Trooper Addresses Gravel Driving

Iowa state trooper Vince Kurtz gives some tips about driving on gravel roads. The speed limit on gravel roads is 55 between sunrise and sunset, and 50 after sunset and sunrise. Motorists are required to maintain control of their vehicle at all times no mater what the surface conditions are. Drivers should watch for washboards and rumblestrips, especially near intersections and during dry times of the year. Watch out for road graders because they will leave a windrow of gravel along the edges and center of the road. Stay on your side of the road. Becareful when going up hills and at intersections because there could be someone coming over the hill or pulling up to the intersection and might not stop. This is especially important when meeting farm equipment and during spring and fall. Tractors and combines can't get over as far as you think they can.

Dylan Moses Offered Scholarship by Alabama

    Dylan Moses, an 8th grader from Baton Rouge, LA, was offered a second scholarship from a top SEC Division I college. He is a 2017 prospect that was previously offered a scholarship from LSU over the summer. He stands out above everybody because he measured in at 6' - 1" and 215 pounds.
    He is the first 8th grader to ever receive a full ride scholarship from Alabama. He went to what they call Junior Day and high school athletes get a tour of the campus and the football complexes. He was the only kid there that was not a Junior. After the tour Alabama coach Nick Saban called Dylan into his office and said to him "We hear that you're impressive, keep your grades up, we want you to come here, and we're offering you a scholarship now, I can't even put that into words."

    I think that this is very interesting that they are offering to a kid that hasn't even played a down in high school football. People know that eventually the rest of kids will catch up to you. Players have speed and size for quite awhile but as you age other kids grow up and get faster, yeah he could still be better than everybody in high school but might not be! He could also break a bone or something and never play another down in his life. Then you get a kids hope and dreams up for nothing. I hope it works out for both Dylan and the school that he ends up committing to over the next three to four years. What do you think about it? Do you think the pressure of having a D1 offer hanging over him will make him choke? 

You can read more at: http://espn.go.com/college-sports/recruiting/football/story/_/id/8989200/alabama-crimson-tide-offer-scholarship-eighth-grader-dylan-moses  

I recently read this book called TALLGRASS it's about the government sent the Japanese Americans sent to these camps. Almost all the people in Ellis dislike the Japanese Americans just because they were different from them. Who cares were all different from everyone else in the world. Don't disrespect anyone because of the color of the skin or cultures that's just wrong in so many ways that is in't right in any way. My question is would you like to read this book and put yourself in the Japanese American's shoes? Say what it would be like when almost a whole town hates your guts what would  you say on your own account just say what you think out loud.

Teenager, Born with No Eyes and Nose, Shares Secret of a Joyful Life

http://www.wbtv.com/story/21416975/teenager-born-with-no-eyes-and-nose-shares-secret-of-a-joyful-life?hpt=us_bn8

   I recently read this article about a a girl with no nose or eyes, and it really touched me. Cassidy Hooper is a 16-year old girl from Charlotte, North Carolina. She is one of the few kids in America born with no eyes and no nose. Cassidy attends The Governor Morehead School, which works with students who are blond or deaf. She keeps her day packed from go from Spanish II to singing at a homeless shelter.  Cassidy always as a smile on her face. Cassidy has been in the process of getting a nose. it has been a multi-year and multi-surgery process. She says that the end of this process is near. She calms that by the end of the school year she will have a nose like every one else. She says that when people say things to her, she just tries to ignore them and not let it bother her. She just tries to live her own independent life, and not let others get to her.

   I think this would be a very hard life to live, and not let what other people say get to me. I would not be able to live with being able to seeing the things around me and not being able to smell things. I think I would just want to stay inside, so that people wouldn't make fun of me when I went outside. I think she is a very touch girl for being able to smile all the time, and live a happy life even with the conditions  that she has to live with. I think it would be cool to be able to this young girl in person.

   Do you think you would be able to be happy and smile all the time if you were in this situation? Do you think she is tough for live with this condition?

     

     

Day Care: Grandma of Boys Found Dead Seemed Fine

  It was a ideal day full of grinning and cupcakes for her two-year- old grandson, Alton, who was celebrating his birthday. As Debra Denison talked with day care workers as they were helping her two grandsons get into her van. But instead of taking the children home like planned, Debra vanished Tuesday and left a suicide note. 

  After a search, she and her grandsons, Alton, and 6-month-old, Ashton were found shot to death in an palpable murder-suicide. Family members have said that Debra had struggled with mental health problems, but they are struggling to understand what could have provoked the violence. 

  The bodies of Debra and the boys were found in a vehicle parked near Lake of Isles of Preston, in southeastern Connecticut.

  I think that this is very sad and that the grandmother would do that especially since they were so young. I feel bad for the parents of the children that were murdered. I don't really think that knowing that the grandmother had mental health issues and letting her get the kids from day care was the smartest thing they could do. I think that they could of done something from letting the grandmother pick them up. 

How do you feel about this story and what are your thoughts?

 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/day-care-grandma-boys-found-dead-fine-18616473

Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix

I recently read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling. It is the 5th book in the very popular Harry Potter series. This book starts out with Harry and his cousin getting attacked by dementors, which are hooded creatures that have no face, only a mouth, and they feed off of people's happiness, leaving them with nothing but sadness. They also have the power to suck out one's soul through their mouth. After using magic to get rid of the dementors, Harry gets expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Thank goodness the Order of the Phoenix comes and gets him out of being expelled. The Order of the Phoenix is a secret organization of witches and wizards that was created to fight Voldemort, the most evil dark wizard in history. It is made up of many people that Harry knows, and many that he doesn't know. When Harry finally goes back to school, he finds that he is almost friendless. Nobody believes him that Lord Voldemort has returned, and the newspapers are always talking about how he is insane. It doesn't help that there is a new teacher there, who came straight from the Ministry of Magic, and she despises Harry. She doesn't allow them to use magic in class, doesn't let groups form, and is so crazy about the rules that everybody is having an awful year. She even replaces Albus Dumbledore as the Headmaster temporarily. So his 5th year at Hogwarts finds him almost completely alone, until there is a mass breakout at Azkaban, the wizard prison, that includes 10 of Voldemort's biggest followers. After this, people start believing Harry that Lord Voldemort is back, because Azkaban is supposed to be impossible to break out of. Throughout this book, Harry meets new people, such as the crazy Luna Lovegood and Grawp, Hagrid's brother who is a giant.  He goes to new places, such as the Department of Mysteries. He also experiences the death of someone who is very close to him. To find out more, READ THE BOOKS.

I would recommend the book to anyone and everyone. Harry Potter is one of the most popular series' of both books and movies. If somebody wants a good read, this would be the series to go to. Yes, I know they are long, but once you start reading them, they actually seem really short. It goes by so fast and every page just drags you in even more with the anticipation and intensity of what will happen next. Enjoy your read!

Murder in the Bronx

This is an article from Metro. In the article it explains how the case is still developing but the police have narrowed down a main suspect...the son! The woman was forty-five Tonya Bryd and her son, the lead suspect, twenty-three years old. The article described that the son called his mother in as missing but when the police came by to get a picture of her they smelled bleach and saw latex gloves in plain view. The police were in the process of obtaining a search warrant when one night a man walking his dog stumbled upon a bag that his dog would not stop sniffing and opened the suitcase to find human hands and shoulder. The man called the cops and they saw that the garbage sacks full of the body parts and the torso was wrapped in a shower curtain.  The son's alibi was that he left his mother either Sunday or Monday with her ex-boyfriend and his girlfriend and went to work. This whole story sounds like the son did it. He has the bleach, gloves, and not a solid alibi. He can't even remember the day he left them. His alibi smells fishy. I know that it probably is the son but it would be interesting if the killer was the ex-boyfriend. The part that I can't put together is the why. I see that the ex-boyfriend has the obvious motive of jealous ex-lover but maybe the son had a dispute with her prior or the mother got angry because she didn't like her son's girlfriend. I think the case might give surprising results since there are many possibilities. The case is still ongoing and will be updated when more facts arise. Who do you think did it? Why them?

