''For a quick hit on time call the boss.''

Sylvester J. Williams is an idiot, period. Last Friday in Leavenworth, Kansas, twenty-one year old Williams was arrested for the possession of crack with the intent to sell, but that wasn't his biggest mistake. Williams was caught by police after they obtained one of his business calling cards. Yes, that's right a crack dealing business card. The business card had an image of what appeared to be an alarm clock being hit by a boxing glove and said: ''For a quick hit on time call the boss.'' After getting their hands on the car, police gave Williams a call and agreed to buy crack from him. However, when they met with the man they quickly arrested him. I don't know about you but when I read this I can't help but picture Tyrone Biggums.

Test Post

This is a test of the Emergency Blogging Network. This is only a test.

i hate internet explorer.

so yeah..this is about the 4th time i've tried to post this. thank you very much, internet explorer..i really do love you.



According to The New York Times, as of yesterday (January 19) the first mission to Pluto was enacted by NASA. The spacecraft will travel to Jupiter at first, and then continue on its way to Pluto. It will take thirteen months to reach Jupiter, where it will explore the moons and atmosphere. Additionally, eight years from now (if all goes well) the spacecraft will reach Pluto, where it will collect artifacts and allow scientists to understand more about the planet.

Warren E. Leary states:

Yesterday's liftoff also paid homage to Pluto's discoverer, the astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh, who in 1930 became the only American to find a planet in the solar system. (He died at 90, in 1997.) His widow, Patricia Tombaugh, 93, and other family members were present at the cape, and some of his remains were among the commemorative items aboard the spacecraft.

According to Wikipedia,

The first probe to explore the outer planets was Pioneer 10, which flew by Jupiter in 1973. Pioneer 11 was the first to visit Saturn, in 1979. The Voyager probes performed a grand tour of the outer planets following their launch in 1977, with both probes passing Jupiter in 1979 and Saturn in 1980–1981. Voyager 2 then went on to make close approaches to Uranus in 1986 and Neptune in 1989. The Voyager probes are now far beyond Pluto's orbit, and astronomers anticipate that they will encounter the heliopause which defines the outer edge of the solar system in the next few years.

This is the first time that Pluto is attempted to be explored. Is it beneficial to us? Nope, but at least it's news.

More....abortion

The Christian Science Monitor reports nine justices in the Supreme Court made a move towards compromise on the case of upholding or striking down a New Hampshire law that require a teen to inform a parent before getting an abortion. The case was sent back down to the lower court to decide whether or not the parent notification law should be completely abolished or if only a part of it should be followed. The center of the case was if the New Hampshire law followed two constitutional requirements.

Did the law create an undue burden to a woman's right to have an abortion? Was
the law invalid because it did not include a broad health exception that would
allow a teen to obtain an abortion without first telling a parent in an instance
when any delay might threaten her health?

The parent notification law was passed in 2003 and required at least one parent be notified at least 48 hours before a minor obtains an abortion. A judge could decide a teen was mature enough to make the decision. If the teen’s life was in danger a doctor could waive the parent notification. A group called Planned Parenthood sued, saying the law violated constitutional rights.

Between the years of 1972 and 1973 the United States Supreme Court argued the case of Roe v.s Wade. Jane Roe challenged the criminal abortion laws in Texas. The abortion laws forbade abortion unless the life of the mother was in danger. Roe argued the laws were unconstitutional because they violated the privacy of the woman. The Supreme Court reached a decision and overuled all state laws that banned or restricted abortion. The woman's right to an abortion fell under the woman's right to privacy granted in the fourteenth amendment. Although the right to abortion during the entire pregnancy was granted, different levels of state control over the regulation of abortion in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy was also defined.

television is the new book

In an article from the christian science monitor, there is a comparison to books and television shows. Book clubs have been around for decades. They consist of a group of people sitting around and discussing a book which they were all assigned to read. Nowadays, however, reading has become obsolete. People have begun to form unofficial television clubs. A television club is one in which a group of people meet on a specific day. When they meet, usually the same day every week, they wach and discuss the tv show that was on that day. People meet with their friends and families, usually in their own homes, or at sportsbar or lounge area. As certain television shows grow in popularity, so do these groups. Who knows what kind of groups will replace these.

