Walmart Workers Protest on Black Friday- Taiina Ayala

Everyone knows Black Friday could get a little crazy. But not everyone expected protests to add to the chaos. Walmart workers protests outside of stores nationwide for higher wages and better benefits. These workers were part of a labor union called OUR Walmart. Although the protests occurred, the numbers were far less than expected. Many workers didn't show up for the protests. Colby Harris, a Walmart associate from Lancaster Texas, said "Unfair labor is working full time and living in poverty, unfair labor is seeing your health care premiums skyrocket year after year. Unfair labor is being denied the hours needed to support your family. Unfair labor is being punished for exercising your freedom of speech and association."
I think it's great that these workers are excercising their fredom of speech to get what they want and deserve. I also think it was very smart of them to do it on Black Friday, although I doubt many people were affected by the protestors. I hope eventually these workers get what they demand!

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57553714/walmart-workers-protest-wages-benefits-on-black-friday/

After Drought, Reducing Water Flow Could Hurt Mississippi River Transport- Natalie Newman

This year's drought has effected many areas. One major spot, however, is the Mississippi River. The water levels did not just drop drastically, but the economy could end up suffering for it. Transports are being limited and those who control the upper flow of the Missouri are not being sensative about it. Every year there is a limit of the flow from the upper Missouri to the Mississippi river in order to maintain irrigation etc., but the Mississippi River needs help. The transports of the major fertilizer companies are sent down the Mississippi River, but this year there is a chance that they will have to call off the transports due to the water being so low. Not only is it fertilizer that is transported, but it is also raw materials. As one spokesperson stated, "When the cost of shipping raw materials goes up, the consumer ends up paying for that.” This drought is going to effect people all over. Consumers as well as transporters are quite concerned.

Natalie Newman
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/27/us/hit-by-drought-mississippi-river-may-face-more-challenges.html?ref=us

Casey Anthony detectives overlooked searches on home computer - Paolo Buccino

    Recently, the Florida Sheriff's office that was in charge of the investigation of Caylee Anthony's murder realized that they overlooked a very synyster internet search on Casey Anthony's computer. The computer's history showed a search for "fool-proof suffocation methods" on June 16, 2008. As we all know, Casey Anthony was acquitted of the murder of her daughter Caylee Anthony. The prosecutors just couldn't make their case strong enough and couldn't refute the defense's claims of accidental death well enough. I wonder how that trial would have turned out differently if the prosecutors had discovered this piece of circumstantial evidence sooner.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/25/casey-anthony-detectives-reportedly-overlooked-search-for-fool-proof/?intcmp=trending

Ugly murder caused by a small mistake? Sad but true.

I'm sure we all know about the racial lynching that was done by white Americans towards black Americans back in the day. Lynching really is an inhumane and nasty way to die. Recently, in the small town of Aluu, Nigeria, a couple of boys were beaten and killed because a group of people thought the boys were "robbers". These boys weren't robbers, their real reason to be in Aluu was because one of the boys, Ugonna Obuzor, was wanting to collect a debt that was owed by a person in the town. A rumor of them being robbers spread and the people of Aluu just won't stand for robbers to be in their city, so they took the boys, stripped them naked, beat them, put tires around their necks then poured gasoline on them and lit 'em on fire. The mother of Ugonna of course wants justice for her son and the other boy's death. Especially since in the recording of the lynching there's a police officer who seemed to be encouraging and participating in this.

I know about lynchings done here in America, but never gave much thought to other countries. All murder is bad, but to think that this was done over a small misunderstanding, just makes me want to cry. The group of people didn't even catch the boys doing anything wrong, they just heard about them being robbers so "Hey? Why not kill 'em before they do anything? Right?" Uuuuh. No. After seeing the video on the CNN website, I can honestly say that no one deserves what happened to them. I believe in the death penalty, but this isn't anyway to take care of delinquents.

Lynching in Nigeria

Aging Backwards:The reality is real!

UK's channel 4 interviewed,Tony and Christine Clark, they both have the mental capacity oftwo rambunctious 7-year-old boys. When they go to visit the two men they see nothing but bored games on the table.  These two "young men" are actually old men!  GROWN! men, Matthew who is 39, and Michael who is 42, are aging, but not how "we" age, they're aging backwards. Yeah! Weird I know! We always  say we wish we could go back to the "Good 'ol Days", but if we actually could I don't think we would. Both Matthew and Michael were diagnosed with leukodystrophy, an extremely rare  and unexpected genetic disorders , it's kind of a one in a millin type of thing, but it's actually one and forty thousand, this disease attacks the Myelin, or white matter, in the nervous system, spinal cord, and brain. The condition has not only strongly effeted their physical appearance, but their emotional and mental capacity as well. It's kind of ironic the mother said I wish my boys would be kids again and now that she's got her wish I don't think it was all jshe bargained for. Only six years ago, both Michael and Matthew had steady jobs, growing families and productive living situations.While, today, liing with their parents whom are in their sixties, and should be enjoying their retirement, but instead having to live their life all over again, playing board gamestheir sixties.http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/real-benjamin-buttons-brothers-matthew-michael-clark-aging-193400085.html

Heavy storm by jonathan landeros

After, a heavy storm hit in devon, cornwall, malmesbury and kempsey 816 houses were affected. Two people have currently been identified as dead during the storm and a man died by driving into a river, but police have noted that the man died on his own, excluding the storm, this could've of happened even without the storm.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20488645

Fake Identification Isn't Just For Teens by Clara McLain

This story by Motoko Rich is reporting a new scandal that has recently surfaced.  Clarence Mumford is accused of leading an operation that sells fake identification for Educational Testing Service (E.T.S.) He also had fake test takers that could be hired by people to take the E.T.S. for them. "According to court documents, Mr. Mumford solicited teachers to act as proxy test takers, often telling them that the people who needed help with the tests were in danger of losing their jobs."  What later made the test takers suspicious was a man who took the E.T.S. one morning, returned with a different I.D. that afternoon with a woman's name.  Hm...

