current events

Oil Prices Hit Record Levels

2005-03-21T05:09:00.000-08:00

Summary:
Oil prices have jumped to record highs lately all around the place. Recently, they have reached $57.00 per barrel. People have been very sceptic on how or if the prices will ever go down. It has been calculated that for the next two years, the oil prices will continue to stay at a higher price like they are right now. In the past year, oil prices have climed around 50%. Rato said that the oil prices may go up another 4% in the upcoming year. Rato and many others feel that the citizens of the U.S. needs to be aware of the prices of oil and the governments should be telling them. This will lead to a more informed country and maybe not as angry about the gas prices.

Resources:
www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=3&ObjectID=10116503

Opinion:
I feel, like all Americans that the price of gas these days is horrible. It is the worst thing having to pay over $40 to fill up my tank whenever i go to the gas station. I feel that car producers should find a way that we can all get hybrid cars. This would lead to us being less dependent on oil and would make are country a lot cleaner and save all of us a lot of money in the long run. I just hope that something in that way will happen very soon. The sooner we do that, all of the people that drive a vehicle will be a lot happier that we would be saving so much money. I'm also still a little confused on what we should do in Alaska. I wonder if we should start to go for oil in Alaska or not?

Iran dismisses U.S. policy shift

2005-03-12T05:59:00.000-08:00

Summary:

The United States has dropped it's opposition to Iran's application for membership in the World Trade Organization in an effort to help European negotiations with the Tehran regime. The three European countries; Iran, Germany, and France have been trying to talk President Bush into dropping our opposition to Iran's entrance to the WTO because they would like to negotiate with Iran. Although this seems like a great offer to most, an Iranian negotiator, Cyrus Naseri, said, "it is too ridiculous to be called an offer." I think he is just feeling that the U.S is just doing this becuase we feel that it will make people happier about us. Europe is already starting to make plans for Iran's entrance into the WTO. Iran says that it's nuclear program is just for the production of nuclear energy and they have no plans to build nuclear weapons.

Resources:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/03/11/us.iran/

Opinion:
I feel that we should have let Iran into the WTO a while ago if it would make
Europe that happy to let them in. If Iran is telling the truth about their nuclear supplies, then I feel that they have the right to join whenever they want. I think that if some of the Iranian negotiator's feel that we aren't doing much by agreeing to let them into the WTO, then they should just stop complaining about what we are doing for them. I hope that this will lead to better relations with Iran that can lead to Iran getting along with us and the rest of the countries in the WTO. This was a great move by President Bush and I beleive that it will lead to good things happening in our future relations with Iran and also Europe because they were the ones that wanted us to stop opposing Iran's entrance.

Frail Pope Reappears at Hospital Window

2005-03-06T11:18:00.000-08:00

Summary:
After a while in the hospital Pope John Paul finally gives a sign that he may be improving. He looked out of the hospital window to the watching people and waved and gave the sign of the cross. He looked frail but he also looked as if he was very alert. This has been his second Sunday appearance since he went into the hospital for throat surgery to help him with his breathing. Many people say that he speaks through his suffering. In his hometown they are thinking and caring and talking about him as much as possible. Every faith is praying for him and worrying abouthim.

Sources:

Opinion:
In my opinion, these people are great people for caring about the pope as much as they are right now. I hope that the pope will get better as soon as possible, but I don't know if he will get better very fast. I am also wondering what the religion will do if something happens to the pope. I think that it is also great that he keeps trying as much as he can in order to show all of the people that he is tyring to improve his house. Although the pope is around eighty four years old, many people feel that he has many more years to go until he stops being a pope. I hope that soon he makes it through his tough times and comes around to be the pope.

Governors take aim at high school

2005-02-28T05:33:00.000-08:00

Summary:

There are a few people in our country that feel our high schools are not needed because of all the highschool drop outs that we get and they say that they are afraid of what we are doing, because other countries are not even close to having as many dropouts as the U.S. does. One of the main disputers of our countries schools is Bill gates. He calls our school a 1.0 in a 5.0 world. Gates was addressing our nations governors on Saturday about our High school situation. He also said that our schools are not preparing the kids for their college situation or for their technical jobs. Gates said that their needs to be a new system for high school that makes the students more prepared for their college experience. He called for higher standards for math and language and smaller schools. A small amount of colleges have decided to follow in Bill Gates and the nations governments ideas. 12 states are committing to raise high schools standards and make high school seem more like college.