The television was invented by Philo Farnsworth. In 1921, he was just a 14 year old boy working on his fathers farm oin Idaho. It was around this time that he started getting the idea about scanning a picture using electron beams. After getting his ideas together, he applied for a patent in 1927. In 1934, Philo's designs were bought by a british communications company. Five years later, in 1939, RCA, an american company, also bought his ideas. Farsnworth eventually began his own company. Philo was payed patent royalties, but when his patents were about to reach their expiration date, he sold his company. We are now able to have television clubs thanks to a man named Philo Farnsworth.

houston...we have lift off

Nasa has finally sent a rocket to pluto, says and article in the New York times. This $700 million spacecraft left yesterday at 2 pm. Its goal is to hit jupiter in 2007, which will then push it on to pluto. The space craft was moving so fast at lift off, that it was able to pass the moon in 9 hours. It is secheduled to reach pluto in approximately nine years. Once the New Horizons reaches the planet, it will conduct experiments for five months. After those experiments are complete, it will continue on to the Kuiper Belt, an outer zone of the solar system which includes Pluto.

Before americans began researching other planets, thy landed on the moon. On July, 16, 1969, apollo 11 took off from the Kennedy Space Center. On July, 20, 1969, the spacecraft landed on the moon. Neil Armstrong was the first man to leave the craft and actually walk on the moon. During the two hours they spent on the surface of the moon, they performed experiments and collected soil and rock samples. The astronauts left an american flag on the moon a symbol to show that they were the first to accomplish the task of landing on the moon. The space craft returned to Earth on July 24, 1969.

Are you my sperm donor?

In the New York Times, an article about Egg and Sperm Banks was published. It spoke about the donors' desire to meet with the children to which they helped make. However, fertility clinics see the childrens information as confidential and will not give it out. The parents arguement is the risk of health complications down the road that could be prevented if they could maintain communication with the children.
This article made me think about society's change in values on reproduction. After World War II, the Baby Boom era began. This was triggered by the large number of men coming back from the war. From 1946 to 1964 the brithrate increased rapidly. Couples were producing children with the idea of fixing the death rate from the war. Today the world is over populated, thus causing couples to not be pressured into producing offspring.

So much for trolling anymore.

That's right folks. Think before you IM someone anonymously and piss them off, because they can have your butt in jail.

You can thank President Bush for signing a prohibition that says you cannot harass anyone online without giving your name. This is his expansion of a previous law that prohibited harassment via the telephone, but instead now, it's to prevent "cyber stalking." Somehow, Congress was convinced to pass this, despite the fact that I, as well as a few others, find the word "annoy" quite vague. How do I know I'm annoying you? If charged with it, you would be fined and can spend up to two years in jail. Better chickaty-check yo' self befo' you wreak yo'self.

Interestingly enough, a similar case in the Supreme Court was made (I lucked out, they both gave me references!) in 1995. In McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commissions, the Court ruled that it was OK to distribute anonymous political pamphlets, on the grounds it defied the First Amendment. So let's see if this one get sent back to be checked out.

w00t.

Hopefully the first of many...

...posts by me that is.

I bet you all heard about this, but in case you haven't, the president has authorized the monitoring of domestic, and furthermore, private conversations in the US. Which means, little Billy, that Uncle Sam is listening to you. Both the President and Vice President justify this action by saying it is imperative to the nation's safety. Be that as it may, we all know that it is in direct violation to out freedom to privacy (that is a Constitutional right, right?). Anyway, basically, the supply side of this argument says that "the president has inherent authority as commander in chief to order wiretaps without warrants and that the N.S.A. operation does not violate either a 1978 law governing intelligence wiretaps or the Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable searches." However, the Justice department is looking into this, as many feel as though this move is illegal.


In the article the reporter reference President Harry Truman's seize of the nation's steel mills for national security. In this case, the Supreme Court ruled against his decision, saying it exceeded his presidential power. But with know one actually knowing if they are being tapped or not, no one can charge him in court.


Don't worry though...it's only a matter of time...*pents fingers*

beating homeless men ?

On January 12, 2006 three teenagers were charged with the murder of 45-year-old Norris Gaynor. Norris was sleeping on a park bench when the teens bashed his head and chest with a baseball bat and shot paintballs at him. This is only one example of the many attacks on the homeless in recent years. The National Coalition for the Homeless has documented 386 attacks on the homeless over the past six years. These attacks include 156 deaths. Of all the attack, 211 of them have been recorded since 2002. Apparently the number of these attacks are growing, not decreasing.