An interesting little system he was running. As unethical as it is, the business was a good way for him to make money and the clients to pass the E.T.S. as well as the teachers that took the tests to make some extra money.  

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/27/us/educator-aided-others-at-cheating-us-charges.html?ref=us

Misophonia, do you have it?

A disease that's gaining popularity is misophonia. This disease makes its victims extremely angry and full of rage at the irritation of noises. Any noises really, from chewing to head banging. A teen named taylor was interviewd by 20/20 has a very serious form of this disease and has experienced dangerous outbursts towards her mom at any noise she makes. Her mom is at a lost of want to do with her, especially since she's became a danger to anyone around her, going into a blinding rage at the sound of footsteps and going into a state of suicidal intentions and ready to strike anyone in range to release her anger. I personally don't blame her, if my kid got set off by literally the smallest things, I wouldn't know how to even begin fixing it without wanting to wash my hands of the girl. It's important people know about this because if others have this problem and have no idea what's wrong with them, this article gives a good insight to how they feel and may lead someone to get help so that they don't end up so damaged like poor mentally tortured Taylor.

Coast Guard ends search for teen swept away by sea - Jonas Portillo

The Coast Guard called off its search Monday for a teenager who was swept to sea with his parents in northern California over the weekend while trying to rescue their dog, saying it's not likely the 16-year-old boy could have survived the cold waters. Officials recovered the bodies of the teen's mother and father Saturday afternoon at Big Lagoon, about 32 miles north of Eureka, Calif., in Humboldt County. Authorities say the family was trying to rescue their dog from powerful surf, after the canine was pulled into the ocean by powerful, 10-foot waves, The Associated Press reported. The Humboldt County Coroner's office on Monday identified the parents as Mary Elena Scott, 57, and Howard Kuljian, 54, of Freshwater, Calif. The missing teen was identified as Gregory Kuljian. Coast Guard Lt. Bernie Garrigan told the AP the search for the missing boy was stopped Monday, saying that a person without a wetsuit could not survive for long in the frigid surf. On Saturday, the teen had gone after the dog, and the father followed him into the water to attempt a rescue, State Parks District Superintendent Dana Jones told the AP. The 16-year-old was able to get out of the waves, but then went back into the water with his mother to find his father, the AP reported. "Both were dragged into the ocean," Jones told the AP, noting that the dog got out of the water on its own.The Coast Guard said the parents' daughter reportedly was the one who called 911. Earlier, the AP reported the Coast Guard tried using a helicopter and two motor life boats to try to find the missing teen, but thick coastal fog had suspended the aerial search. Officials say the Big Lagoon beach has a steep shoreline where the waves roll in and crash onto the sand, which makes the area dangerous.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/26/15458704-coast-guard-ends-search-for-california-teen-swept-to-sea-with-parents?lite

Mexicans feeling persecuted flee U.S. BY: DESIREE' COOK

A six year old boy born in arizona was a us citizen and he had trouble with the transition from moving to mexico from the united states. He had missed the houses and cars and books. He told the reporters that the transition was challenging. His parents live in the U.S. without proper immigrant documents and that put them in great danger in the united states so they fled to mexico. This is where they did weird but differents jobs to provide for their family. They also had gotten a car and usually they should have gotten arrested for be undocumented illegal immigrants but they didn't.

                                                                  All I have to say is I know the americans were here first and this is our land but that don't mean we have to bomb rush people out of our country now that's just rude. You see a family that's struggling why would send them back to a place where they were trying to escape from??? This country/state is very big and we can let some people in. STOP BEING SO DURN SELFISH!!!!!!!!!!

                                                www.CNN.com

Investigation ongoing in Texas highway wreck by Carter Brown

In Beaumont, Texas authorities are continuing to investigate a crash that involved 100 vehicles getting piled up, killing 2 people. The massive wreck occurred on Thanksgiving morning on Interstate 10 southwest of Beaumont. Two people died and more than 80 were injured. Twelve people were listed in serious condition Thursday night. A spokeswoman says that two children and one adult were transferred to hospitals in Houston. Authorities believe that fog in the area was to blame for this mishap. I thought this was an interesting story because you normally don't hear about crashes that involve 100 cars. When my Dad initially told me about this story I immediately felt inclined to look into the story and post it as my current event.

Fake bomb by jonathan landeros

A man was sentenced 13 in a half years in jail by Australian court because in 2011 he locked a fake bomb around an 18 year olds neck.The bomb was declared safe after experts examined it for 10 hours and he was sent to jail after being found in the home of his ex-wife in Louisville, Kentucky.His lawyer declared he was going through a hard time since his marriage had ended and got confused about reality while reading a book called revenge.Also while the depression was going on he was most of the time drunk which made the situation more intense.

Well he did a good job about being wise in this, but at least he didn't kill anybody.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20405048

Gas prices down for the U.S. By:Desiree' Cook

The gas price has went down seven cents within the past two weeks. It has also went down twenty-six cents within the past six weeks. That's a good thing to a lot than othrs. Because of the Sandy storm, some regions went up in gas. Long island gas has went up to $4.18. They expericed the storm but the good thing is that they don't go out that much due to be trapped or stuck in the house so they won't waste any gas.

                                        I'm glad that long islant is okay. These gas prices are REDICULOUS though. To pay $4.18 for some gas, oh no ma'am pam my car will be sitting in the drive way unless jesus is calling. But the u.s. is doing good with these gas prices because I travel a lot and burn a lot of gas.  But I want to go to chorpus christi where gas is $1.97 and drive till I can't drive anymore!!!!
                                              www.cnn.com

Tests Show Train Warning Signs Worked at Texas Crash Site- Natalie Newman

A Union Specefic freight train collided into a truck with 12 veterans and their spouses aboard. 4 were killed and several were severely injured due to this collision. There has been investigation on what the truck was doing as it crossed the railroad, as well as how the train reacted right before the incident. Federal investigators said that the railroad crossing signs and warnings were working at the time of the crash. The article shared that Texas has one of the highest railroad crossing deaths from 2009-2012 with the number being at 86 total deaths. Unfortunately, accidents happen and I believe that this incident, along with others, are purely just accidents. Considering the warning lights were working, there was nothing else anyone could have done to prevent this collison. People simply need to take greater precaution when it comes to crossing railroads.