Female Prison Population Changes Drastically

Women in prisons make up seven percent. In 2000 the African-Americans were six times more than the number of white women. In 2009 the percentages dramatically dropped fifty-three percent for African-Americans and even dropped seventeen percent for Hispanics. African Americans were previously being incarcerated for charges such as drug offenses and violent crimes, now the white population in prisons are mainly made up of the drug offenses and violent crimes. In the 1990's the total population of prisons could rise twelve percent in one year on average. Now it has dropped down to only rising three percent in a year.
I think this amazing! I was reading this and my jaw dropped to the floor. I think we are moving in the right direction. I also think it has to do with the people who truly need help being able to get help. When I think of people going to prison three reasons stand out in my mind: money, possession and addiction. Now that the African-Americans have dropped in their percentage as the main leader in drug offenses and violent crimes it takes so much crime away. With the violent crimes in my opinion are started over possessing something another individual wants such as guns, money, social status. With all the percentages dropping of the crimes it shows how we are becoming a better society. What are your thoughts on the article? If you would like to read the article click here .

Vermont Woman Gets New Face

Read the article here:  http://www.boston.com/whitecoatnotes/2013/02/27/brigham-surgeons-perform-face-transplant-vermont-woman-burned-lye-attack/SYmlGe9WApa5Sh5HPh8nZK/story.html

In June 2007, a 44-year-old woman named Carmen Tarleton was mercilessly attacked by her husband.  He beat her head with a baseball bat and burned 80% of her body with industrial-strength lye.  She almost died, but she somehow pulled through.  As you can imagine, the brutal attack left her horribly burned and disfigured, especially in the face.
Carmen was on a 14-month waiting list to get a complete face transplant, and this month, she finally got the chance.  It was only Brigham hospital's fifth face transplant and it was successful.
"She's one of the most inspirational people I've met," Dr. Pomahac, her surgeon at Brigham hospital said about her.
I think this story is heartbreaking, but the doctors at Brigham worked a miracle, in my opinion.  I don't know how anybody--even somebody as twisted as Carmen Tarleton's husband--could beat somebody so badly that they require a face transplant.  You hear of transplants every day, but how often is it that you hear of someone getting a face transplant?
Even though she's mostly blind from the accident and emotionally scarred I assume, her face looks good considering the circumstances and I hope she can lead a more normal life.

25% of Teens have been Cyberbullied

I have recently read an article on cnn.com about cyberbullying. It told me that about 25% of teenagers have been cyberbullied at some time. Researchers have set up surveys of 15,000 middle and high school students throughout the United State, and found that about 10% of teens have been victims of cyberbullying recently. Cyberbullying is a way for kids to bully while being anonymous, but it also takes the same roles as at school bullying. Cyberbullying can be very dangerous because they can bully you at any time of the day.

 

Brandon Turley, who was cyberbullied has set up a website for bullying called WeStopHate.org. Researchers have found out that the cyberbullying its rare that online it will be a total stanger. Most of the cyberbullying happens with the same social group you are in. 85% of the time, the victim knows who the bully is.  

 

I am completely against cyberbullying, or bullying in general. I feel people bully to make them feel better about themselves because they aren't getting the attention at home. I feel the internet has caused way more risk to children and bullying. I think there isn't any way that you can prevent bullying, but we need to get anti-bullying schools. I feel people need to realize what bullying can do to people and hopefully that will make people realize the effects of bullying. What is your outlook on bullying? Do you feel cyberbullying makes the internet a bad place for children?

One for the Ugly Duckling

This post is for all of you out there who have self esteem issues, the dumb, ugly, or maybe just chronically nervous people in this school.
I was bullied a lot, I grew up never thinking I was good enough for anything. I could never work up the courage to talk to a girl, I never let myself have many friends, I put on a fake face whenever I leave my home. When I look into the mirror I feel shame, and sadness. I used to contemplate suicide, or running away from my problems anything to not have to face the world I knew. I wanted to be someone else, someone new, someone that wasn't in any way, shape, or form like me...
Does this sound familiar? You know it does, everyone on earth has felt at least one of these things. I felt like that until I got my first girlfriend, then everything was so amazing, birds sounded sweeter, air breathed better, I even stopped feeling ashamed of myself. Then some hurtful events came into play (let's keep them nameless, shall we?) and everything was so, so, SOOOO much worse.
I blamed myself for everything, for her leaving me, for her cheating on me (oops, that's not really nameless is it?) everything. I treated her like a queen, so to keep with the role playing, I was the court jester.
My life sucked for so long, it was terrible. I put on a happy face so no one would know how hurt I was, I never wanted anyone to know. I was just about ready to leave everything behind, either start a new life somewhere, or commit suicide. Then I read this quote.
"If you wish to make a monster, then take all of your imperfections, your hates, your prejudices, and imagine they are across the room. It is too ugly to be human, it is too ugly to be you. Children fear the dark because they cannot make their own monsters, adults fear themselves."
WE ARE NOT THE SUM OF OUR IMPERFECTIONS!! WE ARE NOT THE SUM OF OUR PERFECTIONS!! We are who we choose to be. Your imperfections are merely disguised perfections. Viewed from another angle we can see ourselves the way we were meant to... as ourselves.
So it doesn't matter if you are stupid, or smart, ugly, or beautiful, fat, or thin. the important thing is that you are you.
-Good luck
With love,
Charliey.

Hot air balloon explodes in Egypt

Tuesday,  February 26, a hot air balloon flying over Egypt's ancient city of Luxor caught on fire and came crashing down 1,000 feet in the air. The hot air balloon crashed into a sugar cane field and killed at least 19 foreign tourists. The crash was one of the most deadliest hot air balloon accidents. The people who died include French, British, Belgian, Hungarian, Japanese nationals and nine tourists from Hong Kong. There was only three survivors from the crash. They were two British tourists and the Egyptian pilots were taken to a local hospital, but one of the Britons later died because of their injuries. Egypt's civil aviation minister, Wael el-Maadawi, suspended hot air balloon flights and flew to Luxor to lead the investigation into the crash. They said that the cause of the crash was a stuck cable which ignited a fire within the hot air balloon. This caused the hot air balloon to explode and crash to the ground. The hot air balloon was carrying 21 people at the time.

I think this would be so scary if this happened to me. It is amazing that those two people survived the one thousand foot fall! I hope this does not happen to one of my friends who is going to Arizona next month. I have not heard a lot about this ever happening in the United States.

http://news.msn.com/world/hot-air-balloon-explodes-in-egypt-killing-19-foreign-tourists

Jimmy Johnson Wins Daytona 500

Jimmy Johnson in the number forty eight car has won the Daytona 500 in  Daytona Florida. This is the second time that Jimmy Johnson has won the Daytona 500, and he led 17 laps on the track. In a close second place, Dale Earnhardt Jr., has gotten second three times in the last four years. Although this is all exciting, it is also cool to know that Danica Patrick made history today becoming the first women in NASCAR history to win the pole for any race. She lead the race three times, and she is the first women to lead a lap at this race. She finished eight overall, but she basically stayed in the top ten all day. Jeff Gordan started the day in first place, but he did not even place in the top ten.
If you ask me, I think NASCAR is a very interesting sport, and I am very amazed that a female (Danica Patrick) can do so well. NASCAR cars can get up to right around 200 MPH and I think that would be extremly scary to drive. I have always wanted to go watch a NASCAR race, but I hear they are very long and really loud. My favorite driver is Jeff Gordan.
Do you like NASCAR? Who is your favorite driver? Would you ever like to go watch a race?