These attacks are similar to the attacks in the 1960s and 1970s. These decades were a time of struggle for gay liberation. More people began to join the gay movement and fight for gay and lesbian rights. When this movement started to become popular there were a number of beatings that occurred against homosexuals or homsexual supporters. A civil war came about in which the two sides: gay advocates and gay opponents. It is even believed that police officers were involved in some of these beatings.

These beatings are very similar. But, there is a big difference if police officers really did join in on the beatings of gay advocates. This shows how much more ignorant people were just decades ago. The fact that the beatings in the 1960s and 1970s were socially acceptable is horrible. At least the country's authority has evolved over the four decades between the two cases of beatings.

Nickelodeon & Kelloggs taken to court by angry parents

Advocacy groups and parents are suing Nickelodeon and Kellogg Co. for their marketing of junk food to children. Most of the food advertised is high-calorie and low-nutrition. Sherri Carlson from Wakefield, MA says this about her children's behavior in supermarkets:

"But then they turn on Nickelodeon and see all those enticing junk-food ads. Adding insult to injury, we enter the grocery store and see our beloved Nick characters plastered on all those junky snacks and cereals."

Sherri, other parents and the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood are suing Kellogg Co. and Nickelodeon's parent Viacom Inc. for their longterm omission towards childrens' health. However, both companies say they have been helping childrens' health. Nickelodeon spokesperson Dan Martinsen said "the kids' cable network has been a leader in helping kids and their families be more active and healthier and has pushed advertisers for more balance in their offerings." Kelloggs said they have been establishing healthy eating habits and encouraging exercise.

A food industry-backed group defended the companies, saying the lawsuit assumes that parents can't turn off televisions, have no control over the food they buy and can't make their kids go outside to play.

The fight of these adults can be compared to adults fighting for child labor laws in the early 20th century. Children were allowed to, and sometimes forced, to work unreasonabley long hours and do dangerous jobs and at very young ages. Once Child Labor Laws were introduced, there was a limit on age and the hours of work.

i thought hershey PA was the only chocolate city

On Monday January 16 the Mayor of New Orleans was giving a Martin Luther King Day speech when he made a contorversial remark. Mayor Ray Nagin urged the citizens of New Orleans to rebuild a "chocolate New Orleans". He also added, "You can't have New Orleans no other way." There is a much larger problem with Nagin's statement than his grammar and many local residents were sure to let him know. Resident Alex Gerhold called Nagin's remarks "stupid" and "pitiful." He made this statement: "He used the wrong dairy product to describe us. We're more Neapolitan, not chocolate. It doesn't do the city any kind of justice." Another resident had a slightly different response to the Mayor's remark. Aisha Johnson said she didn't think the mayor's comments were necessarily inflammatory, just out of line. She simply replied with, "he should have chosen his words more carefully". However other residents were very angry at the mayor and his statement. "You can't reunite a city if your comments are going to divide a city," said resident Ann McKendrick.



The Mayor apologized for his stement Tuesday by making this statement. "I'm really sorry that some people took that they way they did, and that was not my intention. I say everybody's welcome." How did expect the general public to perceive his statement? Or more importantly if "that wasn't my[his] intention' then what was his intention? I can't think of something to compare this event to. Does anyone have any ideas?

Latinos, blacks lag on MCAS

Latinos, blacks lag on MCAS
Black and Hispanic students in the Boston area do not do as well on the MCAS as white students. There is a significant gap that has not been narrowed since 1998. Schools are failing to boost their scores.
In 2005, only about 20 percent of Boston's black and Hispanic fourth-graders scored ''proficient" or above on the English MCAS tests, compared with almost 50 percent of Asian and white students.
According to the ferderal No Child Left Behind law, all students must be proficient in reading and math by the year 2014.

When Africans first started coming to America, they were looked down upon by whites. Most were uneducated and were forced to work as slaves. They were not allowed to go to school. For decades, blacks were considered to be at the bottom of society because they could not read and write. It took many centuries before they were able to attend school and learn to read and write in a classroom. Although they are equal now and get the same education as whites and Asians, it is as though a legacy was left.

Computer Chip Implants?