Natalie Newman
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/us/tests-show-train-warnings-worked-at-texas-crash-site.html?ref=todayspaper

Hostess: Going Out of Business or Not? -Taiina Ayala

You probably have heard about the "Twinkie" maker going out of business. But are they really? Apparently the company's 18,500 employees were striking. 'What for' you may ask? Well, that's a good question. No one has really cared since everyone is so caught up in the travesty of losing an American favorite: The Twinkie. But just in case you were one of the few who wanted to know, the laborers were striking for the same ol' same ol', like we recently learned in class: benefits, pay, working conditions, etc. BUT 3 hours ago, another article was posted stating that Hostess is not going out of business quite yet! The company and one of its largest labor unions have agreed to go into mediation, which we also learned about in class, before Hostess can completely call it quits and lay off all its employees. So who knows? Maybe America will keep its beloved products. After all, thats' what makes us American, right? Greasy food and fatty snacks? DUH.

I am really sad about this. I haven't ever been a Twinkie fan but I do like some of their other products. FOR EXAMPLE, I eat Hostess Mini Muffins every morning for breakfast :( Now I'm really sad and I just don't know what to do. I mean sure, other companies make mini muffins but they are just not the same! Plus, Twinkies, Ding-Dongs, Ho Ho's and Snowballs are some of our country's favorites! I hope they can pull it together for the sake of my breakfast mini- muffins. :(

Source: http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2012/11/19/hostess-not-going-out-of-business.html
Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505143_162-57550880/twinkies-maker-hostess-going-out-of-business/

Goodwill or Gooddeal?

So a woman and her husband, whom goes without name, were feeling a bit generous, and felt the need to get rid of some old clothes, but what she eneded up giving away was a pair of shoes she never thought would be so valuable. The women's husband thought that the loafers were old and worn out, but little did he know they served a bigger purpose. The shoes, served as a keep-sake place for the couples life savings, it aquired 33 one hundred dollar bills. The Goodwill didn't know wether to take it as a donation, or an accident, but after thinking it over and realizing that must've been some type of mistake they returned it to her, and as I imagine the woman was very grateful. I think this was an honest act of kindness, and The Goodwill did a very kind thing to return the money because I'm sure they could've just kept it for charity.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/man-accidentally-gives-away-life-savings-old-shoe-161225517.html

Space Station Astronauts heading back to Earth Tonight-Jonas Portillo

A veteran astronaut crew representing the United States, Russia and Japan is returning back to Earth aboard a Soyuz capsule today (Nov. 18) to wrap up a four-month mission to the International Space Station. The Soyuz spacecraft undocked from the space station at 5:26 p.m. EST (2126 GMT) as both ships sailed 256 miles (412 kilometers) above northwestern China. The Soyuz is due to land on the Central Asian steppes of Kazakhstan at 8:53 p.m. EST (0153 Nov. 19 GMT) to return American Astronaut Sunita Williams of NASA, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide to Earth after 127 days in space. The trio will make a rare night landing when their Soyuz TMA-05M capsule lands in Kazakhstan. At landing time, it is expected to be a cold night with an hour to go before sunrise, NASA officials said. You can watch the landing via SPACE.com's NASA TV feed. This is a great experience for these people. They might be the last humans to be in space maybe for a long time. This is also good for these great 3 nations. This program brought these nations closer as allies. This program is good to the world in general.

Dog whisperer suicidal

Proving that no-one no matter how they seem, have imperfect, famous family man ceaser. Millan has recently admitted to surviving a suicide attempt. During year 2010 he suffered unexpected blows to his family life after being at the peek of  his career. His wife whom he'd developed a family with divorced him. This was a shock to the media because to the public eye they seemed like the perfect couple with the perfect family living a perfect life. also his dog buddy passed away. This dog was his rock, he describes buddy as being the one thing in his life that kept him steady. Although this was tragic, after surviving his overdose on prescription pills, he's continued to live a full life, already moving to a healthier relationship. I'm proud of you dog whisperer! Keep it pushin!

Monkey Beaten to Death By Andres Munoz

 BOISE, Idaho -- A break-in at Zoo Boise early Saturday left a Patas monkey dead from blunt force trauma to the head and neck and police were analyzing blood found at the scene to determine if it came from the monkey or one of two human intruders.

 Two males wearing dark clothing were spotted by a security guard at 4:30 a.m. outside the fence near the primate exhibit, police said. Both fled, one of them heading into the interior of the zoo. Boise police used a thermal imager in searching the 11-acre zoo grounds but didn't find the person.

 Police said late Saturday that a grey baseball cap with a distinctive skull design found near the site was probably left behind by one of the intruders and it might help in tracking them down.

  This sounds rather bizarre. Two people entered a zoo only for the purpose of brutally killing a monkey? Killing an animal to me is more sadistic than a human. Not to say one is better than the other, but animals just do what is in their nature. They mean no harm to anyone. The murderer usually has a reason for what they did, but what could have possibly been a reason for killing this animal?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/18/monkey-killed-zoo-boise_n_2154196.html?utm_hp_ref=crime

Defense Cuts by Clara McLain

The United States has one of the largest militaries in the world, but possible defense cuts could be in the future as near as January. "part of an agreement to slash more than $1 trillion from the federal budget to reduce the deficit."  Another solution is prevent tax paying loopholes for high-earning families, but Nancy Pelosi does not see that to be enough from the families.  The republicans are suggesting cuts to entitlement programs such as Medicare, Social Security and the *Advancement of the Arts* (not in the article).  