Resources:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.governors27feb27,1,27981.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gates27feb27,0,5251257.story?coll=la-home-nation

Opinion:

I am somewhere iin between on this idea for a new and more challenging high school for the kids. I believe that our Nations governors think that if they make high school more like college and raise the standards, then the kids will all do magically better and things will be good with the high schools. I believe that if they make the standards higher for the students we will probably have more high school dropouts and that will mean less will go to college. Although I do think their should be a new type of high school, I don't believe that we should make school harder but instead maybe ask the students that are dropping out why they are doing so. Maybe our schools are going the wrong way in trying to make our country more knowledgeable. I don't know why Bill Gates thinks he knows what our governors should do because he has been out of high school for a long time. I don't know if older people really do know what being in high school is all about. Maybe they just forgot their high school experience. I really hope that they do find a way to keep the dropout percentage down in the future.

New Tapes Say Bush May Have Smoked Marijuana.

2005-02-20T17:43:00.000-08:00

Summary:
A tape has recently come up where President Bush has admitted to smoking Marijuana. These tapes that President Bush was recorded on were taken by a friend before he had become elected. The tapes were recently aired on ABC and then published in The New York times. On the tape Bush says he wouldn't answer the question to using drugs becuase he didn't want some kids sayin that since their president does drugs then they should also try them. In the tape, Bush mocks Vice President Al Gore for admitting to using marijuana the the country. When President Bush talked on the tape, he was not president then and he also thought he could trust his so called friend that was taping him.
Resources:
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/10949052.htm?1c
Opinion:
I have always believed that the presidents Of our country have to either be perfect or be able to hide what they have done illegally very well. I feel that our citizens and our government are too tough and overbearing on our presidents. No one should be made out to have to be perfect but i think that our country feels that our presidents should be perfect. I believe that when President Bush was asked before if he had used marijuana he should have told the truth instead of just having someone tape him when he was governor. He should have gotten that out of the way so that no one could bring it up later and make it even a bigger deal. I agree totally that using marijuana isn't a good thing but when a president is known for taking one, people go to far to put labels on that person. I don't like how Wead, the man who taped Bush, said that he didn't mean to hurt Bush's presidency, but he was only doing it because he wanted ot add something ot his new book that he had just released. I still believe and will always believe that presidents are thought to have to be perfect but in my mind, they shouldn't be thought to be perfect in any way.

Microsoft and Pfizer team up to fight Spam

2005-02-13T15:41:00.000-08:00

Summary:
Microsoft, the worlds largest software producer, and Pfizer, the maker of Viagra have decided to fight Spam with thoughts of ending it completly. Pfizer has said that they have lost millions of dollars because of illegal and replicated Viagra sales. Also, Microsoft has reported that they have had problems with Spam mail, particully an outbreak by ones that promote and sell Viagra. Pfizer has narrowed its lawsuit down to two companies; Canadian Pharmacy and E-Pharmacy Direct. Microsoft has decided to put a lawsuit to all of the Spams dealing with Viagra and also to companies that are promoting their replicated pills. Pfizer has said that many of these Spammers that sell the replicated Viagra are very shady and are registered under anti theft victims and sometimes from third person parties. There are already around 30 websites that have been shut down because of lawsuits towards them. Both will keep filing lawsuits agains these spammers until all is well.
Resources:
http://www.cooltechzone.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1009

Opinion:
I hope that Microsoft and Pfizer soon will get rid of as many Spammers as they can. I know that I am very sick of seeing them on the internet because they really ruin my experience and plus they really slow down my computer. The Viagra Spams that have been being put on the internet make me the most angry because they are the ones that are still slowing my computer up and ruin my internet and plus they are also being placed in front of all childrens eyes including kids that shouldn't be seeing the stuff that they are promoting and what for. I believe that these Spammers should just stop what their doing. They are ruining moral codes of families and also giving out ideas that shouldn't be spread out to everyone. They are also ruining Microsofts reputation and Pfizer's sales on their products. I hope that very soon all of these spammers will be banned from using the internet to promote their product and i hope that this happens very soon.