Three Girls Found Dead in a Well

Three girls were found dead in India in a well, the girls were six, nine, and eleven. The girls were reported missing two days before being found in Western India. The girls were allegedly raped and the people responsible to be caught and publicly hanged.

Medical records shown, suggested the girls were drowned and sexually assulted. The mother has told reporters that the police didn't take full affect when looking for the girls, and didn't take charge right away. The mother says if the police would have went to neighboring communities they would have found the girls sooner. Of course, the police state that they went to work the same day as when the call was made, it was too late.

I think this is such a horrible situation, I feel terrible for the mother. She lost both of her children because of this horrible act. This also makes me wonder about what her parenting was like and how her three daughters were taken without her knowing. I feel she was blaming it on the police just to make it look like this whole thing was their fault. Do you think if the police started sooner, the girls would have been alive? Another thing is, I think the mom was feeling sad and greiving when she was telling the reporters the police didn't start the investigation right away. I think the mother was feeling guilty about the whole situation. How would you feel as the mother?

For more information go to: http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/21/world/asia/india-girls-deaths/index.html?hpt=hp_bn2.

Oscar Pistorius Murder Case

     I've read and heard a lot about a man with a million dollar story and that was viewed as a symbol of courage in the face of adversity that turned villainous so fast. If you don't know, Oscar Pistorius, a man from South Africa is a double amputee and he ran in the 2012 Olympics. 
     He awoke at his home in a gated community in Pretoria, South Africa, during the early hours of Valentine’s Day and went close the door of his balcony. He then heard a strange noise coming from inside his bathroom. The six-time Paralympic gold medalist says he grabbed his 9mm pistol and plodded to the bathroom in the dark, gripped by fear and feeling vulnerable without his prosthetic legs on. Pistorius then fired four shots through the door, believing the person inside was an intruder. It turned out to be his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, and she was hit three times. He was then charged with premeditated murder. 
     There are many theories to what actually happened and why he did this. To add a little more drama in the whole ordeal the lead-investigator is being charged with seven counts of murder himself. I encourage you to read more about this and not just one site but many articles and see what you think. 
     Personally, I think he could of done it in defence since citizens in South Africa have the fear of intruders. It will be interesting to see what the verdict is, what do you think?

You can read up on it at: http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2013/02/19/oscar_pistorius_shooting_five_things_we_know_about_the_olympian_s_murder.html or http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2013/02/18/look-at-case-facing-oscar-pistorius-charged-with-murder-in-girlfriend-shooting/

Corpse found in L.A. Hotel's Water Tank

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/20/us/california-hotel-water-corpse/index.html

I recently read this interesting article on cnn.com. Tourists staying at a Los Angeles hotel bathed, brushed teeth and drank water from a tank in which a young woman's body was likely decomposing for more than two weeks, police said. Elisa Lam's body was found in the Cecil Hotel's rooftop water tank by a worker who was trying to figure out why the water pressure was low on Tuesday.She was reported missing in early February. Last time anyone saw her was in the hotel on January 31, police said. Detectives are now investigating this young 21-year-old's death.  They don't know yet if the water created any health risks to those who drank it. People who stayed at the hotel during this time said the water did taste funny and the shower would go black for the first little bit then go back to normal.

I think this is gross. If I ever stayed at a hotel, and after I left I found out that the water that I had been drinking, showering in, or brushing my teeth with had a dead girl's body in it I would never go back again. I feel sorry for the people who actually drank this water, and I feel sorry for the family of the girl because her life was cut so short. I truly find this very gross.

What would you do if you stayed at a hotel and after you left you found out that there was a dead girl in the water? What do you think about this article?

Pork exports soared in 2012

Last year the nation exported 5.4 billion pounds of pork and imported only 802 million pounds.  Pork imports were the lowest since 1998.  Japan was the top destination for U.S. pork followed by Mexico, China, Canada, South Korea, Russia and Australia.  78 of our imports came from Canada with 9 percent coming from Denmark.  Pork exports equaled a record 23.15 percent of U.S. pork production.  Pork imports equaled 3.53 percent of production, the lowest since 1981.  We exported an average of $48.21 worth of pork and $7.66 of pork by products for each hog slaughtered n 2012.  I hope we export more pork so our country can make more money. What do you think?

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

In Safe Haven, a mid-twenty-year-old woman named Katie moves to small town Southport, North Carolina.  She moved there because she wants to have a fresh start.  She wants to forget her past and move on.  But Katie is so afraid of her past that it is almost impossible for her to move on.  She doesn't have much money and tries to lay low.  She is a waitress and lives in a very small home.  She is constantly paranoid about her past coming back until she meets a widowed father named Alex.  Alex owns the convenient store that Katie shops at.  Alex has two kids, Kristen and Josh.  They were very young when their mother died and don't remember much about her.  Kristen loves Katie and clings to her.  Katie becomes a friend of the family until eventually her and Alex fall in love.  Their love for eachother becomes dangerous as Katie's past catches up with her.  I loved this book!  I recommend this book to every single girl in the entire world!  It is a perfect romantic story with a lot of excitement!  During the whole book, you're wondering what her past really is and what will happen because of it.  My favorite part of the book is the last few pages.  It really makes you want to cry.  I don't think there was one part of this book I don't like.  The movie just came out on Valentine's Day and I am so excited to go see it!  If you have seen the movie or read the book, what did you think of it?

60 million in path of winter storm

     We live in Iowa, we all know what it's like to be buried in snow, it's just been awhile since we've had any. We've all been waiting for this huge snow system that is moving through the country. It is so big that it is spanning twenty states, and has the potential to bring up to a foot and a half of snow in some areas.
     "About 20% of the U.S. population -- 60 million people -- are under winter weather warnings, watches and advisories in the 750,000 square miles affected." 
     This storm system has a little bit of everything. Massive amounts of snow falling in the northern part of it, heavy rain in the south, and horrible ice storms right smack dab in the middle of it. To read the full article from cnn.com click HERE
     I know I'm really hoping we get dumped on because I LOVE snow, and we really haven't had much of a winter yet this year. I think one good snow storm would do us good. I think I speak for almost all of the school when I say I hope we don't have school tomorrow(Friday). But, I don't just like the snow because it cancels school, I think it makes everything look so pretty after it snows, and I just love snow in general. What about you guys, do you like the snow? What do you like best when it snows? 

Online Dating

I read an article in Seventeen Magazine about a girl who met her boyfriend online. Hali is twenty years old and a freshman at the University of Oregon. She wanted a real relationship and when she didn't find anyone at her school she turned to an online dating site just for college kids. She found someone right away and they talked awhile before they started to skype. She never told anyone about this except one of her close friends and her friend called her a freak but said, "I hope it works out!" 

Matthew invited Hali to go to a military ball together becuase Matthew was in the army but Hali's parents said no because they lived way to far away to meet for the first time. Matthew ended up flying to California to meet Hali and her parents. They approved and she got to go the the ball later that year. Matthew's army base later moved a few hours away from Hali's home town so she was excited that she would get to see him more offen.

It sounds like they're really happy together but I don't think this is something I would do. Especially if you lived on opposite sides of the United States. I would be thinking the whole time that this person is fake and trying to kill me or something along those lines. People would also probably think I was weird like Hali. I've seen on tv that lots of people have met on the internet but I haven't heard of anybody from around here that have. What are your thoughts on this? Would you turn to an online dating site?

