http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-uranium21-2009jul21,0,5681114.story
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Monday called for a two-year "timeout" on new mining claims on nearly 1 million acres near Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona. The move reverses a decision by the George W. Bush administration to open the land flanking the park to hard-rock mining.
The Interior Department says it is placing a two-year hold on leasing of Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land -- mostly on the north rim of the Grand Canyon and much of it within miles of the park -- while it studies the environmental effects of hard-rock exploration and mining.The department could extend the mining ban for up to 20 years.
Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who co-sponsored legislation that would permanently prohibit uranium mining on federal land around the Grand Canyon, said: "This is a treasure that we cannot risk contaminating."
The Grand Canyon is so widely known it’s not worth the contamination that mining could cause. Studying the environmental impacts before any mining or hard-rock exploration takes place, I think is a wise thing to do. It would be a better idea to make a decision on the extended amount time for the mining ban, after seeing what possible results of the environmental effects could be.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
International News
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/07/20/venezuela.drug.smuggling/index.html
New information in a U.S. Government report may present a new obstacle for the Obama administration’s attempt to thaw America’s relations with the influential South American Country.
Venezuela's role as a transit point for South American cocaine bound for the United States and Europe has significantly expanded in recent years, according to a U.S. government report released Monday. The Venezuelan government contributed to a more than fourfold increase in cocaine flow between 2004 and 2007. The total amount of cocaine shipped from Venezuela to the United States, Europe and West Africa jumped from roughly 60 to 260 metric tons over the four years, the report said. The report also said that the South American drug trade has been bolstered in recent years by the Venezuelan government's decision to assist several illegal armed groups.
Obama has been criticized for what conservative critics say is an overly friendly tone toward Chavez. After this report was released maybe more corrective actions will be enforced. This report was easy to read but at times difficult. I think there was a lot of information in this article I’m not very informed with and would have understood better if I would have known the entire background of this issue.
New information in a U.S. Government report may present a new obstacle for the Obama administration’s attempt to thaw America’s relations with the influential South American Country.
Venezuela's role as a transit point for South American cocaine bound for the United States and Europe has significantly expanded in recent years, according to a U.S. government report released Monday. The Venezuelan government contributed to a more than fourfold increase in cocaine flow between 2004 and 2007. The total amount of cocaine shipped from Venezuela to the United States, Europe and West Africa jumped from roughly 60 to 260 metric tons over the four years, the report said. The report also said that the South American drug trade has been bolstered in recent years by the Venezuelan government's decision to assist several illegal armed groups.
Obama has been criticized for what conservative critics say is an overly friendly tone toward Chavez. After this report was released maybe more corrective actions will be enforced. This report was easy to read but at times difficult. I think there was a lot of information in this article I’m not very informed with and would have understood better if I would have known the entire background of this issue.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Local News
http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-mother-who-put-stabbed-infant-in-trash-can-high-on-several-drugs-affidavit-says/article/3386689?custom_click=headlines_widget
A 24-year-old mom from Oklahoma City stabbed her baby son on Friday and then put the baby in a trash can. The woman was on several drugs when she stabbed her son. She told police she had smoked a marijuana blunt laced with PCP, ecstasy and ambient sleeping pills. She told police that she didn’t know it was her baby and didn’t mean to hurt him. Luckily, the baby survived.
This is really horrible but luckily the baby is okay. This story was rather short, and easy to read. It kept my attention because I wanted to know what happened to the baby and what she would be charged with.
A 24-year-old mom from Oklahoma City stabbed her baby son on Friday and then put the baby in a trash can. The woman was on several drugs when she stabbed her son. She told police she had smoked a marijuana blunt laced with PCP, ecstasy and ambient sleeping pills. She told police that she didn’t know it was her baby and didn’t mean to hurt him. Luckily, the baby survived.
This is really horrible but luckily the baby is okay. This story was rather short, and easy to read. It kept my attention because I wanted to know what happened to the baby and what she would be charged with.