Computer chips get under skin of enthusiasts

Do you ever forget your passwords for the computer? Do you get annoyed trying to fumble for your keys at the door? A new type of implant is catching on that will eliminate these problems. People are getting computer chips implanted into their hands. Just a wave of your hand will eliminate typing in passwords or opening doors with keys. The chip, which is smaller than a grain of rice, can last up to 100 years. It causes no pain and goes unnoticed. The chip cannot get lost or stolen, and it can be removed from your body.

It seemed like a miracle in 1837 when Charles Babbage was the first to conceptualize and design a fully programmable computer. In the 1930s and 1940s key features such as digital monitoring were added to the computer. Internet access brought about a whole new form of researching information. Things that seemed impossible 200 years ago are continuously developing and making everyday life easier. No one in the ninteenth century expected computers to be invented, nevermind get computer chips implanted into your hand that make typing your password possible with a simple wave.

Computer telephones?

Time to say 'hello' to a computer phone?

A computer phone called Aplio came out several years ago which seemed convenient for long distance calling because a lot of money can be saved. Aplio was an early form of VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol. Constantly developing and becoming more popular, it is predicted that by the end of 2006 over 5 million Americans will be using VolP. VolP is so attractive because it is cheaper than a regular phone line. Normal phones have data spoilage but VolP does not because it only sends the sound packets when someone is actually talking. It is also beneficial for people who run businesses from their homes because you can take it anywhere so it is like always having your home phone with you. A disadvantage which is a concern is using it for emergencies. The 911 system cannot tell where you are calling from.

This discovery relates back to the invention of the telephone. In 1875 Alexander Graham Bell became the first person to be able to transmit voice. The telephone constantly evolved. The manual switchboard quickly changed to a rotary dial which quickly changed into touch tone dialing. Cordless telephones and cell phones also came about. Communication is constantly becoming easier and faster. Messages that would take weeks on horseback now only take a few seconds.

Design vs. Darwinism

In 'Design' vs. Darwinism, Darwin Wins Point in Rome

In Rome, the official Vatican newspaper published an article stating that Darwinism is "correct". The decision was made by a judge in Pennsylvania who said that intelligent design should not be taught as a scientific alternative to evolution.

Fiorenzo Facchini, a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Bologna, had proposed that if the theory of evolution was not sufficient, another should be searched for. Researchers from an organization in Seattle defended evolution. Advocates for intelligent design argue that biological life is so complex that it must have been designed by an intelligent source.

On December 20, a federal district judge in Pennsylvania ruled that public schools could not present intelligent design as an alternative to evolutionary theory.


In the ninteenth century, Charles Darwin first presented the idea of "Darwinism". He emphasized natural selection and survival of the fittest. He published The Origin of Species in which Darwin provided the first cogent mechanism by which evolutionary change could persist. He was unable to explain several critical components of the evolutionary process, but was able to explain the source of variation of traits within a species. The scientific community began to accept Darwin's idea.

Off Toward Pluto

Off Toward Pluto, Spacecraft Gets Quick Start on 9-Year Journey

Today, for the first time, NASA launched a spacecraft on a nine year journey to Pluto, the outside of the solar system. At 2pm a Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Three stages off the booster rocket worked within an hour and the rocket disappeared. The rocket in planned to move at 36,000 miles per hour, making it the fastest ever in history. It is expected to reach Jupiter in 13 months where it will get a speed boost toward Pluto. Once Pluto is reached, studies will be conducted for approximately 5 months. Two of Pluto's recently discovered moons will also but studied. Nearby coments and Pluto-like small plants will be studied to provide information and clues as to how Pluto was formed.

This event relates back to when man first landed on the moon in 1969. That marked the beginning of a whole new age of exploration. Man was able to leave the earth to study other bodies in the atmosphere. New technology was and is still constantly developing that enables us to learn more about what else is out there. Rather than observing from telescopes, we are able to get a closer and more accurate depiction of the planets, moons, stars and whatever else may be found in the universe.

Social Security

President Bush’s white house effort to promote a Social Security reform was unsuccessful. It has been projected that by the year 2041 social security will no longer be able to reach its financial obligations. Although some cuts have been made to Medicare, its prescription-drug benefit still has heavy costs.

The nub of the challenge is the confluence of three long-term trends: People
are living longer, healthcare costs keep rising, and government has promised to
pay much of the tab for retirees. Prescription-drug coverage is the latest
example of promises rising faster than funding.