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/11/18/defense-cuts-now-taking-backseat-in-budget-negotiations/

Violence, a daily reality as world leaders push Israel-Gaza cease-fire

It was another day of loud booms and deadly weaponry being plummeted from the sky in Israel and Gaza today. There were many casualties reported on both sides of conflict that international leaders scrambled to end. Reporters have pulled many bloodied bodies of children from the debris of a Gaza home today after an Israeli airstrike, which Israel claimed killed top Hamas. The conflict between Israel and Gaza puts millions and millions of Israelis in harm's way and threaten to cause "huge" upheaval in the region. Egypt and France are attempting to broker a cease-fire, and an Arab League delegation plans to visit Gaza in Tuesday, a spokesman said. Both sides in the conflict showed no signs of slowing their attacks. It's said that t innocent people are getting caught in the crossfire of this meaningless conflict especially children. This conflict needs to stop before it gets out of hand.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/18/world/meast/gaza-israel-strike/?hpt=hp_t1

Body found near burning Gulf oil rig by Carter Brown

Divers sent by the owners of an oil rig that caught fire, have recently uncovered a body near the site of the fire. The news of the fire came from a U.S. Coast Guard, thus starting a 32-hour long investigation and search for two reported missing persons. Four other workers who were severely burned remained at Baton Rouge General Medical Center on Saturday night. "Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Bobby Nash said the Guard's search was ended early Saturday evening. Helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft had been searching by air, while cutters and boat crews searched the sea." The oil rig fire started Friday morning while some workers were attempting to cut an oil line with a torch. Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/18/coast-guard-searches-from-sky-sea-after-oil-platform-fire/#ixzz2CbEVRCt1

Man accused in Patz case makes appearance by Carter Brown

The man accused for killing 6-year-old New York City boy, Etan Patz, has finally made an appearance in court, as of today. His lawyer says that his client will plead not guilty, simply because he made a "false confession". Etan vanished while walking to his school bus stop. It is said that the man convicted of the murder, Pedro Hernandez is schizophrenic and prone to hallucinations, but investigators do not think this is why he said he made the confession. I believe that he did commit the crime and that he made a confession knowing that he is guilty, but I think he will keep trying to hide behind the excuse of him having a mental illness to try to cover it up and see if he can get away with the crime. Source: http://news.msn.com/us/man-accused-in-patz-case-makes-appearance?ocid=ansnews11

PAPA JOHNS BLOWING EVERYBODYS PHONE UP by Rachel Almquist

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle is suing Papa John's, a tasty pizza company, for sending 500,000 illegal texts to their customers. They are saying that Papa John's is violating federal and state law by having the company OnTime4U solicite their customers. Papa John's faces $250 million. Papa Johns shouldn't have anyone send their customers anything. That's so many texts to have just "sent" for no reason. What about the people that have limited texting? Going over your data plan is very expensive, I bet Papa Johns doesn't even care.

ANDY COHEN DOESN'T NEED TO APOLOGIZE by Rachel Almquist

Andy Cohen, the host of "Watch What Happens: Live" and Bravo executive, recently tweeted calling the ultra famous One Direction "twinks". A "twink" is a gay slang word which best describes a young, fit, hairless young man. Used negatively, this word can be very derogatory and hurtful. However, Andy Cohen was not using the term "twink." He was simply using it as an adjective, describing their good looks. He didn't need to publically apologive for describing them.

PEOPLE MAD ABOUT RELIGIONS AND STUFF by Rachel Almquist

In Madison, Wisconsin, a group of athiest/agnostic people are suing the Internal Revenue Service stating that they are violating the U.S. consitution because they are letting churches and other religious organizations be tax excempt so they will get involved in political campaigns. The constitution states that there should be a seperation from church and state, and the Internal Revenue Service should not be offering such services in exchange for political back up.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20121115/us-religion-politics-lawsuit/

Hours After Hours...: Jorge Olvera

     Recently on November 13, children were waiting for a new video game, called Call of Duty "Black Ops." Many of my friends and family went out to stand out in the cold for this game for about five or six hours. Many people look down and make a huge deal about these children "wasting" time out in when they should be at home studying. I got the same thing when I was waiting for a pair of shoes. My family and friends were out in the middle of the December whether for some overpriced sneakers. People filming us and interviews were constantly asking "Why?!"
     The media also accuses us of wasting time. I think people should mind their own bushiness! This is what we do, would you rather us be spending it on drugs and other activities where you know it's bad for us. For people who don't know that, these are really good ways of meeting people and making friends.

The Five Dollar Doc!

Russel Dohner had been practicing medicine for over 50 years and his fee in 1955 was two dollars, and the only thing that has differed since 1955 is his prices and a few rinkles. The economy these days don't call for a "Five Dollar Doctor" some are even lucky to sped fifteen for just a simple check up. I think it is really generous thing to do with understanding the situation the economy is in today. Most people worry about the money and how they can make money off of their patients, where as Dr. dohner worries less about his moneynd thinks about peoples situatio and health before he thinks about the money. This act of kindness touched my heart deeply. http://news.yahoo.com/5-doctor-practices-medicine-bygone-era-180340207--finance.html

CIA Director David Patraeus Resigns - Paolo Buccino

     The director of the CIA David Patraeus resigned from his position on Friday. Before becoming the director of the CIA, he was a four star general in the U. S. Army and served for 37 years. Patraeus cites an extramarital affair as the reason for his resignation. He offered his resignation to President Obama in a meeting on Thursday, and Obama accepted on Friday.
     What I was wondering, is how a civil issue like an extramarital affair resulted in his resignation. The problem is that his behavior opened him up for black mail, which is a major security risk to the country. As the director of the CIA, he had access to tons of classified and sensitive information. The woman he had an affair with is currently being investigated by the FBI because she may have accessed classified information.
 http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/09/15054517-cia-director-david-petraeus-resigns-cites-extramarital-affair?lite

CRAZY MAN KILLS CRAZY MOM by Rachel Almquist

Jeffrey Pyne is being accused of stabbing his mentally ill mother 16 times in the neck, killing her. His 51 year old mother was found in the garage by her 11 year old daughter. Jeffrey was star athlete, a man who helped the elderly and a biology major in college. Many of the people close to him do not suspect that this seemingly good man could be capable of killing his mother. But, since mental obviously runs in the family, could this just be an early sighting of a major problem.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/13/jeffrey-pyne-trial-murder-ruth-pyne_n_2123388.html?utm_hp_ref=crime