40th Anniversary of Humanity's First Landing on The Moon
In a 1961 speech, President John F. Kennedy said he wanted to achieve a goal of a man landing on the moon and returning safely to earth before the decade was over.
By 1969 his goal was reached.
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, were the Apollo 11 crew members who reached the moon 40 years ago and are celebrating their accomplishment today.
Aldrin and Armstrong were the first two men who reached the moon on the lunar module, "Eagle," while Collins orbited the moon in the command module, "Columbia."
Bob Jacob's from NASA got this interview with Collins about his Apollo 11 mission, and what he is doing now.
Pictured above is Buzz Aldrin climbing down the "Eagle's" ladder.
Since the Apollo 11, there have been five other Apollo missions that have reached the moon.
Neil Armstrong's famous quote:
"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for humanity," stays true today as we honor and celebrate their courageous mission.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
National News
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31914432/ns/us_news-washington_post/page/2/
Shark attack survivors from across the country have been pressing the senate to put new restriction on fishing for sharks. Thirty-two percent of the sharks and rays that live in the open ocean were classified as "threatened" this year by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Scientists fear that ocean ecosystems could be knocked out of whack by the loss of their "apex" predators. The trade in fins for shark-fin soup, a delicacy in Asia, has been blamed for heavy fishing of many species. Others are slaughtered for the rest of their meat or killed accidentally by fishermen setting out nets or hooks for tuna and marlin.
I found this article to be very surprising. Some people disagree with the efforts to save the sharks. Some people are seriously scarred and missing limbs and have every right to hate shark, which I completely understand why. If a shark would have bitten me I don’t think I would put forth any effort to try and save them.
Shark attack survivors from across the country have been pressing the senate to put new restriction on fishing for sharks. Thirty-two percent of the sharks and rays that live in the open ocean were classified as "threatened" this year by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Scientists fear that ocean ecosystems could be knocked out of whack by the loss of their "apex" predators. The trade in fins for shark-fin soup, a delicacy in Asia, has been blamed for heavy fishing of many species. Others are slaughtered for the rest of their meat or killed accidentally by fishermen setting out nets or hooks for tuna and marlin.
I found this article to be very surprising. Some people disagree with the efforts to save the sharks. Some people are seriously scarred and missing limbs and have every right to hate shark, which I completely understand why. If a shark would have bitten me I don’t think I would put forth any effort to try and save them.
International News
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-07-14-heart-transplant_N.htm
British doctors designed an amazing solution to save a girl with major heart problems in 1995: they implanted a donor heart directly onto her own failing heart. After 10 years with two blood pumping organs, Hannah Clark's weak heart did the impossible; it healed itself enough so that doctors could remove the donated heart.
“This shows that the heart can indeed repair itself if given the opportunity," said Dr. Douglas Zipes, a past president of the American College of Cardiology. Four and a half years after the heart was implanted, both hearts were working fine, so doctors decided not to take out the extra heart. However, the powerful drugs Clark was taking to prevent her from rejecting the donor heart then caused cancer, which led to chemotherapy. Even when doctors lowered the doses of drugs to suppress Clark's immune system, the cancer spread, and Clark's body eventually rejected the donor heart. Luckily, by that time, Clark's own heart seemed to have fully recovered. In February 2006, Dr. Victor Tsang of Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, and other doctors removed Clark's donor heart, and she recovered from the cancer.
I think that this story is absolutely miraculous. I have never heard of anything like it. I can’t believe that she had two hearts and was still living, it seems so complicated. After all of that happening it’s even more amazing that she survived after getting cancer. It was fourteen years ago that doctors decided to do that so I can only imagine what incredible things doctors do now that I have no idea about.
British doctors designed an amazing solution to save a girl with major heart problems in 1995: they implanted a donor heart directly onto her own failing heart. After 10 years with two blood pumping organs, Hannah Clark's weak heart did the impossible; it healed itself enough so that doctors could remove the donated heart.
