Thursday, November 29, 2007

Science






Astronomers are researching how to deal with an asteroid impact. They are currently monitering the asteroid Apophis, which is a potential threat. Astronomers have calculated that there is only a 1 in 45,000 chance that the asteroid would hit us in the year 2029. They are currently researching the chances of the asteroid striking seven years later in 2036. They are taking into account small details such as solar radiation, gravitational drag of other asteroids, and human error to help predict the path of the asteroid. They are also researching how to dispose of the asteroid should the need arise which includes just adding weight around the asteroid to throw off its path.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Iraq


A suicide blast in Iraq killed three U.S. soldiers and three Iraqi children on Sunday. At least seven children were injured. The soldiers were handing out toys to children northeast of Baghdad. This is very bad because it shows how the insurgents are relentless to kill American troops. They will harm children if they have to. That is terrible.

Monday, November 12, 2007

State


A twelve year-old girl from Fort Wayne is starting a campaign to send socks to troops in Afghanistan. She is going to send heavy wool socks to help the soldiers stay warm in the cold, wind swept hills and mountains. She is calling her campaign "Socks for Soldiers." Alison Mansfield has been sending the troops letters other items for support for years now. She hopes this will be a big success.

Local























The Victory Through Truth Church caught on fire Sunday afternoon just after the end of a service. No one was in the building at the time of the fire. Firefighters extinguished the fire but said it was too early to determine what started it. They said lightning was a possibility. The estimated damage of the fire was around $45,000.

SOURCE

World














Around ten ships sank or ran aground during a storm in the northern Black Sea region. Among these ships was the Volganeft-139, a Russian oil tanker "loaded with nearly 1.3 million gallons of fuel oil." The oil spilled in the black sea. Some officials are calling it the worst natural disaster in history and are assessing that it will take years to fix. The oil is now starting to make its way towards the beach where workers are working to clean it up. Three men have also been found dead.

SOURCE

Friday, November 9, 2007

Health


















A girl born with eight limbs is OK after surgery. Lakshmi, an Indian girl, was born with four legs and four arms. She had been revered by some in her village as a reincarnation of the Hindu goddess for which she was named after. Lakshmi was born joined at the pelvis to a “parasitic twin” that stopped developing in her mother’s womb. Lakshmi absorbed the limbs, kidneys and other body parts of the undeveloped fetus. A team of more than 30 surgeons spent 24 hours removing the extra limbs. Lakshmi is in intensive care but is responsive and doing well.

SOURCE





Business














On Monday, November 5, television and movie writers went on strike. The writers wanted compensation for the earnings of their work that appears on the web. The companies know that they will make their money off of the Internet and DVDs instead of reruns and they are lowballing the writers. The writers are not getting compensated nearly as much as they do for reruns and they feel the need to go on strike. This is raising the question "How much is media in the digital age?" The production companies and writers will look to solve this issue over the coming weeks as the strike continues.
SOURCE






Sports




Adrian Peterson is a beast. A rookie from Oklahoma University, Peterson is on track to have the best season of any rookie running back ever. Peterson was drafted 7th overall by the Minnesota Vikings but he is looking like he should have gone first. After learning the offense and slowly assimilating himself into a starting role, Peterson has shaken questions about his prone to injury and durability. Last week he broke the all-time rushing record for most yards in a game with 296 yards against the San Diego Chargers.

SOURCE

Monday, November 5, 2007

Election




















Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama told voters Saturday that in the wake of President Bush’s “catastrophic failure of leadership” the nation needs a candid leader like himself, not rival Hillary Rodham Clinton’s calculated politics. Bush failed with handling of the Iraq war, spread fear and fumbled with Hurricane Katrina, Obama said. He said Clinton is running a textbook campaign based on political calculation, rather than a candid explanation of her policy positions. And, he widened blame for the nation’s problems to her husband’s and previous administrations.



Iraq














Police found the bodies of six victims of sectarian violence dumped in three Iraqi cities Friday. There were no reported shootings or bombings, This is only the second day this year that the sectarian death toll fell below 10. Both days were Fridays, the Muslim day of rest and prayer. The last was Feb. 23, when records show five Iraqis were found dead in Baghdad. No one died in shootings or bombings on that day either. On average, 56 Iraqis — civilians and security forces — have died each day so far in this very bloody year. More than four months after U.S. forces completed a 30,000-strong force buildup, the death toll for both Iraqis and Americans has fallen dramatically for two months running.


Business





Twice as many jobs as expected were added by employers during the month of October. The nation's payrolls grew by $166,000. This was stated by the Labor Department on November 2. The nation's unemployment rate stayed at 4.7 percent. Economists only expected the nation's payroll to increase by only $80,000. President Bush out that his economic policies work, although that is debated by some. In October, average hourly earnings raised to $17.48.



Health



Recent studies have lead towards the suggestion that more sleep may lead to a lower risk in obesity for children. Researchers have found that every additional hour per night a third-grader spends sleeping reduces the child’s chances of being obese in sixth grade by 40 percent. If there was a magic number for the third-graders, it was nine hours, 45 minutes of sleep. Sleeping more than that lowered the risk significantly. The study gives parents one more reason to enforce bedtimes, restrict caffeine and yank the TV from the bedroom. The study appears in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Friday, November 2, 2007


Global


A week of heavy rains caused rivers to overflow in the Mexican state of Tabasco. Tobasco is a low lying gulf state. Over 70% of the area is underwater. Nearly all services were shut down in the state capital of Villahermosa. This included drinking water and public transportation. With food and drinking water scarce, health officials are warning against outbreaks of cholera and other waterborne diseases. This is being called one of the worst natural disasters in Mexico's history.


State










On November 2, a student at Pendelton Heights High School was diagnosed with MRSA. The principal said that the student transferred to PHHS. This is significant because it shows that the staph infection was brought to the school and not contracted at the school. Neither the student nor the gender of the students was given. The diagnosis of MRSA is a very low grade of MRSA that is only resistant to one antibiotic. The school is taking precautions such as disenfecting desktops, keyboards, and athletic equiptment.
Local











Prosecutors have filed charges against two Anderson men who broke into an elderly woman's house and beat her with a golf club. The woman was 60 years old and terminally ill. The men broke in to get the woman's prescription drugs for her cancer. The woman suffered two broken fingers and possibly a broken knuckle. The men also took $180.


Sports















Former Yankees manager Joe Torre has just accepted a three-year, $13 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The winningest manager in post-season, Torre spoent 12 years as the manager for the New York Yankees. He walked away after this season and accepted the job in Los Angeles only two weeks after he left the team. The dodgers are hoping to regain the post-season success that has been missing since Tommy Lasorda left in 1996. Torre will look to take the franchise in a winning direction.


National
Dealing with boy who played with fire
Dealing with boy who played with fire

This video is about the the ten year old boy who started the wildfires in California. While he was playing with matches, the boy lost control and the fire quickly grew. The fires have destroyed millions of dollars in property damage. Some Californians are threatening to file a lawsuit agains him and his family. The boy's family would not be able to pay even a portion of the million dollar lawsuit. Other Californians are supporting the boy and his family arguing against the lawsuit towards his mistake.