More and more people are starting to wonder: Is there anything the Android can't do? With the limitless-and-still-expanding catalogue of Android apps, it seems like this little, sleek device is unstoppable. Android isn't greedy however; now, it's empowering artists all over the world. 

All artists need inspiration, especially musicians. There's enough going on around the world to keep songwriters in business for the rest of human existence, but now, thanks to Android, artists can have an easier time finding goings-on to write about.

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The 10 Best Sci-Fi Movies Of The Decade (And Why)

The best sci-fi movies make you leave the theater wondering if you should sneak back in for the next showing of the same movie. The last decade has had no shortage of such movies. Below are 10 movies that topped the box offices and had critics raving for weeks.

Do American Cartoons Reflect Real Life?

5 Steps to Finding Your Inner Movie Buff

Do you find yourself regularly humming various movie theme songs or repeating famous lines – sometimes even unconsciously? If so, you may be an official movie buff. If you aren’t 100 percent sure on this, however, there are some ways to come up with a better determination. Here are just a few:

10 Musical Movies that Aren't (Too) Nerdy

Musicals have carried the stigma for years of being “nerdy”. However, Hollywood seems to have changed their mind because many Broadway shows have recently been made into blockbusters. Now that it's not so “nerdy” to watch musicals, check out these classic and new musicals you can watch on your own TV (animated musicals are not listed, that will have to be saved for their own article):

Cromimi - The Cutest Game On The Web

One of the cutest new games to hit the US has to be Cromimi. These pet games are filled with cute hamster like creatures that you take care of, breed and even teach little tricks. The pets in this game have short, fat bodies with very large eyes and puffy cheeks. They almost look like chibi pets in this new animal breeding game from France.

Most Wanted Christmas Gifts for Geeks in Your Life

The gift giving holiday season is fast approaching and with that comes the infamous most wanted gifts of the year. In 2010 the most wanted gifts range from electronics to cellular phones. There are three gifts, however, that top nearly everyone's list.

Before running out to the sales are starting the holiday online shopping there are a few things that every shopper should know about each of the amazing top five gifts of the year.

5 Signs Your Child is Not Ready for Martial Arts

Martial arts classes are fun and they will teach your child life long skills such as self-confidence, discipline and fitness. Your child will also have the opportunity to interact socially with both peers and adults who have a similar interest. There is a lot your child can gain from taking martial arts classes, but first you have to make sure he or she is ready for it.

Four Unbelievable Road Legal Cars (Videos Included)

So you think you've got a cool car - well trust me, it's nothing compared to these crazy creations. Check out this collection of cars that are so insane you won't believe that they are actually road legal.

The Greatest Show on Earth

Every year, two million wild animals make a great trek through one of the most spectacular landscapes in Africa. It's not too late to reserve your front-row seat for the greatest wildlife spectacle on the planet. Every year, around the end of the wet season in April, two million wild animals make a great trek through one of the most spectacular landscapes in Africa.

Tsunami Relief Funds Used To Kill Whales?! No Way!

Dear friends, 

Right now, the Japanese whaling fleet is barrelling south to hunt thousands of majestic whales, escorted by a 30 million dollar security force paid for out of the tsunami disaster relief fund! 

Anti-whaling champions were successfully blocking the Japanese whale hunt -- which is exactly why the Japanese government decided to swipe money from relief efforts to stop the activists from bothering the boats while they engage in their brutal slaughter. 

If we can stop the whaling security and get the relief money back for desperate Japanese citizens still languishing in radioactive hotspots,we could help end the whale hunt for good. Japanese PM Noda is already under enormous pressure after scandalous failures to compensate victims of the nuclear disaster. A massive global outcry can spark outrage inside and outside Japan and force Noda to use precious relief funds to save people, not kill whales !

 Sign the petition here and forward to everyone

Whale hunting is astronomically expensive, and it's made possible by ludicrous government subsidies amounting to $35,000 per whale! If these subsidies are cut back, the whaling industry could collapse. Now the Prime Minister will squander $30 million to provide private security for whale slaughterers to make sure they’re not bothered by environmental activists in the ocean. With the added muscle, Japan plans to kill 1,000 Minke whales for commercial meat sales this year. 

Officials claim that whaling subsidies will support coastal communities hit by the tsunami -- even though Japan has had to stockpile whale meat because so few people wish to consume it. All the while, the government has turned a blind eye to victims trapped in radiation hot-spots, with the few who are entitled to compensation pocketing a pitiful $1,000. 

Let's urge Prime Minister Noda to stop caving to the whaling lobby and spend relief money on the people who need it most: the victims.

Sign the urgent petition now, and forward widely 

Last year, our community came together in record numbers, and we won the fight to keep a global ban on whaling. And last month, 130,000 Japanese Avaaz members joined together, pressing the government to use tsunami relief funds to protect radiation-exposed children by funding their evacuation from unsafe areas. Time and again we see how powerful lobby groups like the Japanese whaling lobby put profits before people and planet. And time and again, we stop them. Let's do it again. 

With hope and determination, 

Loup Dargent
On behalf of Stephanie, Jamie, Emma, Ricken, Morgan, Laura, Wissam, Wen-Hua and the rest of the Avaaz team 

More Information: 

• BBC: "Japanese tsunami fund used for whaling programme"
• Guardian: "Japan whaling fleet accused of using tsunami disaster funds"
• Letter: "Greenpeace Japan and 15 other NGOs letter to Japanese government"
• WSJ: "Use of Government Recovery Funds Stokes Japan Whaling Row"

Related Articles:

• Whales Are Facing a Crisis Created By Humans. Can We Help Save Them?
• Australia joins four-nation stand on whaling 
• Fukushima Disaster Relief Money Being Used to Assist in Killing of Whales 
• Japanese Whaling Fleet on the Move  
• Killing Whales Matters More Than Saving People: William Pesek - Bloomberg 
• Japan diverting £19m from tsunami relief fund to help protect whaling ships