“This shows that the heart can indeed repair itself if given the opportunity," said Dr. Douglas Zipes, a past president of the American College of Cardiology. Four and a half years after the heart was implanted, both hearts were working fine, so doctors decided not to take out the extra heart. However, the powerful drugs Clark was taking to prevent her from rejecting the donor heart then caused cancer, which led to chemotherapy. Even when doctors lowered the doses of drugs to suppress Clark's immune system, the cancer spread, and Clark's body eventually rejected the donor heart. Luckily, by that time, Clark's own heart seemed to have fully recovered. In February 2006, Dr. Victor Tsang of Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, and other doctors removed Clark's donor heart, and she recovered from the cancer.
I think that this story is absolutely miraculous. I have never heard of anything like it. I can’t believe that she had two hearts and was still living, it seems so complicated. After all of that happening it’s even more amazing that she survived after getting cancer. It was fourteen years ago that doctors decided to do that so I can only imagine what incredible things doctors do now that I have no idea about.
Local News
http://oudaily.com/news/2009/jul/08/campus-corner-construction-ahead-schedule/
The Campus Corner summer construction project is expected to be completed by Aug. 7, slightly ahead of schedule, City of Norman officials said.
“We haven’t run into any difficulties,” projects engineer John Clink said. “It’s gone quite well. I’m quite happy with this project.”
Norman street superintendent Greg Hall said White Street renovations are now complete with the exception of adding streetscape furniture. He said the old water lines have been replaced, and there is no danger of the new ones breaking down. Current construction efforts are focused on the intersection of Asp Avenue and Boyd Street, which Hall said was nearly complete.
“We should have Boyd opened up Friday,” Hall said. “On the corner itself, it will probably be the first of next week, and that’s when we’ll start on the east side of Asp.”
Hall said the next phase of construction will take crews up the east side of Asp Avenue, where they will work on curbs, gutters and parking areas. Helen Wolney, president of the Campus Corner Merchants Association, said it was hard to tell whether or not business has slowed as a result of the construction.
“This has been two years in the making, so we all knew that this was going to happen,” Wolney said. “All this is going to do is have a positive impact on Campus Corner when it’s done. I think it will just make the residents of Norman have a cleaner and nicer area to come to, not just a gameday place, but an every day place.”
I was happy to know that the construction on campus corner will be done by the beginning of August. It hasn’t really caused any problems for me for the past couple weeks, but at the beginning of summer the traffic on Boyd Street was pretty bad. Hopefully Campus Corner will look nice when it’s all finished.
The Campus Corner summer construction project is expected to be completed by Aug. 7, slightly ahead of schedule, City of Norman officials said.
“We haven’t run into any difficulties,” projects engineer John Clink said. “It’s gone quite well. I’m quite happy with this project.”
Norman street superintendent Greg Hall said White Street renovations are now complete with the exception of adding streetscape furniture. He said the old water lines have been replaced, and there is no danger of the new ones breaking down. Current construction efforts are focused on the intersection of Asp Avenue and Boyd Street, which Hall said was nearly complete.
“We should have Boyd opened up Friday,” Hall said. “On the corner itself, it will probably be the first of next week, and that’s when we’ll start on the east side of Asp.”
Hall said the next phase of construction will take crews up the east side of Asp Avenue, where they will work on curbs, gutters and parking areas. Helen Wolney, president of the Campus Corner Merchants Association, said it was hard to tell whether or not business has slowed as a result of the construction.
“This has been two years in the making, so we all knew that this was going to happen,” Wolney said. “All this is going to do is have a positive impact on Campus Corner when it’s done. I think it will just make the residents of Norman have a cleaner and nicer area to come to, not just a gameday place, but an every day place.”