Women Told to Urinate to Deter a Rapist

In Colorado at the University of Colorado there was a tips list for detering a rapist. One way was to urinate, say you're in you're on your period, saying you have a disease, vomiting, or even pass gas. I do not believe that this in anyway would stop a rapist. They might be a little disgusted but I still think that they would continue to do what they wanted. It could possibly and most likely disgust them. But I personally do not think that it would stop and attacker. You can find the artical on cnn.com and check it out yourself!

Gun Control

Gun control has been a hot topic in the news lately because President Obama wants to try to eliminate some of the risks of shootings. One way he is trying to reduce the risk is by eliminating assault rifles and high capacity magazines. An assault rifle is a semi or fully automatic firearm with certain features similar to those used in the military. High capacity magazines are clips that hold excessive amounts of ammunition that can be put into the gun. Some people think this would help and others don’t.

    People who are against gun control are coming up with plenty of excuses with what is wrong with it but one excuse that has turned into a very discussable question still remains. Does gun control violate the 2nd amendment? The second amendment is the right to bare arms, so to ban assault rifles people would be stripped of their weapons or wouldn’t have the right to bare them any longer. What do you think, is it violating the 2nd amendment? There are a lot of people that do and then there are others that don’t. Not everyone can agree on gun control but most agree that something needs to be done especially after the Sandy Hook shooting.
    What is all being banned or what are they doing to prevent shootings from occurring? Like I mentioned earlier they are planning on banning assault rifles and high capacity magazines but they are also planning on doing more thorough background checks and a better job of testing for the mentally ill. This could and probably would help but you can’t not sell to parents of the mentally ill or even the ones with kids in prison, for example the shooter at Sandy Hook got his guns from his mom. So the seller of the guns can’t prevent the unstable from getting the guns only the parents can. That's where parents need to do their part and decide when to give their kids access to the guns they own.
    Where do you stand on gun control? Are you for it or against it?

Doc: NC Youths Should be Barred From Tanning Beds

I recently read an article called Doc: NC Youths Should be Barred From Tanning Beds. This article is about how North Carolina youths should be barred from getting bronzed at the local tanning salon because their risks for cancer are too great. Dr. Kelly Nelson, an assistant dermatology professor at Duke University medical school, said the rate of melanoma among women under age fifty is increasing during an era in which the number of available tanning beds is increasing. Young people, particularly girls who want the summertime look year round, are being exposed to higher doses of ultraviolet radiation that can accumulate and break down skin cells over time, Nelson told House members. More than 61,000 people were diagnosed with skin melanomas and about 9,200 died from them in 2009, the most recent year that figures were available from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We believe strongly that the parental consent standard that is in place in North Carolina works and should be continued," said Joseph Levy, senior vice president of Smart Tan Educational Institute. Levy said tanning beds generate two to three times the radiation that bill supporters argue correlate with the cancer compared to regular sunlight, not the 15 times Nelson calculated. And he cited data from the National Cancer Institute that he says show the incidence of melanoma for men over age 50 is outpacing women under fifty. If the bill becomes law, teenagers would simply go to unregulated tanning beds in homes, Levy said. These beds aren't regulated by the state and may not follow conservative tanning regimens. Only California and Vermont have banned the use of tanning equipment by anyone under eighteen. I've never used a tanning bed so I don't know how it is. Have you used a tanning bed?

Using Yoga Balls For Desk Chairs

In Pennsylvania, a teacher at Westtown-Thornbury Elementary School, is now using yoga balls in place of the usual stationary chairs in the classroom. They said that it helps the students focus more on the lesson instead of being distracted. While they are learning the lesson in the classroom they are also improving their balance and core strength because it is harder to sit on a big yoga ball than it is to sit on a normal chair. Studies show that making the kids sit on the yoga balls it forces them to try to stay balanced which causes muscle engagement and increased blood flow, which helps the students to become more aware of what is going on in the classroom. Sitting on these yoga balls allows kids to fidget around but without disrupting the class.
I personally don't think that I would allow these yoga balls in my classroom. Mostly because I think a lot of kids would take advantage of having them and be bouncing them around and messing with them. If the teacher would ever leave the room the kids would probably be throwing them all over the place and bouncing around on them. I honestly think that if I had a yoga ball in a classroom I would be messing with it all the time so I personally don't see how this really helps the kids focus at all. I'm sure that it could help, but at the same time is could just as ineffective.

Are the X Games Too Extreme?

The freestyle snowmobiler, attempting a backflip last week at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, couldn't rotate his machine enough to land the maneuver. The skis dug into the lip of the slope, bringing the 450-pound snowmobile crashing down on him. The vehicle slammed into Moore's head and chest. The death of Caleb Moore is shining a spotlight on growing concerns over safety in extreme sports. After initially diagnosing Moore, 25, with a concussion after Thursday's accident, doctors soon discovered bleeding around his heart. He had emergency surgery at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction on Friday, a day after the accident. He had brain complications, and his family issued a statement saying he was in critical condition and being closely monitored. The combination of quirky, hair-raising events that make up the X Games were once pushed to the distant margins of televised sports. But in recent years, some have been added to both Summer and Winter Olympic slates. On Thursday, a week after the accident, Moore died."They do train all year for this," said Dr. Christine Trankiem, a trauma surgeon at Medstar Washington Hospital Center. "But it's important for the folks watching at home to realize that these acts, while exciting to watch, are potentially life-threatening, limb-threatening and brain-threatening acts if an accident should occur."Moore's injury was one of several at this year's Winter X Games. His younger brother, Colten, suffered a separated pelvis in the same event. Freestyle skier Rose Battersby, a New Zealander, incurred a spinal fracture, and Icelandic snowboarder Halldor Helgason suffered a concussion. During one of the jumps on Sunday night, Australian Jack Strong was attempting a backflip on his machine when it got away from him. The runaway snowmobile crashed into a bank of fans. A young boy who hit his knee on a parked vehicle while trying to get away was evaluated and released. Other spectators avoided injury. Strong was not seriously injured. "We've worked closely with athletes, risk management specialists, sport organizers and event managers to ensure the safest possible conditions for athletes and spectators alike. Further measures are constantly being evaluated to ensure the safest possible experience for spectators," the network said in an earlier statement. One thing spectators won't experience: a drop-off of the X Games.

Miracle Baby

   There was recently a teenage daughter that was pregnant and didn't tell her mother.  She was complaining about stomach cramps.  She wanted to go to the hospital emergency room.  The temperature outside was negative twelve below Celsius.  Her and her mother were on the way to the hospital on foot when the baby came out in the middle of the sidewalk.  The baby was born at twenty-seven weeks.  There an ambulance was called to take them to the hospital.  The doctor pronounced the baby child dead after two hours.  A couple police officers were in a room with the dead body, the baby's body had a blanket over him.  One of the police officers looked over to notice the blanket moving.  They called the doctor twice, the doctor said that it was just a natural reaction and they had to be overreacting.  Finally, the doctor went in the room to check what they were all screaming about.  There he found the baby alive with a pulse.  The baby came back to life.  Cuddling with a baby is a natural thing to do.  The baby may have sensed the cuddling and came back to life.  The reason they believed the baby died was because of hypothermia.  Jamie was just so cold he couldn't breathe or do anything to stay alive.  The baby got hooked up to an incubator to regulate everything and was sent home.  The baby is doing well and everything turned out a miracle.

In my opinion, this is a true miracle baby!  I also feel like the blanket warmed Jamie up so he could get his breathing and his pulse back.  To watch the video on this click below. http://www.godvine.com/Baby-Pronounced-Dead-at-Birth-Comes-Back-to-Life-370.html Article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2280782/Miracle-baby-declared-dead-born-sidewalk-frigid-cold-recovering--showing-signs-life-nearly-HOURS.html?ito=feeds-newsxml 

Burger King Sold to McDonalds?

