Tuesday, September 8, 2009

In school speech, Obama says education key to country's future

It was a great idea for Obama to encourage students, but I think this also could potentially bring up a few issues for people who cannot afford school. Despite all the economical problems and increased debt due to student loans, Obama encourages all students to stay in school and keep studying. He says no matter what you plan on doing as a career, it will require you to have a high education. The more people who have an education will help make this country smarter and possibly more economically efficient.

Read Obama's speech to students here

There are a lot of people still out there who can have a better education, but they simply cannot afford it. There is pretty big margin of people who make just enough money to not be eligible for a government grant; thus, making us take out government or private loans. Last year, I earned about $20,000. This year, I remain job-less and not only do I not have a source of income, but I also have to pay for student loans. I don't mind the idea of student loans, but I think the policy for grant eligibility could be improved some. This way more students can be eligible which would lead to more people actually going to college.

Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/07/obama.school.speech/index.html

cops arrest man over links to 9 slayings

A Milwaukee man that has been arrested for the slayings of nine women since 1986 has been charged with two counts of homicide with more charges expected to follow later this week.
Walter E. Ellis, 49, was taken into custody after a struggle at a motel on Saturday, days after police served a search warrant to obtain a DNA sample

Police said Ellis' DNA was found on the bodies of nine women who were killed between 1986 and 2007 on Milwaukee’s north side. Investigators believe eight of the women were prostitutes and one was a runaway. They ranged in age from 16 to 41. Each of the homicide charges carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32723429/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/)

I think it’s a good thing they caught this guy. I seen on the news the man made a comment that he was cleaning up the streets. Just seeing this makes you realize that there are really crazy people out there and you should take a little more precaution sometimes especially when you live in a big college state like us.

Emil Gilbert

Obama's Controversial Speech to Students

President Obama prepared a speech to share with students. This speech has been a very controversial issue. Some say it's a good idea to hear from their country's president about staying in school and working hard. But the critics say they oppose the idea of the president's speech because it's about what's wrong with the country and telling our children to fix it. Conservatives feel that the speech would be used as a Parisian political agenda. The speech was previously posted on the White House web site so people can read it before it was scheduled to broadcast today.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/07/obama.school.speech/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
I feel like this is a wonderful idea and should have been done before. After reading the speech, I see no wrong in it or any harm that could come from it. The speech is very inspiring and motivatonal. The president is just saying what the parents, teacher, pastors and othe leaders should say. Students need that extra boost to put their best foot forth to make something out of themselves, and this country a better place.
Read the speech to see for yourself
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/09/07/obama.school.speech.pdf

Don't Text and Drive

Source:
MSNBC

The title of this post may seem like common sense to some people. In fact, many people may be rolling their eyes at me for posting it. Others will most likely shrug it off and not read it or read it with the burning question: "Why?". Hundreds of people, if not millions, use their phone while driving and while it is illegal in some places to talk on the phone while driving it may not be illegal to text while driving. Texting is just as big a problem as talking on the phone... as Nicholas Sparks found out.

Sparks was committing a double foul on the road. Two cell phones at the same time while driving. Texting with one and talking with the other. Quickly Mr. Sparks drove his tow truck into the back of another truck and then into a pool. New York does not have a law against texting in effect at this point in time, though there is one set to go in effect in November, so they can only arrest him with driving while speaking on the phone.

New York isn't alone in not having a full blown anti-texting law. In fact, only ten states do have one that effects all drivers. Eight other states have passed laws agaisnt texting but they have yet to go into effect. When they do a total of eighteen states will have laws against everyone texting while driving no matter the age or area. Some states currently have laws against doing it at a younger age or while in a school zone but this practice isn't fixing the problem at all and eighteen out of fifty is only around two-fifths of the total number.

Studies have recently begun to cover texting. The Transportation Institute at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University released findings that someone texting is twenty-three times more likely to crash than someone not hampered by a cell phone at all and four times more likely to crash than someone using a cell phone. I won't call this conclusive because there are many more studies to be had... I would, however, say that we're all better off finding something to unglue the phone from our hands while driving. If not for the safety of yourself then do it for the safety of those you may potentially kill. If you live in Utah you face fifteen years for killing someone while driving and texting. Pretty harsh... but maybe it's exactly what we need to finally get people to shut the phone off while on the road.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Told to shrink, Army National Guard is pickier

In this resection even the National Guard needs to make cuts. The National Guard is turning people away for being too over weight, speeding tickets, even having bad acne is a reason they are using saying they only want the cream of the crop. Military officials portray the cutbacks as an effort to trim excess from a Guard force and use your flaws to keep you out.