I was happy to know that the construction on campus corner will be done by the beginning of August. It hasn’t really caused any problems for me for the past couple weeks, but at the beginning of summer the traffic on Boyd Street was pretty bad. Hopefully Campus Corner will look nice when it’s all finished.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Local News
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=12&articleid=20090707_16_A1_TlaMyr320582
Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor should be signing a jail agreement with the county within the next few days. The agreement, which sets a reimbursement schedule for municipal prisoners in the county jail, was approved 3-0 by the Tulsa County Commission on Monday morning. Commission Chairman John Smaligo said the county is satisfied with the agreement. The contract includes the terms both parties agreed upon on May 18, including a rate schedule for city prisoners. The city will pay $45 per prisoner per day for up to 35 prisoners per day and $54.13 for every inmate beyond 35. There are also a few other agreements in the contract.
Instead of choosing a local story from Norman, I decided to do one from my hometown this week. I dont think that this new agreement should be affecting the resdients of Tulsa County too much. I'm sure that the agreement has been well thought out and if the County is satisfied with it I'm sure it will be good.
Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor should be signing a jail agreement with the county within the next few days. The agreement, which sets a reimbursement schedule for municipal prisoners in the county jail, was approved 3-0 by the Tulsa County Commission on Monday morning. Commission Chairman John Smaligo said the county is satisfied with the agreement. The contract includes the terms both parties agreed upon on May 18, including a rate schedule for city prisoners. The city will pay $45 per prisoner per day for up to 35 prisoners per day and $54.13 for every inmate beyond 35. There are also a few other agreements in the contract.
Instead of choosing a local story from Norman, I decided to do one from my hometown this week. I dont think that this new agreement should be affecting the resdients of Tulsa County too much. I'm sure that the agreement has been well thought out and if the County is satisfied with it I'm sure it will be good.
National Story
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/07/national/main5139250.shtml?tag=cbsnewsLeadStoriesAreaMain;cbsnewsLeadStoriesHeadlines
Starting June 27th five people were killed in a small town in South Carolina. Partick Burris, 41, is the suspected killer and no one has any answers for why he went on this killing spree. He tortured the five people and then shot them to death. With Burris' death his motifs are still a mystery. He was shot to death by officers investigating a burglary complaint at a home in Gastonia, North Carolina, 30 miles (48 kilometres) from where the killing spree started. Burris had a long rap sheet filled with convictions for larceny, forgery and breaking and entering in states across the Southeast, including Florida, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. He had been paroled from a North Carolina prison in April after serving almost eight years.
This story really grabbed my attention. It really reminds me how crazy some people are. It's unfortunate though that we can't feel safe in our own neighborhoods. In the article South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Reggie Lloyd said Burris' criminal record was about 25 pages and wondered why he was out on the streets to begin with. It makes me wonder how many other people have been let out of jail with huge criminal records such as this.
Starting June 27th five people were killed in a small town in South Carolina. Partick Burris, 41, is the suspected killer and no one has any answers for why he went on this killing spree. He tortured the five people and then shot them to death. With Burris' death his motifs are still a mystery. He was shot to death by officers investigating a burglary complaint at a home in Gastonia, North Carolina, 30 miles (48 kilometres) from where the killing spree started. Burris had a long rap sheet filled with convictions for larceny, forgery and breaking and entering in states across the Southeast, including Florida, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. He had been paroled from a North Carolina prison in April after serving almost eight years.
This story really grabbed my attention. It really reminds me how crazy some people are. It's unfortunate though that we can't feel safe in our own neighborhoods. In the article South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Reggie Lloyd said Burris' criminal record was about 25 pages and wondered why he was out on the streets to begin with. It makes me wonder how many other people have been let out of jail with huge criminal records such as this.