The current value of the government’s “fiscal imbalance” is estimated to be around $65 trillion dollars. In order to pay for this, social security and Medicare taxes deducted from paychecks would have to be doubled.


After the colonists had fought the British and established the United States of America, the nation faced its first financial challenge. A young Alexander Hamilton wsa appointed the nation's first Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton devised a financial plan to help the nation's financial situation. He recommended that all federal debt be taken at face value, and that the federal government take over all state debt from the revolution. Hamilton proposed a tax on liquor to aid in raising revenue to cover the national debts. The formation of a national bank and a national mint was also recommended. In Hamilton's Report on Manufacturers he called for a government program aiding and encouraging the development of manufacturers.

Pariah Nations

The Christian Science Monitor reports that Iran recently announced its intention to resume research for nuclear fueling. North Korea also warned that it would continue nuclear proliferation talks because United States actions in this year and the last have been influenced by the world’s pariah nations. These rogue nations may be more inclined to stand up to international pressure and “taunt the global community with more outlandish acts and statements” because of China’s rise as a global power. Iran’s new leader President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attacked Israel’s right to exist and depicted the Holocaust as a fairytale while North Korean leader Pyongyang warned the U.S about financial sanctions imposed and is also building a nuclear arsenal.


The United States faced tensions with nations about nuclear weapons in the past. The United States funded an invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs to overthrow the communist government under Fidel Castro. The Soviet Union and the United States were in the Cold War. Neither attacked each with nuclear weapons for fear of mutual assured destruction. In 1962, President Kennedy was informed that the Soviet Union had deployed nuclear missiles into Cuba. The Soviet leader had deployed missiles to prove the importance of the Soviet Cuban alliance and to protect the island from a second American invasion. This came to be known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. Eventuallhy, the Soviet Union agreed to dismantle the weapons it had deployed to Cuba.

my last post of the term!

Recently, the New York Times posted a story about a variant gene that leads to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. The gene has been found in Americans, Icelanders, and Danish populations. The long term hope for this discovery is a diagnostics test. The test would find those who carry the variant gene, and tell them of their excessive risk, giving those at risk a better chance to stay fit and healthy. This is an inhereted trait, which is why it makes the variant gene problem so dangerous. About 7% of the population carry one copy of the gene, and they are at a 141% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Currently 20.8 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes, 95% of those with Type 2 diabetes. It poses a great health risk especially to overweight, Latinos, African-Americans, Native American-Indians, and Asian-Americans.
Diabetes has been recognized and treated since the Middle Ages, but the first insulin treatments were used in the 1920's. The first realizations that Diabetes was linked to the pancreas were made in 1889, by European Scientists Joseph Von Mering and Oskar Minkowski. They removed the pancreas' of dogs, and saw results identical to that of humans who had Diabetes. From there several scientists helped create man made insulin, the hormone produced by the pancreas. The majority of research in the 1900's took place in the University of Toronto. Recently, more and more discoverys have been made, and Diabetes is a disease that can be treated through daily insulin injections, or other forms of insulin treatment.

SWAT Team Shoots 'Armed' Fla. 8th-Grader.

According to The Washington Post, an eighth-grader was shot and wounded by a SWAT team officer in a school bathroom Friday after he pulled out a pellet gun. Sheriff Don Eslinger said the 15-year-old boy brought the gun to Milwee Middle School in his backpack. The alleged gunman, Christopher David Penley, locked a classmate in a closet, gallavanted around campus with the weapon, eventually leading police into the bathroom. Eslinger said negotiators tried unsuccessfully to negotiate the boy, and when Penley raised the gun at a deputy, he shot the youth. No one else was injured. The weapon was later identified as a pellet gun fashioned to look like a 9mm handgun. Penley is now brain dead, but on life support so his organs can be harvested and donated.

Police brutality or self defense? There have been arguments for both sides on the news. Some say that the officers should have known that it was a pellet gun, and others argue that when a weapon is pointed at you, you do everything in your power to defend yourself.

A famous case of police brutality in the U.S. was the case of Glen "Rodney" King. King was an African-American motorist who, while being videotaped by a bystander. was forcibly subdued and arrested by the LAPD during a police traffic stop on March 3, 1991. He refused arrest, much like Penley did. In King's case, however, he was not shot. The police instead tried to subdue him with 50,000 volt tasers. When he tried to fight back, he was severly beaten with police batons. King survived the ordeal, but this occurence helped open the eyes of many to police brutality.