While the Pentagon has cut the National Guard by about 9,000 soldiers to 358,200 over the past six months the nearly 549,000-strong active-duty Army is under orders to recruit 70,000 new soldiers by the end of September and 22,000 more in the coming year.
(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32660990/ns/us_news-military/)

I think this is just the government’s way to take the news away from the overseas expense and add it to are home expense. I think this will affect many people in a bad way. A lot of people use the National Guard as a way to get help for their education and in turn they donate one weekend a month and help out with big disasters. I think they should find a different way to budget and cut losses.

Emil Gilbert

Mother in Prison After Child Dies In Hot Car

In Augusta Georgia, 26 year old Lisa Morris left her 6 week old newborn son in a hot car for an hour. The car was estimated to have reached temperatures as high as 119 to 126 degrees so of course the baby died. Lisa Morris was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison and five years probation after she serves her time. Morris begs for mercy because she also has a five year old daughter at home. The judge says she can appeal at a later date but as for now the sentence stands. He also says leaving a child in a car not only results in death but prison time.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/20701667/detail.html

This is unfortunate case for both the children in this tory. The innocent child lost its life and the five year old lost it's mother. But it could have easily been avoid. What parent in their right mind leaves a six week old baby in the car for an hour, for any amount of time whether hot or not.

Discovery set to launch next week for space station

The space shuttle was arranged to take off Tuesday August 25th at 1:36 a.m. to the international space station for a mission. Seven astronauts were sent on a mission to bring equipment to the space station and to replace Timothy Kopra, as mission specialist, with Nicole Stott, who is a flight engineer. An External Resistance Treadmill, also known as Colbert, will be brought up to the space station as well. It was given to the space station by Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central's " The Colbert Report" so the astronauts can receive some kind of excercise while in space.

This will be the 30th shuttle mission and the Discovery's 37th mission to the space station.

While in space, astronauts Danny Olivas and Christer Fuglesang will prepare for their moon walk by camping out in the Quest airlock. The Quest airlock gets the astronauts ready by "swapping ammonia tanks that helps keep the station cool" for them. A space walk plan was reviewed by fellow astronauts and they got together their spacesuits and tools they need for the mission.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/08/19/shuttle.launch.advance/index.html?iref=mps...

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

It would be so amazing to go to the space station and witness how incredible it must be to see the earth and walk on the moon. The astronauts that go on these missions have had the chance of a lifetime to be able to be a part of something so incredible. If I was given the chance to go on the space shuttle, I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Man goes from Hero to Hammer Wieldering Wife Killer

In Bryceville, Florida, Unfortunate event changed man from, Michael Ratley from a hero to a zero! Michael Rately was known as a hero for saving his two week old son and wife from their burning trailer. They otherwise would have died because the trailer burned to the ground. But I'm sure his wife would have rather died in the fire than her husband brutally smashing her skull with a hammer. Police found no motive. For this hideous crime he received 25 years to life with no possibility of parole. All his family say it's not him and murdering his wife let alone anybody is out of his character, but evidence shows otherwise! Even though Michael Ratley altered the scene to make it look like someone had came inside the house to murder his wife.

htpp://www.cnn.com/2009/crime/08/21/florida.hero.killer/index.html/?iref=newssearch

Anthing can happen in the blink of an eye who knows why this once loving family man had a change of heart to kill the woman he once loved so much. I believe this sentence was fair after brutally murdering his woman with their son in the house he deserves to die in prison.

Dogs in fatal attack rounded up, euthanized

In Lexington, Georgia, an older couple were attacked and killed by a group of dogs that lived in their area. Eleven grown dogs and five puppies were euthanized because of the killings of the Georgia couple. The dogs lived on an abandoned property down the road from where Lothar Schwedar and his wife Sherry lived. The owner of the dogs left because he was having health and money problems, but would go out to feed the dogs frequently.

Sherry Schwedar went for her morning walk on Saturday but met up with the dogs down the road at which point they jumped on her to knock her down and killed her. When she didn't return home, her husband went out looking for her. He found her laying in the middle of the road and got out of his car, trying to get the dogs away from her. The dogs jumped on him also to knock him down and they killed him as well.

Investigators believe that eye contact with the animals might have triggered them to attack her and act in such a way. They say that the animal might have felt threatened from the eye contact. The dogs were not big dogs that you would think couldn't do the amount of harm that was done, but there were a lot of them at once going at them.