International News
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106318388&ps=cprs
Yesterday China Police arrested 1,434 suspects in connection with the worst ethnic violence in decades in China's western Xinjiang region, which killed at least 156 people. The tensions between the minority Uighur people and the ethnic Han Chinese in Xinjiang is what caused this ethinc violence. "The Han Chinese say we all belong to the same country. We're all part of one big family," said Memet, a restaurant worker who like other Uighurs declined to give his full name because he feared the police. "But the Han always treat us separately." Chinese officials have singled out the leader of the U.S.-based Uyghur American Association — Rebiya Kadeer, a former prominent Xinjiang businesswoman now living in Washington — for inciting the violence. The government has accused Kadeer of having a hand in many of Xinjiang's problems since her release from prison into U.S. exile in 2005. The Foreign Ministry has publicly accused the 62-year-old of having links to the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, a group the U.S. put on its terrorist blacklist.
This article was interesting but somewhat difficult to read and keep up with expecially because of the foreign names. What suprised me the most about reading this article was that at the very end it talked about how the Chinese officials accused a 62-year-old woman of having a hand in many Xinjian's problems. I was not expecting that.
Yesterday China Police arrested 1,434 suspects in connection with the worst ethnic violence in decades in China's western Xinjiang region, which killed at least 156 people. The tensions between the minority Uighur people and the ethnic Han Chinese in Xinjiang is what caused this ethinc violence. "The Han Chinese say we all belong to the same country. We're all part of one big family," said Memet, a restaurant worker who like other Uighurs declined to give his full name because he feared the police. "But the Han always treat us separately." Chinese officials have singled out the leader of the U.S.-based Uyghur American Association — Rebiya Kadeer, a former prominent Xinjiang businesswoman now living in Washington — for inciting the violence. The government has accused Kadeer of having a hand in many of Xinjiang's problems since her release from prison into U.S. exile in 2005. The Foreign Ministry has publicly accused the 62-year-old of having links to the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, a group the U.S. put on its terrorist blacklist.
This article was interesting but somewhat difficult to read and keep up with expecially because of the foreign names. What suprised me the most about reading this article was that at the very end it talked about how the Chinese officials accused a 62-year-old woman of having a hand in many Xinjian's problems. I was not expecting that.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
International News
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31638526/ns/world_news-europe/
In Viareggio Italy, a gas filled train derailed while traveling through a downtown neighborhood around midnight Monday. The official count is 14 people dead and 35-50 severely burned. The 14-car train was traveling from the northern city of La Spezia. As the train was passing through Viareggio neighborhoods it derailed. A car filled with liquefied petroleum gas sprung a leak. When a spark hit the gas it created an explosion that collapsed five buildings and set fire to a vast area. Homes crumbled or burned, killing residents as they slept. It took 300 firefighters to extinguish the blaze.
The story kept my attention very easily. It is a sad and frightening story. It’s even scarier that the train didn’t just hurt people on board, but that it actually killed people asleep in their homes as well. I think that sending highly explosive cargo through an inhabited area should be questioned and examined more thoroughly to prevent accidents such as this from happening again.
In Viareggio Italy, a gas filled train derailed while traveling through a downtown neighborhood around midnight Monday. The official count is 14 people dead and 35-50 severely burned. The 14-car train was traveling from the northern city of La Spezia. As the train was passing through Viareggio neighborhoods it derailed. A car filled with liquefied petroleum gas sprung a leak. When a spark hit the gas it created an explosion that collapsed five buildings and set fire to a vast area. Homes crumbled or burned, killing residents as they slept. It took 300 firefighters to extinguish the blaze.
The story kept my attention very easily. It is a sad and frightening story. It’s even scarier that the train didn’t just hurt people on board, but that it actually killed people asleep in their homes as well. I think that sending highly explosive cargo through an inhabited area should be questioned and examined more thoroughly to prevent accidents such as this from happening again.
National News
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-06-30-detroit_N.htm
Tuesday in Detroit, a group of students were waiting at a bus stop 15 minutes after they had been let out of summer school. A group of masked gunmen in a green minivan pulled up and opened fire on the students. The teenagers, four boys and three girls, range in age from 14 to 17 years old. Three of the teens were in critical condition. Two women who saw what happened got out of their car to help.