In both cases, there are those that argue that the extent of the force used by police was necessary, while the opposition says that it was excessive and unneeded.

Flu Virus Resistant to 2 Drugs.

According the The Washington Post, treating the flu this winter may prove to be much more difficult than it has in the past. A whopping 91 percent of virus samples tested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have proved to be resistant to rimantadine and amantadine. The strain of the virus has built up high levels of resistance to these two antiviral drugs commonly used to fight influenza. CDC officials called a Saturday news conference to announce that the predominant strain this season, the type A H3N2 influenza strain, was resistant to the older drugs, to warn the public. The CDC is trying to come up with newer drugs to defeat the strain, and hoping to use the older drugs to battle weaker forms of the flu.

Does anybody else sense an epidemic erupting pretty soon?

I know that at the moment the flu isn't even borderline deadly, but I can't help but recall the outbreaks of sickness and disease in American history which had no cure. A disease that ravaged USA beginning in the early 80's, and has continued to kill, is AIDS. Most researchers believe that HIV originated in the sub-Saharan Africa, during the twentieth century. It is now a global epidemic. The World Health Organization estimates that AIDS has killed more than 25 million people in the US since it was first recognized in 1981, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. AIDS has proven to be resistant to all types and forms of drugs developed over the years to battle it.

I want to party with these guys...

On July 19, 1846, somewhere in Wyoming, a group of emigrants traveling by wagon train, formed the Donner Party. This group became prominent in history after they had to resort to cannibalism to survive. But, on January 12, 2006, a team of researchers, led by Kelly Dixon and Julie Schablitsky, reveiled proof that the Donner family itself did not resort to cannibalism, only other families in the party. The Donner family had, in fact, fallen behind the group due to a broken axle. The family did however have to take extreme measures, even having to eat Uno, the family's pet dog. Descendents of the Donner family are relieved to find that their ancestors did not have to eat people.


The Donner Party was eventually rescued by four Californian rescue groups. Of the original 87 pioneers, 41 died and 46 survived.

The visit from German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House tomorrow is said to be the first step towards warming up chilly U.S.-German relations. Merkel is expected to get along well with Bush- she leans towards the right and, being from former East Germany, she is all about freedom. Possibly on the agenda for her meeting with G.W. is Iran and its nuclear programs-both Merkel and Bush disapprove of it and may even bring it in front of the UN. However, German officials say it is too early for such a step to be taken. This visit is an oppurtunity for Merkel to demonstrate the receding tensions about the War in Iraq by announcing the training of Germans to be Iraqi police.

However, nicer relations between the United States and Germany does not equal a reverse of the position of transatlantic relations. Charles Kupchan, a transatlantic scholar and college professor, says, "The climate has dramatically improved, but below the surface the rift remains alive and well. The trend lines continue to be those of fragmentation and disillusion."

Kupchan also states that:

"...the Iraq war is the dividing line - when Germany changed from being a country that followed Washington's leadership "as a matter of course," to instead becoming a European leader increasingly independent of Washington that seeks "to rebuild relations on new terms."

The U.S. and Germany agree on the spreading of democracy, economic development, and fighting AIDS, but have conflicting views on Iraq, the International Criminal Court, climate change, and the US policy on the treatment of prisoners in the War on Terror. German officials say that the Abu Ghraib scandel was the downfall of the image of the United States.

No matter what, Chancellor Merkel has reason to appreciate the U.S. and its role in the world.

"Without US support for [German] reunification, a woman from the east could not be leading Germany today and meeting the American president"

On January 2, 2006, twelve West Virginian miners found themselves trapped in the Sago Mine in West Virginia. Eleven of the twelve men perished of carbon monoxide poisoning. The twelfth man, Randal McCloy, remains in a coma at the West Virginia University Hospitals. There is much dispute among officials as to whether or not the mining operation was safe enough to be working on. There is also dispute as to whether or not the miners had even been able to make an attempt at abandoning the mines, officials await McCloy's story. There had been another team working in the mine that day of which six miners emerged, a team Ray McKinney, administrator for coal mine safety and health, said contained only six men, but of which four of the six originally contained thirteen.