All of the dogs were rounded up and were euthanized in about an hour and a half and then were cremated. The dogs were said to be maggot infested, which meant they were not well taken care of.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/08/19/georgia.dog.attack/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

For this to happen to them in such a way is terrible to think about. The dogs should never have been left alone at the house. The owner should have put them in an animal shelter instead of leaving them to roam around. If that was the case, this couple would still be alive today. I'm just curious to know why the animals acted like that? What made them react that way towards the couple at two seperate times?

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Stranger Accused of Slapping A Crying Tot at Store

Your normal trip to Wal-Mart you wouldn't think you have to fear your child getting slapped by a stranger. In Georgia 61 year old, Roger Stephens, was arrested for slapping a crying little girl that apparently pushed him over the edge. He boldly told the child's mother that if she didn't shut the child up he would. After slapping the two year old girl four times he told the mother " I told you I would make her shut up!" The abusive man was charged with a felony, cruelty to a child.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32660775/ns/us_news_crime_and_courts
This man is very bold most criminals commit their crime inconspicuously this man slapped a child in front of her mother. The story just makes you realize how safe are your children really, not only out of your sight but in your sight also!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

When a parent goes to war, military kids grow up fast

Teenagers whose parents are in the military feel the need to step up and fill the space as their mom or dad to help raise their brothers and/or sisters. They feel that they need to get a job to help bring the extra money in to help support their family."According to the Department of Defense, over 30,000 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18 have at least one parent in the military."A lot of the teenagers really don't have a choice but to step up and take care of their younger siblings because the kids need someone there to comfort them and to help them with the day to day activities.The families of the military soldiers expected them to help with "domestic disasters" instead of being at war for so long.With the parent getting deployed for long perids of time, the National Guard is not exactly sure of the effect it is having on their children. Some studies have proven that the absense of a military parent "can cause a child to become upset, angry and the feeling of wanting to be alone."

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/08/20/military.teens.grow.up/index.html

Older siblings feel that they have a responsibility to take care of their younger brothers or sisters. It's not just with military families that this happens, it's with families across the United States whenever a parent is not around. The younger sibling, out of instinct, looks up to their big brother or sister for help, always.

A New Life Comes Into the World As Mothers' Exits

In Albany Medical Center family waits for birth of Diane McCabe's second child. She went to the hospital thinking she was going to have a normal vaginal delivery but instead after 10 hours of labor her obstetrician thought a cesarean would be best. After having her uterine arteries cut and torn during the surgery, she began internally bleeding. Her obstetrician and midwife present argued over how to treat her and sadly she wasn't treated fast enough either way and bled to death. She lost three quarts of blood, which is 60% of total volume of the blood in her body. Her family is pursuing a lawsuit of the hospital, for they believe it was a wrongful death and doctors killed their loved one. The hospital says that no wrongdoing took place.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/deadbymistake/6555104.html

This story hits very close to home, to close for comfort actually. I feel so bad for the family who grieves over their lost. Unfortunately being in a similar situation after giving birth to my son I lost a great amount of blood and had to recieve two quarts of blood through an iv. Im just happy that I'm still here today and it's not my family grieving. It just also makes me thankful for donor who give blood making it accesible in times of neeed. But back to this sad case I believe there is more to this story something should have been done to save her life and her family should be paid for their lost, even though unfortunately it won't bring back Diane McCabe. MAY HER SOUL R.I.P!

Couple faces 29 felony counts, life in jail in kidnapping

In Antioch, California, 11 year old Jaycee Lee Dugard was kidnapped in 1991 while she was waiting for the school bus in the early morning. Two suspects, Phillip Garrido and his wife Nancy Garrido were arrested and are facing 29 felony charges. A few of the charges include "kidnapping someone under 14 years old, kidnapping for sexual purposes, forcible rape and forcible lewd acts on a child."

Jaycee Lee Dugard has been held as a prisoner for 18 years is a shed in Phillip's backyard that he put a bathroom, shower, and ran extension cords for electricity. During those years he raped her and got her pregnant with two girls that were born in the shed and they lived in there with her and have never seen a doctor. The girls are 15 and 11 years old now and they have no education and no knowledge of anything other than the life they have lived in that shed.

Phillip Garrido is a registered sex offender and spent time in prison where he met is current wife Nancy. On November 30, 2006, a California sheriff responded to a 911 call that was made claiming a woman and two children lived in his back yard.