DUDE KILLS HIMSELF AFTER JACKING A CAR by Rachel Almquist

 Jordon F. Romero killed himself after stealing a car, shooting at police, and leading a car chase in Phoenix. All of this and more was caught and aired on live television. Romero was violating his parole on for a weapons conviction and a lot of other violent crimes. Obviously this guy needed to be imprisoned because he's crazy. The police should have caught him before the situation escalated to the point of him killing himself...\


ttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/29/man-suicide-live-fox-car-chase-tv_n_1925107.html

OLD WOMAN LIKES TO PARTY by Rachel Almquist

An old woman took her car into the shop in Idaho and unknowingly had 1.16 pounds of cocaine under her hood. 1.16 POUNDS. That's $40,0000 worth of the Columbiam bam bam; the snow; that yayo; that blow; the nose candy; the sugar booger; that white girl; that stardust; that tutti fruitti; the talco.
The Idaho Falls service shop employer found the the package in the engine compartment.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/10/idaho-mechanic-discovers-cocaine_n_1506071.html?utm_hp_ref=drugs#slide=961175

Old people killed from mushrooms in california

Often times during rainy seasons in california people unintentionally pick mushrooms. Well in this assisited living facility home that mistake proved to be a fatal one killing 2 of the elderly residents and injuring 6 others. This all became after a lunch of what was normally delicious mushroom soup. I think that especially after seeing how those innocent elderly people were injured from the naturally grown mushrooms, there should be rules inflicted to restrict people from finding and serving
Food grown in the wild to people. I hate that innocent people died or are now in the hospital after some dang soup!



Link:http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=17702129&sid=81

Should you hold your child back??? By Desiree' Cook

Mrs. Donna explained in dept how impotant it is to not hold your child back. Instead she wants you to let them excel and think about what crucial stage your child's brain is in. Many people think they have their own children figured out and end up confused. Each child is unique in their own way and has certain learning capabilities that need to be used in a classroom so why hold the back??? If the kid has the smarts don't hesitate to let them excel to higher levels.
                                        I can relate to mrs. Donna because I have a brother who is very intelligent and his mother doesn't want to put him in head start yet along school... I have a problem with that. His learning capabilities are out of this world and he needs to be in a classroom so he can get the correct education for his learning abilities. I just feel like a child shouldn't be held back if he or she is smart enough to keep up with those around them all because of the parent.
              
            Www.cnn.com/US/index.html

Official: 2 dead in Indianapolis explosion by Desiree' Cook

There was an explosion than interrupted the night on the southside of indianapolis. There were two people who died ans seven who were taken to the areas hospitals. One person says that it felt like their chest were shaking. Others were just grateful to be alive!
                                        I feel like they are taking care of the people who were hurt. CNN believes that this was a bomb. Well duhh what else would cause an explosion! The thing I would be trying to figure out is who caused this. I didn't see anywhere in the article where they talked about finding out who did this and if they were trying to see if they were going to see if this bomber was going to strike again... where are the cops when you need them???

  Www.cnn.com/US/index.html

5 bodies found in a garage in Toledo,Ohio-Jonas Portillo

Five people were found dead in a garage at a Toledo, Ohio, home on Monday afternoon, and police said the deaths did not appear accidental. They apparently died of carbon monoxide poisoning. The victims were a 56 year old woman, her three grandchildren ages 10, 7 and 5  and a 32 year old man who was the uncle of one of the grandchildren. Firefighters found the dead at 3:36 p.m. after being called by a family member to conduct a safety check. They used equipment to break into the garage. Police did not say if there was a carbon monoxide detector in the house. This is sad that two adults would take the lives of three innocent children with them. 

Husband Tracks Wife Having Sex with Student- Taiina Ayala

Amie Lou Neely, a teacher at Community Christian College in Stuart, Florida, was arrested for having sex with a student whose name and identity was not revealed. Neely's husband, whose identity was also not disclosed, tracked Amie Lou on Saturday, November 10 using GPS signals from her cell phone. He found them in the car having sex at about 10 AM. Neely, who has had multiple sexual relations with this boy, says the teenager kept asking for sex from her and she htought that if she did it, he would stop asking.
Okay, there are so many things wrong with this story.
FIRST OF ALL. Why. Why. Why. Did her husband TRACK her? Not than I am justifying her actions in any way, but Amie Lou Neely is her own person! Why would her husband be tracking her on a Saturday morning? That's a problem. One that no one has seemed to address. That's not normal. Not everyone just has those services handy to them at all times. He was prepared. Creep.
SECOND OF ALL. Of course, it's terribly terrible that she was having sex with a 16 year old boy and her student at that!
THIRD OF ALL, it was a Christian school! That's also an extreme ironic factor.
FOURTH OF ALL her "reasoning" behind it was totally wrong and illogical. When someone asks for something, you don't just give it to them! I wonder if she has any children and if so, does she just give them anything they ask for? That's such a problem.
FIFTH OF ALL, What the heck happened when the husband got there? Did he just call the cops? That whole situation just seems odd.
I guess that's it. It's sad that people out there exist, and stories like this are eye-openers. We are surrounded every day by prospective criminals. Here in OUR country, America.


Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/12/teacher-teen-sex-gps-florida/1699839/

Police Officer killed by friendly fire Vincent DeLuna

It was a tragedy. A Lakewood police officer was killed in the line of duty on accident by his partner. While searching an area after being dispatched to a call of shots fired, Officer Davies was shot over a six-foot tall wooden fence. He was mistaken for a possible armed suspect. The reason I chose to write about this Officer is because I met his best friend while I was in Colorado for a National Police Explorers Competition. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Officers family as well as the Lakewood Police Dept..  

The article on the Lakewood Police Dept. stated the following- 

Shortly before 2:00 AM Lakewood agents were in the area of 19th Avenue & Fenton Street on an unrelated call when they heard shots being fired. Shortly afterwards one of the agents actually saw a subject firing a weapon on the front porch of a residence at 1940 Eaton.