“Imam Abdullah El-Amin, who co-owns the Numan Funeral Home near the intersection where the shooting took place, said drug-dealing, prostitution and ‘hopelessness’ are common in the area.”
I found this story to not be very surprising. It’s really terrible that stories like this seem so common now. I wasn’t surprised at all when I saw this headline on the USA Today website.
There is really nothing that any innocent students can do to try and prevent this from happening either, especially if “drug-dealing, prostitution, and hopelessness.” It’s terrible that teenagers can’t even stand at a bus stop without worrying that something like this may happen to them.
Tuesday in Detroit, a group of students were waiting at a bus stop 15 minutes after they had been let out of summer school. A group of masked gunmen in a green minivan pulled up and opened fire on the students. The teenagers, four boys and three girls, range in age from 14 to 17 years old. Three of the teens were in critical condition. Two women who saw what happened got out of their car to help.
“Imam Abdullah El-Amin, who co-owns the Numan Funeral Home near the intersection where the shooting took place, said drug-dealing, prostitution and ‘hopelessness’ are common in the area.”
I found this story to not be very surprising. It’s really terrible that stories like this seem so common now. I wasn’t surprised at all when I saw this headline on the USA Today website.
There is really nothing that any innocent students can do to try and prevent this from happening either, especially if “drug-dealing, prostitution, and hopelessness.” It’s terrible that teenagers can’t even stand at a bus stop without worrying that something like this may happen to them.
Local News
http://www.normantranscript.com/localnews/local_story_181180947.html?keyword=topstory
A fire in Moore happened this Tuesday morning. The blaze took a Moore church and investigators have reason to believe that the fire was intentionally set. Moore Deputy Fire Chief Gary Bird said the Hope Adventist Fellowship Church, 1426 NE 12th Street, is considered a total loss. Firefighters learned about the fire a little before 6 a.m. Tuesday. Twenty-eight firefighters, plus Bird and the fire chief responded to the scene. Bird said there was something suspicious about the fire.
"Police have a possible suspect in custody at this time." An early investigation showed there were two different points of origin.
This story was easy to read. I’m not really sure why someone would want to light a church on fire. Perhaps the person who lit the church on fire practices a different religion and feels very strongly about or maybe the person who did it doesn’t really have a good reason. If police do get enough evidence I am curious to know who did it and what their reasoning was.
A fire in Moore happened this Tuesday morning. The blaze took a Moore church and investigators have reason to believe that the fire was intentionally set. Moore Deputy Fire Chief Gary Bird said the Hope Adventist Fellowship Church, 1426 NE 12th Street, is considered a total loss. Firefighters learned about the fire a little before 6 a.m. Tuesday. Twenty-eight firefighters, plus Bird and the fire chief responded to the scene. Bird said there was something suspicious about the fire.
"Police have a possible suspect in custody at this time." An early investigation showed there were two different points of origin.
This story was easy to read. I’m not really sure why someone would want to light a church on fire. Perhaps the person who lit the church on fire practices a different religion and feels very strongly about or maybe the person who did it doesn’t really have a good reason. If police do get enough evidence I am curious to know who did it and what their reasoning was.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Local News
In Yukon Oklahoma there was an explosion in a motel. Investigators said the explosion may have been caused by a broken valve on a line that feeds a water heater near the laundry room. What ignited the leaking gas is still unclear.
A woman who was 8 months pregnant was in the motel at the time it exploded. The baby was delivered Wednesday and is doing well, but the mother remained in intensive care with 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 25% of her body.
This story caught my eye easily. It is sad and scary that this happened but its good the baby is still okay. It was easy to read, however there was a simple spelling mistake in the second paragraph which bothered me.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=12&articleid=20090626_12_0_YUKONI290582
A woman who was 8 months pregnant was in the motel at the time it exploded. The baby was delivered Wednesday and is doing well, but the mother remained in intensive care with 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 25% of her body.