On December 6, 1907, in Monogah, West Virginia, the worst mining disaster in American History occured. 362 men and boys, out of a total of 380 miners on shift that day, were killed in an underground explosion. The accident caused an increased awareness of the troubles facing mine operators. Lookie Here.

According to an article in the Washington Post today, the internet powerhouse Yahoo Inc. is in deep trouble for displaying Nazi memorobalia for sale in violation of French law. A federal appeals court on Thursday avoided answering whether Yahoo Inc. must pay a fine of about $15 million to a Paris court. Yahoo asked the U.S. court to rule that the judgment could not be collected in the United States because it violated the company's free speech rights. Yahoo was trying to challenge the fine levied five years ago for running an auction site in which French users could buy and sell the memorabilia banned in France. The court left open the central question of whether U.S.-based Internet service providers are liable for damages for displaying content that is unlawful overseas. The court strongly doubted Yahoo's free speech rights under U.S. law were violated, however.

In the United States, freedom of speech is protected by the First Amendement to the United States Constitution.The original text of the Constitution generated some opposition because it didn't include adequate guarantees of civil liberties. In response, the First Amendment, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights, was proposed by Congress in 1789. It included freedom of speech, press, religion, etc. It was ratified on December 15, 1791. The first case to show strong opposition to the first amendment was the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. Under the Sedition Act, anyone opposing or resisting any law of the United States could be imprisoned for up to two years. It was also illegal to "write, print, utter, or publish" anything critical of the president or Congress. Jeffersonians denounced the Sedition Act as a violation of the First Amendment, which granted the right of free speech.

Now when I say, "hello Mr. Thompson", you respond with "hello"

Well if you didn't figure it out, that's a Simpsons reference, which is from an episode about the witness protection program. Now, the Massachusetts House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill yesterday to create a statewide witness protection program, and also to strengthen gun laws in an effort to end the violence that has erupted in the streets of Boston and other surrounding cities. The legislation, which passed 151 votes to 2 votes, would provide $750,000 a year to shield witnesses from intimidation, as they offer their testimony to grand juries or at criminal trials. Prosecutors can also petition a new Witness Protection Board to get witnesses into the program. The program offers witnesses: armed police escorts, surveillance, relocation, and ''reasonable" housing and living expenses. The passage by the House yesterday more or less assures that the bill will become a law in the coming weeks. The law was basically made because Boston's homicide rate reached a 10-year high in 2005, while the clearance rate, or the percentage of homicides for which a suspect is identified or arrested, has plummeted. Prosecutors and police have said they have struggled to persuade witnesses to come forward. Many people refuse out of fear of retribution to come forward, or because of the so-called "code of the street", which discourages sharing information with authorities. Alot of people are also afriad to come forward because of the recent popularity of "Stop Snitching" shirts, which are now banned in the courtroom. After the passing of the law, Phyllis Lopes of New Bedford stated, ''I'm overwhelmed, I'm emotional, I'm words you can't even find in Webster's Dictionary, that's how I feel,". Lopes became an activist against witness intimidation after her grandson was gunned down more than a year ago, and is quite happy for this law to finally happen.

In the U.S., the Witness Protection Program (also known as WITSEC) is established by the Witness Protection Act, which in turn sets out the manner in which the U.S. Attorney General may provide for the relocation and protection of a witness or potential witness of the federal or state government in an official proceeding concerning organized crime or other serious offences. The Witness Protection Program was founded in the late 1960s by Gerald Shur, when he was in the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section of the U.S. Department of Justice. Most witnesses in the program are protected by the U.S. Marshals Service, while protection of incarcerated witnesses is the duty of the Federal Bureau of Prisons

Should DNA Results Lead to New Trials???