Additional agents responded and contacted three male parties who were taken into custody. Prior to re-entering the residence to check for any additional occupants more agents arrived and began securing the perimeter of the house.

It was during that time that an agent who was outside the residence was shot. He was not transported and was pronounced dead on scene.

There were no other injuries to agents or residents in the area. 

http://www.lakewood.org/Newsroom/Police/2147498568/

http://www.policeone.com/Officer-Safety/articles/6033818-Community-mourns-officer-mistakenly-killed-by-fellow-cop/

Earthquake hits Guatemala by Jonathan Landeros

Earlier this week on Wednesday a powerful earthquake off the pacific coast of Guatemala with a 7.4 magnitude was felt passing Central America and Mexico City.It destroyed cars, roads, and many injured or killed.At least 48 people died, 29 people missing, hundreds without a home and 150 were being treated by doctors.This is the strongest quake that's hit Guatemala since 1976 with a record of a 7.5 -magnitude killing 23,000 people in that year.

This is very sad people were just having a normal time in life and out of no where a quake hit and people went missing dead or injured.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/07/world/americas/guatemala-earthquake/index.html

Vatican vows to fight gay marriage after gains in U.S., Europe

The Vatican is reacting negatively after the support of gay marriage in the U.S. On Saturday, Europe pledged to never stop fighting attempts to "erase" the privileged role of heterosexual marriage, which is called "an achievement of civilization". For the second day, the Vatican media have published forceful editorials restating the Roman Catholic Church's, equivocal opposition. Lombardi, the Vatican's chief spokesmen and the director of the Vatican Radio and Vatican Television said "public acknowledgement "that"  monogamous marriage between a man and a woman is an achievement of civilization". I personally believe that homosexuality isn't a sin and I feel that we all bleed the same gay or straight. It really isn't a big deal to me that a man and man want to get married. If they want to get married, just let them and it's none of our business what their sexuality is. 

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vatican-vows-fight-gay-marriage-gains-u-europe-215302141.html;_ylt=AsHtldt7u375nT4LGkqwwa5Rsa8F;_ylu=X3oDMTQzNDZwbWwyBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBVU1NGIFJlbGlnaW9uU1NGBHBrZwNlZjcwZjc0NC00OGRhLTM3NjEtOWJlYS02NzA5ZGIwNmY3OTkEcG9zAzEEc2VjA3RvcF9zdG9yeQR2ZXIDMjc0Njk5OTAtMmI4MS0xMWUyLWJmZjctMjY4Yjg2ZDgzMzU1;_ylg=X3oDMTFxYXI0b3RwBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAN1LXN8cmVsaWdpb24EcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Major Supreme Court Decision by Clara McLain

Supreme Court Will Take New Look At Voting Rights by Mark Sherman.
"In an order Friday, the justices agreed to hear a constitutional challenge to the part of the landmark Voting Rights Act that requires all or parts of 16 states with a history of discrimination in voting to get federal approval before making any changes in the way they hold elections." 
It is very difficult to summarize this story, but it is about voting discrimination. 

www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/09/supreme-court-new-look-voting-rights-act_n_2103642.html

Husband goes crazy by Omar Rivera

After a break up with his wife, Leonardo Espinal reacts dramatically towards his children and himself. He tells his wife he wants them to sleep over and unfortunately kills both his daughter and son. He drowns his 5 year old son and Rat poisons his 6 year old daughter. After he killed both of them he called his ex wife and let her know as well as letting her know he was going to kill himself.

This story brings ache to my heart. It's so sad and unfortunate. I imagine the struggle those kids went through for something that wasn't their fault. They were innocent and didn't deserve it. It's sad to know he reacted in such a way and shameful that he couldn't control his emotions to make better decisions.

Source: http://us.foxnews.mobi/quickPage.html?page=26048&external=1791709.proteus.fma

Winter Storm Hits the North East - Paolo Buccino

    After everything that has happened with hurricane Sandy up in the North Eastern United States, now there is a winter storm. As you guys may already know, the storm caused major damage to an already weak and obsolete infrastructure. 640,000 people have already been without power for a while, and this winter weather is adding to that number.
     This weather system had 65 mph wind gusts and might drop up to 4 inches of snow in New York. A lot of people up there have been without power for a long time. Down here in Texas, it wouldn't be so hard because the weather is relatively mild. Up there, the winter weather is extremely cold and harsh. People are freezing in their homes and some lost their winter clothing.
     I think that we should keep these things in mind and try and help out with the situation in whatever ways we can. This winter storm is literally nothing so far. People will probably need help for a while. 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/08/us-storm-sandy-hurricane-idUSBRE89N16J20121108

What's So Bad About It?! by Jorge Olvera

     It seems like were getting closer to legalizing marijuana in the U.S. There aren't many reasons for us to keep this substance illegal. If anything we are getting ridding reasons that make it sound bad. We are giving more reasons to it being more acceptable here.
     LZ Granderson wrote about this subject. It's humorous but hits certain areas of it are good points about including it in our country.Small quantities would seem at a good level from people getting in trouble. Fighting for this is unnecessary, cause eventually it will be legalized!
resources:  http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/30/opinion/granderson-legalize-pot/index.html?hpt=ju_t2

New York nanny charged with murder in stabbing deaths of two children

Saturday November 3rd, a New York nanny is charged with murdering two small children. Yoselyn Ortega was arrested for second degree murder on October 25. After walking in her dark apartment, the mother found her two children Lucia and Leo dead and found Yoselyn stabbing herself with a kitchen knife.Marina Krim, the mother of the late children left the children with Ortega to take her 3-year old to swim lessons and was expecting to meet the nanny around 5:30 p.m. to dance class but Ortega failed to show up.