    I was recently reading this article about Burger King and how they had their twitter account hacked. I just hope this never happens to me. 
      On Monday, a post from the official Burger King account declared that the fast-food chain "just got sold to McDonalds!" Their twitter account was renamed McDonals and the profile picture was changed to the iconic golden M. Their account description was changed to "Just got sold to McDonalds because the whopper flopped..." After the "announcement" twitter exploded with a stream of tweets and retweets. Based on @YourAnonNews, an account associated with Anonymous, their tweets have appeared to be the activist group behind the whole situation. Twitter suspended the account an hour after the first tweet.

      NBC.news reached out to Twitter and Burger King for an explanation as to what efforts are being made to reinstate Burger King's control of their Twitter account. Twitter responded with and explanation that the social network doesn't "comment on individual accounts for privacy and security reasons." 

     "This incident has nothing to do with us," a McDonald's spokesperson told NBC News. They made it plain that they weren't to blame for the media mess. " We empathise with our @BurgerKing counterparts. Rest assured, we had nothing to do with the hacking," a tweet they posted later to emphasise their part in the situation.

     Through this whole situation, Burger Kings has gotten some major advertising. Nobody has talked about Burger King this much in years. Which this makes you think, did they do this on purpose? Through all of the social medias this was bound to happen sometime.

http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/burger-king-sold-mcdonalds-no-hacked-twitter-account-says-so-1C8417250

Paralympic Champ Murders Girlfriend

 


   Oscar Pistorius who has had both of his legs amputated and who is an Olympic Participant has recently murdered his longtime girlfriend.   I read an article about how his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who was a model and about to be in a TV series, being shot several times by him.  Oscar had thought that Reeva was an intruder which wasn't uncommon for where they lived.  Since he had thought she was an intruder he decided to shoot the gun at the person who he had thought came into the house to attack him.  He shot the gun several times and of those shots he had hit Reeva with three.  Reeva had died from the shots and the cops found her body in a pool of blood. 

     If you lived in a bad neighborhood and didn't know if the person coming into your house was a person you knew, would you have shot them?  In his defense I don't know where he lives or how bad it is there, but I wouldn't open fire on someone coming into my house until I had known if the person was someone I knew or not.  What do you think?

    Oscar was a sensation at the last Paralympics and it is hard to believe someone that has worked so hard and accomplished so much do something like this.  I'm not saying what he did was right, but what if he really thought that the person was an intruder?  That is really hard to put yourself in his shoes.

    One of Oscar's coaches said,  “It was the way he handled his disability with such character and discipline. It is a big shock for everyone.”  His coach also described him as a national icon,  I wonder what his coach thinks now.

    Oscar is guilty of murder.  However do you think that he thought the person entering his house was an intruder and that the shooting was an accident?  Or do you believe that for some reason he did this on purpose?  I honestly don't know what to think about the situation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/sports/oscar-pistorius-shooting-south-africa.html

Dorner died of single gunshot wound to head

Former cop Christopher Dorner died of a single gunshot wound to the head as authorities were pumping tear gas into a mountain cabin during a deadly gun battle.  The police chief said he killed himself.  Deputies said they heard one final gunshot from the burning cabin.  Before Dorner killed himself he killed one sheriff's deputy and wounded another during a fierce shootout.  This all started when he wanted violent revenge for being dismissed from the LAPD in 2009 after accusing another officer of brutalizing a civilian.  On Friday authorities revealed that Dorner was in a condo across the street from their command post during a six day manhunt.  He entered in from an unlocked door and did not answer when they knocked.  Dorner is suspected of killing a riverside police officer and wounding his partner.  He also wounded a few others.  Why do you think Dorner did all of this?  Its very sad that someone would do this.

Carnival cruise ship crippled at sea

     A 4,000-plus Carnival cruise ship that was stranded at sea during a four-day voyage in the Gulf of Mexico is headed home.  A fire in the engine room of the 14 story ship  disabled the ship leaving the passengers stranded out to sea without running water and a shortage of food.
     Passengers  are sleeping on the decks due to no air-conditioning on board,toilets are over-flowing with poop due to no water for flushing, and getting sick eating what food is available due to not being refrigerated because of no electricity.  Toilets have over flowed causing flooding on the lower floors.
     The cruise ship was expected to arrive in at the Mobile cruise terminal late Thursday night, but due to in the towing process the towline broke delaying arrival time.  When passengers arrive in Alabama  they  have different choices available by the cruise line to return home.
   Why wasn't another cruise ship sent to pick up elderly, handicap, sick, and young passenger?
    Food could of been dropped of by helicopter or smaller boats?

Meteror hits Russia

Early Friday morning, February 15, a huge meteor hits Russia's Chelyabinsk region. The meteor made a very powerful shock wave that left nearly a thousand people injured, blew out this windows of citizen's houses, and caused a roof of a factory to collapse in.  It is said that there are multiple videos of the meteor crashing into Russia. Some people who were from the scene claim to have heard the sound of a loud boom, followed by the loud sounds of car alarms. “There was panic. People had no idea what was happening. Everyone was going around to people’s houses to check if they were OK,” Chelyabinsk resident Sergey Hametov told The Associated Press. “We saw a big burst of light then went outside to see what it was and we heard a really loud thundering sound.” They have estimated that they were around five hundred people injured and close to one hundred people hospitalized. Chelyabinsk health official Marina Moskvicheva, claims that there were as many as 985 people who requested to have medical attention in the city. Many of the injuries were said to be caused by flying glass. Russia’s interior ministry said the shock wave caused the roof of a zinc factory's warehouse to collapse, but that no fatalities were reported. It is reported that the meteor weighed about ten tons and left a trail behind it that could be seen 125 miles away in the nearing town of Yekaterinburg. Do you think the meteor will come close to North America any time soon? http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/15/16969092-streaking-meteor-explodes-in-russian-sky-injuring-nearly-1000?lite

Restaurant Fining People For Not Finishing Food

I recently read an article online about a restaurant called Hackikyo in Sapporo, Japan.  The restaurant serves seafood dishes such as sushi and other fish items.  Their most famous dish is their "tsukko meshi" bowl of rice topped with all you can eat salmon roe.  If you were to go to the restaurant today and asked for the food, you might have to pay an extra amount of money if you don't finish your whole plate.  The restaurant asks diners who don't finish every roe and grain of rice for a "donation" to help the fisherman.  They like to help the fisherman who risk their lives to harvest the "ikura" salty salmon roe.  Even though, it's considered a donation, it's more like a fine to the costumers.

The dish costs $25 and many do not finish the whole dish in the restaurant.  Some complain that they can't eat that much food, but the restaurant insists that if you can't get a friend to help you, "force the issue of pay the fine".

I don't understand why a restaurant would make you pay a fine just because you can't finish your meal.  Sometimes people just don't have enough room in their stomach to digest it all.  They don't even allow you to take the food home in like a box or bag without paying a fine.  I would think that after a while, not many people would want to buy the dish anymore.  I certainly wouldn't want to. Would you want to pay extra money if you didn't finish all your food?