Bush on the road to pitch his proposals for Social Security

2005-02-05T07:26:00.000-08:00

Summary:

President Bush has recently taken a two day trip to promote his new idea for Social Security in America. President Bush has a long way to go with his idea's on getting public support for his Social Security idea, according to many supporters. Bush has said by mid-century, our Social Security will be "Flat bust." President Bush has said that the government will borrow money to avoid distributing the benefits equally. The president is against a hike in the payroll tax to fix our problem. There has also been the idea of putting the money into private accounts, but many feel that this would lead to a lot less with the government social security. President Bush has told the people that a "personal retirement fund," is not the only way to help with Social Security, but it could help to start making more money. He has promised that those born before 1950 would not be affected by this change in Social security.
Resources:
1. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-0204bushsocial,0,2598788.story?coll=sfla-news-florida

2. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A437-2005Feb5.html

Opinion:

In my mind, this Social Security isn't going to be there for kids in my age bracket, around 16 to 20, when we get older. I believe that if Bush keeps borrowing money from different places, it will just end up in a big mess to where no one will quite know what to do. The idea that I do like from President Bush is how he would like to have people set up personal investment accounts as part of the Social Security program. I also like the idea of how the people can invest their money into a conservative mix of stocks and bonds. This could lead to people gaining very much money, but on the other hand, it could lead to people losing more than they thought. I'm a little bit confused on how President Bush thinks he can get this done just like I'm sure many other people are, but I feel that somehow they will find a way to make it fair for all of the Americans.

Iraqi voter turnout big despite attacks

2005-01-30T06:14:00.000-08:00

Summary:

This was the first free election in half a century and the Iraqi voters really showed that they want this new government. The first to vote in Iraq were the policemen that would have to start patrolling right after. Around 14 million Iraqis had registered to vote for Sunday. Around 72% of the registered Iraqis weathered the harsh suicide bombings and mortar attacks by the insurgents. Militants mainly struck Baghdad with the suicide bombings on Sunday. Around 30 Iraq's were killed in all by the insurgents. The registered Iraqi people voted to chose a 275 member group that would draw up a constitution in order to have their government. There was a low sunni turnout at these elections.

Sources used:

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7475552

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/01/30/news/iraq.html

Opinion:

To me, this is a great event for the Iraqi people. These citizens of Iraq were able and willing to die in order to get a new government set up in their country. I respect the Iraqi people for what they did on Sunday. I am very amazed that around 72% of the Iraqi people voted on Sunday when they have insurgents trying to kill them and here, in America when we vote, a much smaller percent vote and we have people promoting our voting and not trying to stop us from it like in Iraq. Some of those Iraqis were so intent on voting that they would have done anything. I read that they were prohibited from using private cars, so some walked, some hitched ride on busses and military vehicles, and some had elderly people that couldn't walk so they actually carried them to the polling site. That again just seems great to me that they were so intent on getting to that polling site. This is a great event in their Iraqi history and I hope that they keep on voting in the time to come.

Chinese Ties to a Suspected Terror Plot in Boston Are Pursued

2005-01-23T05:06:00.000-08:00

Summary:

There has been talk and rumours of a suspected terrorist plot on Boston, Massachusetts by four Chinese immigrants who are said to have got into America recently through Mexico. The authorities got this information from a tip from Federal officials in California. The names of the four Chinese people are, Zengrong Lin, Wen Quin Zheng, Xiujin Chen, and Guozhi Lin. Two of these suspeted terrorist are women and two are men. There was a statement from Michael J. Sullivan and Kenneth Kaiser that explained that none of these people had been on a "watch list" in the U.S. They also said that the tip was of an unknown reliability. The Federal law enforcement officials said they would not raise the terror alert status. As of Wednesday evening, the officials said that they had been suspected to have been "dropped off" in New york and had not been in Boston. Mr. Menino put disregarded the rumour of there being a dirty bomb or an attack on a liquified natural gas tanker in the harbor. Federal authorities in Washington said that the tip of the terrorist threat lacked enough evidence of what was thought to happen in Boston. They said they were watching the four people but they had no evidence that they were planning a terrorist attack.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/20/national/20boston.html

Opinion:

I don't really feel that it is right to go after these four people just because the Boston officials had recieved a tip from one source. Maybe if they had recieved more information from different sources then they could go after them, but until then i think what the Federal authorities are doing is right by just keeping an eye on them for a while. I also agree with the idea that they shouldn't raise the terror alert just yet, because they have no reason to do so. I think that our government should bring them in for questioning only if they have too. I hope that this problem can be solved as soon as possible and without much conflict.