Source: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/03/new-york-nanny-charged-with-murder-in-stabbing-deaths-of-two-children/?hpt=ju_c1

Inspiring Story of Alex Zanardi

On September 15, 2001 Zanardi was in the lead of a racecar race, when he suddenly lost control of his car and the engine blew. He then got hit by an oncoming car that split Zanardi's car in two. He was immediatley rushed to the hospital, where they were forced to amputate both his legs off. Zanardi said that he automatically thought he could never do what he loved anymore.
Well, he figured a way, and since he has won several gold medals in the summer 2012 olympics for handcycling. Zanardi had a dream and he wasn't going to let anything get in the way of that. So he decided to create his own bike, that would suit him best. Alex Zanardi is very inspiring to me, because even though he thought things couldn't get any worse, he choose to make the best of it. This story tells me that all things are possible, and you are put on this earth for a reason.

video: http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c3#/video/international/2012/11/01/human-to-hero-alex-zanardi-paralympic-formula-1.cnn

source: http://espn.go.com/racing/story/_/id/8341623/paralympics-alex-zanardi-story-just-got-better

World's rarest whale seen for the first time - Jonas Portillo

The world's rarest whale has been spotted for the first time, in New Zealand, where two of the whales stranded on a beach by themselves. The two spade-toothed beaked whales, a mother and calf, stranded and died on Opape Beach on the North Island of New Zealand, in December 2010. The mother was 17 feet (5.3 meters) long and the calf was 11 feet (3.5 m) long. A report describing the whales and the analysis of their DNA will appear in Tuesday's issue of the journal Current Biology. "Up until now, all we have known about the spade-toothed beaked whale was from three partial skulls collected from New Zealand and Chile over a 140-year period. It is remarkable that we know almost nothing about such a large mammal," Rochelle Constantine, a marine biologist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, said in a statement. "This is the first time this species has ever been seen as a complete specimen, and we were lucky enough to find two of them."At first, the animals were thought to be much more common Gray's beaked whales. Their identity came to light following routine DNA analysis, which was done as part of a 20-year program to collect data on beaked whale species in New Zealand waters. New Zealand is a known hotspot for whale stranding, and it has the highest rates and greatest diversities of stranded whale species in the world, the researchers report.The New Zealand Department of Conservation photographed the animals and collected tissue samples. "When these specimens came to our lab, we extracted the DNA as we usually do for samples like these, and we were very surprised to find that they were spade-toothed beaked whales," Constantine said. "We ran the samples a few times to make sure before we told everyone."The researchers said they have no idea why the whales have remained so elusive. There isnt much more about the spade-toothed whale. This is the only time they have seen the whale with tissue and still intact. This is a remarkable discovery for marine biologists. This just proves that there is so much more in the ocean that we have yet to find. We have just caught a glimpse of whats in the ocean and its beauties.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49696596/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Young and wild kills By Rylie Walker

What has the world came too! A 2 year old boy visiting the Pittsburgh Zoo was killed Sunday when he fell off a railing that his mother had put him on top of to view a pack of African painted dogs, who pounced on the child and mauled him, police said.  The dogs were about as big as medium-sized domestic dogs, 2 to 2 1/2 feet high and 37 to 80 pounds, according to the zoo.  African wild dogs are also known as cape hunting dogs, spotted dogs, and painted wolves. They have large , rounded ears and dark brown circles around their eyes and are considered endangered.  Visitors walk onto a deck that is glassed on the sides, but they open in front where the railing is located. They Should watch the 2 year old boy to make sure he wouldn't fall so he could still see the dogs and still live.  Hopefully next time the zoo will fix the railing so no one else will get hurt.
http://news.yahoo.com/2-old-boy-killed-pa-zoo-exhibit-234149458.html

Hilary best say yes in 2016! Vincent DeLuna

Hilary Clinton best say yes to that bid! Madam Clinton, in my opinion, would be a great first female president! She has been around the white house for twenty years and totally deserves to be the "man" in charge for awhile. I think she will serve us well. She was always there when her husband was in office and she had been right behind Obama all the way as well. I think she has done a very good job running this country as secretary of state and should do it as Madam President!

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/08/politics/campaign-2016/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews

Nanny charged with murder by Carter Brown

This is a major news article that I heard about yesterday. Apparently, a nanny in New York has been charged with murdering two of the kids she nannies. "Yoselyn Ortega, 50, was arrested and charged with first- and second-degree murder in each of the October 25 stabbing deaths, New York police spokesman Paul Browne said." According to CNN, the mother of the two children had left to take one of her other kids to a swimming lesson and left the two with the nanny. When the nanny was expected to meet the mother at a dance class and didn't, the mother raced home to find her children dead. I find this really unfortunate and sad, not only because it's a horrible incident, but also because it makes my mother's profession look bad, being that she is a nanny. http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/03/new-york-nanny-charged-with-murder-in-stabbing-deaths-of-two-children/">

Back in the Groove After the Storm- Natalie Newman

After hurricane Sandy, people and their daily routines were left a little shaken up. It was a slow proccess for clubs to get back to normal. According to a  New York Times article, clubs with jazz bands and live music are slowly reaching their normal reoutines and performances. Many musicians were left without gigs due to Sandy. At a local bar, Blue Note, the audience was aching for the normality of the music and the club environment after a long wait for the huricane to end. According to a source in the magazine, the club seemed surprisngly normal. Of course, it was a slow proccess of reaching the normality. Things started out a little rough, but smoothed out pretty quickly after things started going. Some people were more worried about the "public appetite" rather than the flooding that had appeared. There was that feeling of whether it was proper decorum to go right on back to the daily routines of ones life, or whether one should wait it out a little while the shock of the hurricane died down.
I felt that the public did a great job of being prepared for the hurricane, as well as being prepared for the healing proccess. Clubs and restraunts did a great job at reaching their normal routines in a humane way and a reasonable amount of time as well.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/05/arts/music/the-blue-note-and-other-jazz-spots-weather-hurricane-sandy.html?ref=arts&_r=0