The sheriff did not have the knowledge that Phillip was a sex offender so he believed that no crime was committed and he did not push the issue to look in the back yard after their conversation in the front yard.After Jaycee finally reunited with her family, her step father, Carl Probyn says that Jaycee's life for these past 18 years have been extremely rough, for them as well, but the past couple of days have been good.

Police Cites Angry Mother for Potty Mouth!

Police say he cited an Indiana mother, Tammy Kay Cronan Smith, for disorderly conduct. She was leaving local video store and directing foul language to her daughter. People on the scene say they were very concerned and annoyed because of how loudly she was yelling profanities. The angry mom told police she was angry because her daughter had falsely accused her sister of stealing gum from inside the store. But then she told reporters she was not directing the profanity at her child but at an adult friend who had angered her. But all in all she feels she did nothing wrong.

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/20653458/detail.html

This story can be very controversial. I believe if the woman was indeed cited for disordley conduct then that was appropriate for her loud public display. But if cited for her foul mouth at her child then that violate her 1st admendment right. I think people should just leave their private matters private and this could have been avoided.

Michael Jackson hoax was 'experiment,' broadcaster says

Michael Jackson's death on June 25, 2009, has sparked a lot of controversy. Many people believe he is living elsewhere. YouTube hosts a video contributed by the user "michaeljacksonhoax" that contains footage which makes it seem as if Michael Jackson was alive. More than 880,000 people have clicked on the link to view the video only to find out it was nothing more than a clever hoax.

If you look closely, it does look like MJ, but then again theres no significant evidence to prove that it is him. I think Michael Jackson has had more than enough time in the spotlight. If he is alive, it's probably because he wanted to get away from all the critisism. He went through a lot as a kid and left him with scars for life. If he has passed away, then let him rest in peace. If he is alive, I think people should leave him alone and just think about the things he has been through. MJ came a long way from where he used to be, and I think he deservers some credit for that.

Click here to view the video directly on YouTube.

Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/31/michael.jackson.hoax/index.html

New flu hit estimated 10 percent of New Yorkers

The new H1n1 is estimated to have infected about 800,000 people in New York City in the spring of 2009.Swine flu has infected over 1 million people in the United States, and now the CDC's No. 1 priority. Research also shows that older children, young adults, and pregnant women are most likely to be infected by H1Ni .The virus is still circulating, and leading officials feel it will reappear in the northern hemispheres in the fall, once the temperatures begin to fall.World Health Organization said people with asthma, heart diseases and even diabetes are at special risk of severe complications of death from H1N1.And some countries are reporting that 15 percent of patients hospitalized with the new strain of H1N1 needed to be put intensive care, Further draining the health care systems. So what can we do to protect ourselves???? Continuously wash your hands, and stay protected with vaccines.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE57T26Y20090830

California wildfire more than doubles on sixth day

In Los Angeles, a fire which started last Wednesday is now to the point of now return. It's been burning for six days now, and even causing firefighters to retreat on Monday. With 71 houses already destroyed, another 6,300 homes were told they needed to be evacuated. This fire has engulfed over 105,000 acres, up from 42,000 acres late on Sunday. Out of the 2,600 firefighter fighting the blaze only two have been killed, by this monster. Officials don't think the blaze will be contained until September 15, due to the harsh weather conditions. High temperatures with low humidity has helped energize the fire even more.Rescue teams had to save five people who were trapped in the forest after they disregarded evacuation orders.For some students the first day of class were canceled due to heavy smoke. Even though officials are doing everything they can do, it's unsafe for them to be there when the fire hits.

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE57R3G820090901

The invisible parent in your car...

Source:
USA TODAY

'We wanted a way for the parent to be in the car with the kid without being there'. Paraphrases what Andrew Sarkisian says about the latest advancement in Ford's safety. A special key that can limit what your child does in the car. How much can it change their driving? Well, if your child is anything like my family, they'll buckle up when the radio ceases to function until having done so. Afraid your child is racing at break-neck speeds? Well the car can only go up to 80mph while the Mkey is inside! After Sarkisian's eldest daughter was in two rollover accidents he came up with this idea to make driving safer for teens.

Statistics show that teens tend to get into an accident within one year after starting to drive. The Mkey provides better safety of mind for some parents. But no matter what, you have to have someone who knows what they're doing in control. Safety feature after safety feature can't force you to make good decisions but it can help.

Any teen driving to college can relate to this. What if your parent got you a car with this key? Do you think it would help you or just get on your nerves? Personally, if it makes the roads more safe then I'm all for it.