San Diego Ex-Mayor Confronts $1 Billion Gambling Problem by JENNIFER MEDINA

A former mayor of San Diego has gotten into a billion dollar gambling problem. With a total net loss around $13 million. Okay how do you get that far into debt? I mean wouldn't you realize that you kind of suck at gambling and you should quit? She claims that her gambling problem is due to a brain tumor. But still I think brain tumor or not you need to get help or have someone stop you because getting that far into debt is just unacceptable for someone who use to be as important as she did. She stole $2 million dollars from a charity, and took out second and third mortgages. The brain tumor might have affected her thought process a little but don't you think that you would morally feel that it is wrong to do that? I don't think I would ever be able to steal from a charity no matter how bad I needed/wanted the money! With spending over a billion dollars in the last nine years that is equal to spending over
$300,000 a day! I can't imagine spending that much money at one time, not to mention the fact that I would probably loose it all. I mean there is a lot better things she could have been spending her money on besides gambling. What would you do with all that money? To read more about this article please click here

Carnival cruise

I recently read the article Disabled Carnival Cruise is on The Move Again After Tugboat Towline Snaps.  The article is about a Carnival Cruise ship that broke down out at sea.  This was a nine hundred foot, fourteen story ship where a fire occurred in the ship’s engine room and knocked the ship out of commission three days later.  There were 3,143 guests, and 1,086 crew members on the ship.  They were stranded out at sea till rescuers finally began towing the ship.  But there just happened to be stiff headwinds that day and then a broken towline that caused them to be stranded even longer.   It got to the point that some of the passengers spelled out “help” with their bodies on the deck of the ship because the tugboats couldn’t pull them any faster than five miles per hour and they were miserable on board.

Not that the situation wasn’t bad enough already, but the conditions on the ship weren’t very pleasant either.  All of the passengers are telling stories of the poor conditions such as the sewage leaking.  The toilets over flowed, there was sewage in the showers, an overpowering odor on the ship, and sick passengers.  Also, to top it all off, there was a food shortage because the cruise wasn’t meant to last for that long of a period of time.  The passengers survived mostly off of cold cuts except for when a passing ship dropped off some burgers.

I think that would be an awful situation to be in.  Just think, all these people paid for a cruise and were expecting to enjoy themselves.  I can’t imagine being trapped on a ship for days with little food with it being in that kind of condition!

Anna Prins is proposed to After a victory

       Anna Prins a 6' 7'' center for the women's Iowa State basketball team has been dating a man by the name of Ryan De Hammer for 3 years, or sense her freshman year of college. Prins plays an important role on the Iowa State team with 25 games, making eight starts averaging 7.9 points and 4.4 rebounds. She missed the first five games of the season and six games total after having her knee scoped in preseason. She has had nine double-figure scoring games, including eight in conference play and led the team in scoring twice. Prins also scored a season-high 19 points against Kansas and had 17 points and hit a career-high four, 3-pointers at Baylor. After her game on Sunday against Alabama who they had just defeated there coach, Bill Fennelly, walked out on the court to say a few words about how important family and friends are. During Fennelly's speech De Hammer walked out onto the court and asked for Prins to come out on to the court, when she got to him he proposed to her in front of her, her family, the team, and all the fans in the Hilton. Prins gladly said yes and got her diamond ring placed on her finger. Fennelly said "De Hammer has set the bar high for the other boyfriends." How would you react if or would you proposed in front of a huge crowd like that?

Comet passing by Earth in 2013 Will Outshine Moon

I recently read an article about a Comet Passing by Earth in 2013 Will outshine Moon. The Russian scientist discovered a comet that is passing by out plant and will be visible in 2013 with naked eyes over the Western horizon. The comet's called ISON, and it is expected to shine up to 15 times the moon depending on how big its tail will get when it gets closer to the sun. The scientist hesitate to predict its behavior, but the positioning of ISON comet at present indicates that it will be well visible over India in 2013. It will keep a two thousand mile distance from the sun. Due to the brightness expected, the comet will be visible even during day time. If so, ISON will be the brightest comet ever discovered by scientists during the last century. But some scientists speculate that the trip by our planet may be ISON'S last as it may plunge into the sun due to its unpredictable path. ISON is a two mile wide body made out of rocks and ice. It is currently passing by Saturn, and is gaining speed. It is becoming brighter day by day as it nears our planet. This is suppose to take place either on Feb. 14,2013 or on Feb. 15, 2013. If this does end up happening it could be the end of the world. We would no longer be living, I hope this doesn't happen because I want to graduate high school and move forward in life.
What do you think about this article? How would you react to this? Do you have any fears about this happening to the Earth? If so what are your fears?

Jennifer Kennedy's Story

I just read an article in Fitness Magazine about Jennifer Kennedy. In high school she was a really good gymnist and cheerleader. Her senior year she was thinking of trying out for a cheerleading squad in college when she felt a tingling sensation in her right leg. The tingling got worse a couple months later so the doctor diagnosed her with a blood clot in the main artery behind her knee. The blood thinner that was prescribed gave her a bad reaction causing more blood clots cutting off circulation to her foot. Jennifer had to make a decision: keep her leg and wear a brace or be on crutches the rest of life, or have it amputated and get a prosthesis. Jennifer had the operation.

After her surgery she went to physical therapy to get used to her new leg. Five months later she enrolled at Saint Ambrose University where she made the cheerleading squad and majored in physical therapy. At an internship she met her husband who also lost his leg but in a car accident.
Today Jennifer and her husband have two kids. She loves her career and she trained for a 5K and lost forty pounds. Jennifer doesn't think of her new leg as a disability becuase of all she has accomplished.

I'm inspired by this story because Jennifer didn't let a fake leg stop her from doing the things she loved to do but made her work harder. I love running and didn't think I could do it without my legs but Jennifer proved you can. If she can run a 5K so can I.

Kendall and Kylie Jenner's New Clothing Line

     Including me and most girls around my age are in love with two things, clothes and Kendall and Kylie Jenner. Well, now we can have both because Kendall and Kylie have created a new clothing line, just like their big sisters, Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe Kardashian. "We watched our sisters do their clothing line...when the opportunity came to us, we jumped on it. We've always been interested in fashion and all that so it was great and worked out perfectly," Kylie said in her interview with the Newspaper.
     Kendall, 17, and Kylie, 15, have teamed together with PacSun to design a clothing line for teen girls just like us. They have designed their clothes around their home state. They wanted their clothes to reflect California, fun, sun, and the beach. So thats what they did. Their clothes have been designed so you can mix and match everything. They wanted you to be creative and make it your own. I cannot wait to see the line in stores!
     Both of the Jenner girls are models and their last job was at the annual Heart Truth Red Dress Fashion Show in New York with their mother. They are also in process of writting a sci-fi young adult book that is due to come out later this year. Kylie is also interested acting. These girls are so busy I can't keep up! But, these girls are really cool and really good role models.
  www.newsday.com

Christopher Jordan Dorner

Chris Dorner is an ex Los Angeles police officer who was said to have killed three civilians and shot at three other police officers, while  killing one after he had posted on own Facebook page that he was going to declaring "unconventional and asymmetrical warfare” against police. So now all over Southern California is a manhunt for this man. Before allegedly shooting three police officers, Dorner was already the prime suspect in the murder of a couple who were found fatally shot in the parking lot of their apartment. The first victims in Dorner’s alleged rampage were Keith Lawrence, 27, and his fiancé Monica Quan, 28 The killings were believed to be a revenge attack on her father, Randy Quan, an LAPD captain who retired and became an attorney. Quan was involved in the review process that eventually led to Dorner’s dismissal from LAPD in 2009 for allegedly making false statements about his training officer. I just see this artical as a violent man who needs to be out away. I believe he did this all because people don't do what he all wanted them to do, so he had to get rid if them. What do you think?

Carnival Cruise Ship Stranded

                                                                                    

  Many people have been affected by the Carnival cruise ship drifting in the Gulf of Mexico. The ship had a fire break out in an engine room. No people were injured due to the fire but their arrival time back home has been set back many days. The 3,143 passengers and 1,086 crew members are all being kept on the boat with no air conditioning, sketchy electricity, hardly enough food, busted toilets, and many angry people waiting to get off of that boat. Two tugboats have been towing the boat since Monday said they should arrive at Mobile, Alabama some time on Thursday. Keep in mind they are moving ONE mile per HOUR! Sources have said that sewage is running down hallways and countless wall aboard the ship.