New York Ban on Soda- Taiina Ayala

Okay so this isn't really all that recent, but it's not ancient either! This summer for my controversial issues packet for AP English III one of my articles was about a New York soda ban proposal. This article was posted on July 24, 2012. Well now, the ban was passed in September and will go into effect on March 12, 2013. Basically, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City proposed a ban on large amounts of soda being sold in restaurants and gas stations such as the 7/11 "Big Gulp." Bloomberg and health oficials say that soda is toxic and a large contributor to obesity. "More people will die this year of obesity than of starvation," Mayor Bloomberg said. America is in fact known for our obese population. Is that due to our immense amount of freedom, something we are also known for? Is there such thing as too much freedom? Those who oppose the ban say there is no such thing. 60% of New Yorkers say that ban is a bad idea. Daniel Halloran, a New Yorker, says the ban is just another way for the government to crack down on us and slowly take away our freedom. Eliot Hoff, a spokesman for New Yorkers for Beverage Choices wrote, “By imposing this ban, the board has shown no regard for public opinion or the consequences to businesses in the city." However, the ban was passed with a vote of eight to zero!
I think this ban was a smart choice. However, I do see where Mr. Eliot Hoff is coming from. There will be many upset people and many badly affected businesses and I'm sure Mr. Bloomberg is ver yaware. But it seems Americans health is more important to him, which is good! If we don't watch our health, no one will even be alive to run these businesses!

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/14/nyregion/health-board-approves-bloombergs-soda-ban.html
Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2012/09/13/nyc-board-of-health-passes-soda-ban/
Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2012/0724/New-York-soda-ban-proposal-Public-hearing-gets-impassioned

Navajo code talker from World War II dies by Jonathan landeros

Navajo code talkers transmitted messages only known to them to help the U.S. military be victorious against the Japanese. Most of them served during WW2.The president of the Navajo nation announced this week that George Smith, one of the Navajo code talkers died this past Tuesday.He even posted the reasons for being sad since these honorable men served big roles in they're day and we're heroes to generations of the Navajo people.

This is very sad because the real heroes and people who witnessed actual events back then are slowly disappearing.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/01/us/navajo-code-talker-dies/index.html

Amanda Bynes experiencing yellow journalism *Wink Wink*

Beloved child star amanda bynes has been accused of wandering around beach bum tanning salon completely naked! several eyewitnesses were quoted by abc news saying they saw the star walk throughout the salon, calmly and in what seemed like a stroll. The reported saying that shed seemed our of it and in a drug induced state. Upon finding out about this, Bynes was outraged, threatning to sue everyone involved in the scandal, placing emphasis on the alleged "eye witnesses". To back the up her defense she told reporters that she's been doing amazing and uponher recent retiring of her acting career she plans to go to the big apple to pursue her fashion line! Personally, i feel that the star doesnt havd good enough reason to sue the instigators. Its truly just media hype and that type of flat out putrages slander only gets more and more excitable when you pay it even the slightest attention. She did what she shouldve by denying the slander and giving insight about what shes reallt been doing. If she was really strolling in a public place bare bottom naked, there'd be pictures of that floating all over the internet!
Am i wrong?


Source: http://abcnews.go.com/m/blogEntry?id=17627704&sid=75&cid=75

Mayor "Eggs" On by Clara McLain

The article was originally written by Maqsood Hussain: http://www.thenewstribe.com/2012/11/03/bridgeport-utility-workers-pelted-with-eggs-by-angry-residents/

Hurricane Sandy has brought a large amount of destruction to the Northeast.  In Bridgeport, Connecticut utility workers attempt to restore power to the city, but are pelted with eggs and other items by local residents around the time a comment was made by Mayor Finch saying that the local power company "shortchanged" the city.  The company decided to withdraw the workers from their work for concern of their safety.  The company made the statement that the utility workers will not be working unless local police are present to keep the workers safe from the dangerous eggs.
So, why are the residents punishing the utility workers? Seriously, even if the company is "shortchanging" the city, it isn't the fault of the company's onsite workers.

Verizon Customers Could Wait 2 Weeks For Cellular Service Following Storm Damage by Carlos Walcott

Due to Hurricane Sandy, a lot of Verizon customers, and other cellular companies aren't working. Hurricane Sandy disrupted the networks with it's high winds and heavy flooding. A lot of these customers that have been effected by this will have to wait at least two weeks until this is fixed, maybe even more. Verizon said that it's progress restoring system was being slowed down, due to downed power lines, trees and debris, flooding, and also several feet of snow. Without power in some areas of the Northeast, particularly New York and New Jersey, Verizon has been using generators to deliver Internet access and voice and data service. Unfortunately, the amount of fuel to keep those generators running is a concern. Before the storm, telecom providers had said they were prepared with batteries, generators, and mobile equipment to keep networks running. But Hurricane Sandy’s heavy winds and flooding nevertheless caused widespread damage to their network equipment. Some experts say that regulators may come up with new rules that require wireless providers to make their networks more resilient during major storms. In my opinion, this situation is terrible. Hurricane Sandy has cause a lot of problems. The event also caused 16 deaths, which is very tragic. I am also one of the people who has no television or internet service due to the storm.Hopefully, everything will be back to normal soon. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/02/verizon-hurricane-sandy-service_n_2066913.html?utm_hp_ref=hurricane-sandy-2012

Technology in the Field of Education- Taiina Ayala

Two surveys have been done recently, coincidentally at the same time, on the effect of technology on students. The researchers and runners of these surveys aimed their questions at teachers since they figured that they are the ones who spend most of their time observing students in the classroom. Many teachers believe that the overall effect of technology on students has been negative. They say that technology is a major distraction that contributes to the shortening of our attentino spans. These surveys are not to be seen as proof that technology affects a student's ability to focus.

I believe that although technology such as cell phones and computers can indeed serve as deistractions but they also have proven, in what I've seen in my 11 years of education, to be extremely beneficial as well! I honestly don't know how people did it in school back in the day without technology. I mean I can;t imagine sitting through hours of boring classes listening to teachers blabbing on and on. They needed to spice it up! But Hope Molina- Porter says that when teachers "adjust their lessons to accomodate [our] shorter attention spans," it might just be contributing to the problem of how we learn. I think technology is fan-freaking-tastic and that's that! It has proved to be an incredible educational tool AND has made us better self-researchers!





Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/education/technology-is-changing-how-students-learn-teachers-say.html?ref=us&_r=0