This story caught my eye easily. It is sad and scary that this happened but its good the baby is still okay. It was easy to read, however there was a simple spelling mistake in the second paragraph which bothered me.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=12&articleid=20090626_12_0_YUKONI290582
National News
South Carolina’s Governor Mark Sanford disappeared for 6 days, not responding to any texts or calls from law-enforcement officials. Jenny, his wife, assured the AP that he was taking time away from their four boys, ironically it was over Father’s day weekend. The Governor’s office then refused “to discuss specifics.”
When he returned home he informed a South Carolina reporter he was just vacationing in Buenos Aires, where he also later admitted he had been having an affair. At the time Sanford was threatening, much to the chagrin of his own party, to reject up to 25 percent (or $700 million) of South Carolina's share of federal stimulus funds unless the legislature set aside a matching sum of state money to pay down its debt—at a time when the state had the second-highest unemployment rate in the country.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/203480
This article was fascinating to read. It made me want to keep reading because I was interested as to where he had been and what his excuse was. I think that it was obviously a selfish move on his part but it’s good that he at least admitted to what he had really been doing.
When he returned home he informed a South Carolina reporter he was just vacationing in Buenos Aires, where he also later admitted he had been having an affair. At the time Sanford was threatening, much to the chagrin of his own party, to reject up to 25 percent (or $700 million) of South Carolina's share of federal stimulus funds unless the legislature set aside a matching sum of state money to pay down its debt—at a time when the state had the second-highest unemployment rate in the country.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/203480
This article was fascinating to read. It made me want to keep reading because I was interested as to where he had been and what his excuse was. I think that it was obviously a selfish move on his part but it’s good that he at least admitted to what he had really been doing.
International News
Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, asked Obama for an apology for the statements he made a few weeks ago. The way the Iranians are treating their residents is very cruel and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany feels the same. The demonstrations over the disputed elections in Iran have escalated into violent clashes, heightening concerns about instability in Iran and how to should deal with its nuclear program. Obama accused the Iranian leaders of violating “universal norms, international norms,” saying that the bravery of the people of Iran is “a testament to their enduring pursuit of justice.” He also said that he would not apologize for the statements he has made.
I enjoyed reading this article. Even though I do not exactly know everything that’s going on in the demonstrations, I think that Obama and Merkel are doing a good job by seeing what’s going on and not turning the “blind eye” on it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/27/world/middleeast/27prexy.html?ref=world
I enjoyed reading this article. Even though I do not exactly know everything that’s going on in the demonstrations, I think that Obama and Merkel are doing a good job by seeing what’s going on and not turning the “blind eye” on it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/27/world/middleeast/27prexy.html?ref=world
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Local News
Actress Jessica Alba will not have to face any criminal charges for her act of vandalism in Oklahoma City last week. Alba's name is redacted from the police report because she has not been arrested or charged with any crime, said police Sgt. Gray Knight.
Alba was caught gluing large posters of great white sharks in the downtown area. Alba’s cause was to raise awareness of the dwindling population of great white sharks.
She apologized to Oklahoma City and the United Way for her involvement in this incident. The United Way of Central Oklahoma President said the group accepts her apology.
http://www.koco.com/news/19759792/detail.html
This news story had simple language to read. It was clear and easy to understand. It was also much more entertaining since it was about a celebrity. If a regular Oklahoma resident had done this, the story would not have been given such a large amount of media attention. The quotations also help the reader understand how she felt after the incident and how the police felt about it.
Alba was caught gluing large posters of great white sharks in the downtown area. Alba’s cause was to raise awareness of the dwindling population of great white sharks.
She apologized to Oklahoma City and the United Way for her involvement in this incident. The United Way of Central Oklahoma President said the group accepts her apology.
http://www.koco.com/news/19759792/detail.html
This news story had simple language to read. It was clear and easy to understand. It was also much more entertaining since it was about a celebrity. If a regular Oklahoma resident had done this, the story would not have been given such a large amount of media attention. The quotations also help the reader understand how she felt after the incident and how the police felt about it.