  I feel for these poor people on the ship. I could not even think how terrible the past days have been for them. They are probably so fed up with one another and just can not wait to get to land. If I was part of the crew on the ship, I think that it would be a very hard task to stay calm and deal with many complaints. I am sure that there are plenty of them by now. These people have very little running water so that means no showers, little use of toilets and sinks. They also have limited electricity which means that they have all of their food dry, it is not cooked. It is more of a sandwich diet now until Thursday.

What if you were in this situation. What would you do? How would you react?

The Walt Files: Secrets of the Illuminati

Several days ago, I was sitting at my computer shuffling through the mess of Facebook posts, blindly monitoring the television to keep an eye on the Superbowl. Immediately after San Francisco lost (meaning my loss of a bet), I got a bit angry, and wanted to complain about it on Facebook. Halfway through a post, a picture came up that someone had liked, shared, or added (I cannot remember which one it was). It showed Beyonce displaying an Illuminati sign. I'm fond of reading "conspiracy theories" for laughs, so I googled it.
On three sites, visitors mentioned something about a guy named "Walt". After a bit more searching, I found a thread on the conspiracy website "Godlike Productions", where a man claimed to have been in the Illuminati for a number of years, and started telling secrets and plans of the Illuminati.
At first, with mentions of aliens, armageddon warfare, and several other outlandish things, much of the information was hard to believe. But his backstory was so solid, so grounding, that it was hard not to believe much of what he discussed. His posts describe him trying to use YouTube to get the message out and he would post the transcripts on the thread.
I read through all 151 pages of material, the reactions, the posts, the "BS" flags posted everywhere. It was only when I read an article on his blog that everything kinda made sense. You see, on the thread, he said his wife got into a car accident because the Illuminati was after him for telling his secrets, and when he was told to prove it, he said he wouldn't "play" their "games". But later, on his last post on his blog that he kept open for well over a year, he said he wanted a "new beginning". He claimed that the part about his wife getting into a car crash was just a diversion topic (used to persuade the Illuminati that he was lying) because the Illuminati had actually killed his entire family, so the group would think he was never really on the inside.
Some of the things he discussed were hard to swallow...
He claims that Barrack Obama will try to repeal the amendment that limits the number of terms a president can serve. He says that the Anti-Christ is no one man, but is actually the country of Israel ("a beast [bringer of destruction] that rises out of the sea [of turmoil] with many heads [leaders]"). He even claims that WWIII is just around the corner and will begin with a preemptive strike on Iran by Israel.
Scary to say the least...
Both the thread and the blog are very interesting, and I invite you to read them. Of course, shoveling through the entire mess to find the gold is a bit of a reach, but I suggest first going to the thread, and simply clicking the down arrow to move through ("Jump to Next Post by User"). Be warned, there is a heck of a lot of info there.

I really did enjoy what Walt had to say... I may not believe every bit of it, but it was nonetheless intriguing. If you read it all, Kudos. (:

The New Girl by Tracie Puckett

Steph is a 17-year-old girl who has been on the move all her life.  Her mom had her when she was 16 with a 40-year-old man who beat her mom, so they left.  Steph has been to 11 different schools because her mom is so paranoid that her dad will find them and beat her again.  Steph and her mom wind up in Webster Grove where her mom meets a boy named Calvin.  Steph finds herself falling in love with her English teacher after being set up on a double date with him.  Throughout the book you wonder if the English teacher has fallen in love with Steph as well.  You go with Steph through her journey of being a girl-on-the-move, and you will see that even though she has had a rough life, her and her mom are there for each other through it all. There are four books in the series, but I haven't read the rest of them yet.  I really want to read the rest because this book was so good!
My favorite part of the book is when her English teacher and Steph go teepee her friends house.  I didn't like the ending because I wanted to keep reading the other books.  I recommend this book to all girls that will love a good love story.  If you have read this book, what do you think of it?

MJ Turns 50

Michael Jordan, basketballs greatest, turned 50 years young yesterday. Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn on February 17th 1963. He played in the NBA after playing three years of basketball at the University of North Carolina. He was drafted to the Chicago Bulls in 1984. Soon after he was drafted, he became famous from his dunks. He got the nickname "Air Jordan" from doing slam dunks from the free throw line. He won three NBA championships in a row. In his carear, he won the MVP award 5 times, and was on the NBA All Star team 14 times.  In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. During his first season n the NBA, Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting.
Michael Jordan retired and took up a baseball carear like his father. Jordan played for the Birmingham Barons from 1994-1995 and the Scottsdale Scorpions in 1994. Jordan felt like there was still more game in him, so he went back into the NBA for the Bulls. He then retired once again, but came back and played for the Washington Wizzards.
After he was completly done with basketball and the NBA, he took up golfing. He has always golfed his whole life, and was also an amazing golfer. Michael Jordan is the greates athlete of all time.

Pope Benedict XVI To Resign

I recently read an article that told about how Pope Benedict XVI, the leader of the Catholic Church, is planning to resign in the next few months. The exact reason isn't for sure, but many think it's because of all the judgement he's had to face since he's been the Pope such as the issues about paedophelia with some of the priests, homosexuality and female priests.  Some people, however, think that the reason has nothing to do with the issues he's had to face.  Regardless of the reason, he will be the first pope in almost six hundred years to resign. The spokespersons for the Catholic Church have said they plan to elect the next Pope soon.
In my opinion, I think that Pope Benedict XVI should not resign because he's kind of letting down the church.  Either way, I think he has been a good pope but times have changed so maybe he is just not right for the job anymore.
Read the article here: http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21427785

I Hear A Rhapsody

Recently I finished a book called Rhapsody. I would recommend it for anyone who likes books in the same category as The Lord Of The Rings. A magical, sword slinging world with odd hero choices and a few weird elements. The main character of the book is a girl called Emily, (although she goes by Rhapsody in her adult years) she is studying to be a Singer (think of it like a bard that tells historical tales) after breaking from her previous profession as a prostitute. She meets up with a 14 foot tall man creature called a Firbolg, and a smaller hooded man of a race called the Dhracian. To save her life they adopt her as a sister and take her on a fantastic journey that travels through time, and space (and the center of the earth's core) that brings Rhapsody into contact with her destiny, a horde of adopted grandchildren, and her own long lost love. altogether a great read and I would recommend it. Lots of fighting, comedy and even a bit of romance.All you need to do is go down to your public library, and ask your librarian if they have it or if they can get it. Not a book for strictly guys or girls a good read.
-...TAKE ALL OF YOUR HATES AND PREJUDICES AND SEND THEM ACROSS THE ROOM...-

Woman Dies From Coca-Cola

A 30-year-old woman died in February 2010 from lack of potassium in the blood.  She had been drinking 10 liters of Coca-Cola every day.  Her family said that she was addicted, and if she stopped drinking the Coca-Cola, she would go through withdrawal, or shaking.  She even had to get her teeth removed because the sugar had caused so much decay.  One of her eight children was actually born without enamel.  This was a cause of the mother's addiction to Coke.  Because of her addiction, her heart was beating too fast or too slow.  Drinking that much Coca-Cola is the same amount as 2 lbs of sugar and 970 mg of caffeine.  Doctors say that if she hadn't been addicted to Coca-Cola, she wouldn't have died at that age or that way.  The Coca-Cola company argues with the doctors and states that their soda isn't related to her death.  The company says that overconsumption of any food or drink can be harmful.  Doctors are wanting soda companies to have clear warnings about overconsumption of soda.  I think that Coca-Cola was the reason that she died.  Overconsumption of anything could have been harmful, but only the soda would have cause tooth decay and one of her children to be born without enamel.  What are your thoughts on the article?