National News
This week the Obama Administration will propose the most significant new regulation of the financial industry since the Great Depression. Some business groups have worried that the Obama administration might go too far in responding to the financial crisis with new regulations, stifling the market and hurting financial firms at a time when the economy is still weak.
“The Obama administration has appeared to be more focused on setting new rules and principles than on the blowing up the government's regulatory structure,” said Douglas J. Elliott, an economics fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former investment banker.
On Monday, the Obama administration officials sketched the outlines of the plan. They said it would seek to reduce gaps in regulatory oversight, rein in the use of mortgage-backed securities and other complex derivatives, reduce incentives for companies to take excessive risk and give the government new power to quickly intervene during any future crises.
All the proposals would have to be approved by Congress in a process the administration hopes to complete by the end of the year. The president is to unveil the plan today.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-financial-regs16-2009jun16,0,4262249.story
This story at times was complicated to read. The National and International news stories were much more complex to understand then the local story. I felt like this story was confusing because it gave so many different viewpoints. It was hard to understand what the Obama administration’s main goal was out of the story.
“The Obama administration has appeared to be more focused on setting new rules and principles than on the blowing up the government's regulatory structure,” said Douglas J. Elliott, an economics fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former investment banker.
On Monday, the Obama administration officials sketched the outlines of the plan. They said it would seek to reduce gaps in regulatory oversight, rein in the use of mortgage-backed securities and other complex derivatives, reduce incentives for companies to take excessive risk and give the government new power to quickly intervene during any future crises.
All the proposals would have to be approved by Congress in a process the administration hopes to complete by the end of the year. The president is to unveil the plan today.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-financial-regs16-2009jun16,0,4262249.story
This story at times was complicated to read. The National and International news stories were much more complex to understand then the local story. I felt like this story was confusing because it gave so many different viewpoints. It was hard to understand what the Obama administration’s main goal was out of the story.
International News
The world wide trade in trafficked persons has increased due to the global financial crisis. The state department report was released Tuesday which features data and statistics from 175 countries around the world that shows the amount of human trafficking that goes on within their countries.
The report says, "A striking global demand for labor and a growing supply of workers willing to take ever greater risks for economic opportunities seem a recipe for increased forced labor cases of migrant workers and women in prostitution."
Most of the trafficking is through African countries but a lot of trafficking is happening in the Middle East as well. There are 52 countries on the watch list whose efforts to combat trafficking are inadequate, but they are making efforts to meet the minimum anti-trafficking standards. Next year the United States will also rank its own effort to combat trafficking, along with the rest of the world.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/06/16/human.trafficking.report/index.html
This article was easy to read for the most part and it kept my attention. Human trafficking is not something that I hear about all the time and I sometimes forget that things like this are happening in places all over the world. I also had no idea that the United States made 139 arrests and obtained 94 convictions for trafficking in 2008 and this article opened my eyes to what else was happening because of the global financial crisis.
The report says, "A striking global demand for labor and a growing supply of workers willing to take ever greater risks for economic opportunities seem a recipe for increased forced labor cases of migrant workers and women in prostitution."
Most of the trafficking is through African countries but a lot of trafficking is happening in the Middle East as well. There are 52 countries on the watch list whose efforts to combat trafficking are inadequate, but they are making efforts to meet the minimum anti-trafficking standards. Next year the United States will also rank its own effort to combat trafficking, along with the rest of the world.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/06/16/human.trafficking.report/index.html
This article was easy to read for the most part and it kept my attention. Human trafficking is not something that I hear about all the time and I sometimes forget that things like this are happening in places all over the world. I also had no idea that the United States made 139 arrests and obtained 94 convictions for trafficking in 2008 and this article opened my eyes to what else was happening because of the global financial crisis.
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