Pope Benedict's Replacement Will be 'Ideological Clone'

Now that the Pope has resigned from office there is the near impossible task of choose the next Pope. Even though it might seem that all 10 of the current Cardinals would be able to vote for the next Pope, Benedict has already chosen only 6 out of the 10 Cardinals to vote. John Thavis, author of The Vatican Diaries, said "Even a pope that dies in office has a strong influence over the selection of his successor because he has appointed many of the cardinals who will be voting. This has always been true but it is doubly true now because he is still alive." With this being said it is certain that the next Pope will be very similar to Pope Benedict. To read more, click here.

This is a huge event in the world's history because this is the first time anything like this has ever happened. It will be interesting to watch and see what actions they take regarding this event. I think they need to put a lot of thought into who will take the place of Pope Benedict because if they don't it could have a huge effect. What do you think about the Pope resigning? What effect do you think this will have?

Star Holdouts

We see this every year in the NFL. Star players that are upset because of their salaries. It happened last year with Maurice Jones Drew and its starting to happen again with star Vikings receiver Percy Harvin.
I hope the Vikings can work something out with Harvin. If the team would let him go or even trade him it could be a major blow to the team's offense. This isn't the first time Harvin has lashed out. He was upset at the start of the 2012 season as well, when he requested a trade because he was upset about playing time. Harvin is in the final year of his contract with the Vikings and could be in a different city next year if the Vikings feel like letting him go, but Harvin is an outstanding player, and I know I would hate to see him playing for a new team.  

The Eleventh Plague

I recently read a book called...well the Eleventh Plague,(direct your attention to the title) by Jeff Hirsch. The story is set after a brutal war that ravaged America; leaving most of it in ruins and killing two-thirds of the population. Stephen, main protagonist, follows his father across America in search of valuable things that can be traded for food and supplies. When his father falls into a coma after an accident he must find help soon before his father's condition worsens. He soon comes across a small town called Settlers Landing whereas they stay until his father is better. Stephen soon learns a lot of things about America's past and about school. After an innocent prank ignites a war with bandits Stephen must right his wrongs and become a leader. This book here is fairly decent although I wish there was more to it at the end. The Eleventh Plague is for anyone who is into post apocalyptic world. One thing I don't like about books and movies on the post apocalyptic worlds is that they never focus on the mental aspect on the people. Like how they would act and think when something goes terribly wrong. Walking Dead does a sort of great job at it. So if you like the Walking Dead or anything apocalyptic than this is the book for you. Wait how did I go from The Eleventh Plague to Walking Dead? Oh well, read or watch you choose. Both are good.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

I recently read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling. It is Harry's third year at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and he seems to have a bit of a problem. You see, there is a killer on the loose. His name is Sirius Black. He is the first person to ever escape from Azkaban, the wizard prison, and according to the Ministry of Magic, he only escaped for one reason: to kill Harry. People say that Sirius Black was a big supporter of Lord Voldemort before his downfall. It is said that Sirius is the one that told Voldemort where to find Lily and James Potter, Harry's parents. So as the year goes on, people get more and more scared that Sirius Black will break into the school. And he does. More than once.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione encounter many other problems as well, such as a hippogriff that is sentenced to death for nothing, Draco Malfoy's ever annoying presence, and a new teacher that suspiciously misses school once a month. Not to mention the dementors at every entrance to the grounds. Dementors are the guards of Azkaban. They are not human. They are creatures that feed off of other people's sadness, and have the power of sucking out one's soul.
As the book goes on, Harry learns more about Sirius Black and how he knew him. He finds out that Sirius was his father's best friend, and Harry's godfather. If he was his best friend, why would he sell them out to Voldemort? Or did he? To find out more, you will just have to read it!
I would recommend this book to everyone. It covers almost every kind of genre and is just a great book and series.

Move Over Siri, WunWun Gets Stuff Done

WunWun is an iPhone app that allows you to assign people to your random tasks. The app's name stands for "What you need, when you need it". It delivers practically anything to your doorstep and takes items off that ever-growing to-do list. Although, at the moment the app is only available to those in New York City. After downloading the app and entering your address and billing information, request a service or task, set a deadline and one of WunWun's employees will text, email, or call you confirming your request.

The startup is only 2 months old and just recently launched only in New YorkThis service is also available 24/7.

WunWun categorizes requests as either a delivery or service. For deliveries, users are charged $15, plus the cost of items purchased and a credit card surcharge fee. For services such as getting your dog walked, the rate is $2 for every five minutes plus the cost of supplies necessary to complete the service. Requests made between 9:00 p.m. and 8:59 a.m. cost $2.50 for every five minutes of service or a $20 fee for deliveries.

As of now, WunWun's network of helpers consist only of 28 people and it hasn't outsourced its work to  other businesses or vendors. WunWun enlists local residents who may be looking to make some extra money.

I think this is actually a pretty neat idea. I don't have an i Phone but I think it would be a helpful app if it ever extends out from New York City. Although I like to do things myself just to make sure they are done right, so I'm not sure if I'd like other people doing things for me. Would you use this app? Do you think it'd be helpful?


Read the article here.

Facebook glitch temporary breaks the web

Facebook, the number one social site broke the web on February 7.  Anyone on the sites Hulu, Lifehacker, Washington Post, ESPN, CNN, NBC, Kickstarter and plenty of others where transferred to the Facebook error page.  This happened around 4:15 pm and 4:40 pm PST.  A Facebook spokesperson says that they quickly resolved the issue and Facebook Connect is once again back to normal. 

This surprises me that a huge social network can break the web.  There are so many websites out there. From a survey in 2012 there are 644,275,754.  That is big and that was in March when that survey took place.  My guess is that number is way bigger.  So imagine if Facebook screw up all of those websites.  That would be a huge problem.

This is what the editor of this article thinks-

Facebook will do absolutely everything within its power to prevent another issue of this magnitude; however, the bug does present an opportunity for website owners to step back, big-picture style, and re-evaluate the growing trend of social network integration.

Do you think this will happen again? Why or why not? Where you on the web when this happen?  What was your reaction?

http://www.techspot.com/news/51584-facebook-glitch-temporarily-breaks-the-web.html

http://howmanyarethere.net/how-many-websites-are-there-on-the-internet/

Mark Of Athena

      I have recently read a great book to an awesome series called the Mark Of Athena. This book in t

he third installment in the Heroes Of Olympus series. The Heroes of Olympus series takes place after the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series which states that seven chosen demigods will be chosen to defeat Gaea and close the doors of death.
      This book starts out with four Greek demigods flying to San Francisco to the Roman demigod camp to find Percy and the other two demigod. Once they get there stuff bad happens and the adventure for the book begins. Through out the whole book Percy, Annabeth, and the five other demigods run into monsters, other demigods, Romans that are trying to kill them, gods, and giants. The ending will the shock you and probably leave you mad because of the cliffhanger.
      This book is great because it has awesome characters, a great plot, cool dialogue, and a great ending cliffhanger. I personally love this book because you can relate to the characters in a way and try figuring out the way the are going to solve the problems and traps they get in. My personal favorite character is Percy the son of Posidion or Neptune. In this book he figures out he's not the big fish in the sea and it really frustrates him and he feels vunerable when he can't save his friends. I beg you to read Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and then read the Heroes of Olympus series both of who are written by Rick Riordan. He also has an Egyptian series called The Kane Chronicles. If you like the Harry Potter or Hunger Games you will probably like this series.