When Carolyn Muncey's body was found in the woods near her home in rural Union County, Tennesse, it didn't take long before law enforcement found a suspect in her murder. Paul House, who had a prior conviction for aggravated sexual assault in the area, was that suspect. Of course, most people thought that he did the crime, and prosecutors even later told the jury at his murder trial that investigators found his semen on Mrs. Muncey's clothing. House was convicted of murder charges, and sent to death row to await his execution. There was just one problem with this case.....the semen belonged to the victim's husband, whom defense lawyers say is the true murderer. Now, it has been 20 years since his murder conviction, and House's case arrives Wednesday at the U.S. Supreme Court. There, the justices are being asked to decide how federal courts should weigh scientific evidence, such as DNA test results, when considering whether to grant a convict a new appeal, even after all allowable appeals have been exhausted. The Howard vs. Bell case is important, because it marks the first time the justices have agreed to examine a case involving post-conviction appeals based on DNA testing. This technology has proved very efficient and reliable in identifying innocent defendants who have been convicted and imprisoned. But, many say that technology may be not used in many cases, unless of course, the high court fully recognizes the value of science-based evidence, even long after the crime has taken place and all of the defense's appeals have been expired. Peter Neufeld, a co-founder of the Innocence Program stated that, "What we have learned at the Innocence Project is that DNA evidence 10, 20, 30 years later turns out to be much more reliable than eyewitness testimony and more reliable than confessions that are often false." Since 1989, the Innocence Project has used DNA testing to win 172 exonerations, 14 of these exonerations being on death row. It will be very interesting what the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on this decision.

The Innocence Project refers to a number of non-profit legal clinics in the United States. The most well known is based at Yeshiva University. It directly serves only defendants who can conclusively be proven innocent by genetic fingerprinting of evidence done after their convictions. The clinic was founded in 1992 by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld. In addition to services to individual defendants, it performs research and advocacy related to the incidence and causes of wrongful convictions. Almost all of these convictions involved in the program included some form of sexual assualt and approximately 25% involved murder.

Come With Me If You Want To Live!!!

Early yesterday, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed a $125.6 billion election-year budget that would be much different from recent years, and would increase spending on education, health, prisons, and public works, without raising taxes. The plan also includes a multiyear, $222 billion program to build highways, transit systems, waterworks, classrooms, and prison cells, using state and federal money, as well as $68 billion in new state bonds. The borrowing of this money would require approval by voters and the California Legislature. This is the third budget Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is a Republican, has proposed since winning office in the recall election of 2003. Of course, steady growth in the state economy in the past year is allowing the governor to promote new spending for education, social services, and 'long-neglected' infrastructure projectsm, while the "Governator" starts his re-election campaign. This budget would increase general fund spending by $7.7 billion, moving it up to $91.5 billion, which is a jump of 8.4 percent from this year. It also includes $4.3 billion in additional spending on K-12 education and community colleges, and a $2 billion increase for highway projects. The spending money for these things eliminates the planned increases in tuition for thousands of students that attend the University of California and California State University. The Governor would also like the state to allow him to have the power to make budget corrections if necessary. He said, "At a minimum we should restore the authority governors had until 1983, to make budget corrections before they get out of control." Schwarzenegger is currently starting his re-election campaign, and most analysts believe he already has momentum going into the race, and this proposed plan and ideas might further help his chances.
The highest executive authority in the state government of the United States is the Governor of Califronia, whose responsibilities include making yearly "State of the State" addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced. Relating to history, The office of "Governor of California" was created in 1850, after California became a formal state in the American Union. Previously, there had been American military governors of the Californian territory, a President of the short-lived California Republic, and numerous Mexican governors, from when California was part of that country. Of course, California became a state, and remians that way today, led by their governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Why should US courts follow Foreign Law?? Mike actually wrote a blog?!?!?

It was reported that President Bush's nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr., believes that American judges do not have to follow the guidlines of other countries in the court room. Frankly, he believes that it would be unconstitutional to interpret our Constitution based on "a poll of the countries in the world." His argument stems from the Supreme Court ruling on March 1st, where the execution of murderers under the age of 18 at the time of their crime was outlawed. This is the opinion of many nations, especially when it is about executing young people. Judge Alito believes that we would be encountered with a host of problems because we would have to look at what countries we would be observing first. But, then you have to decide what to make of the foreign court decisions because not all courts are set up the same way. The 9 Rebublicans in the Supreme Court panel have unanimously chosen to give their votes to Alito, but the Democrats are questioning his ideals sharply. It would be hard for him not to become judge though, seeing as the Republicans own 55 of the Senate's 100 seats.

Turning to related events in history, a young Samuel Alito once before disagreed with a Supreme Court ruling: as a lawyer in the Reagan administration. Alito disagreed with the Court's 1973 decision in the Roe vs. Wade case , which established a woman's right to choose abortion, and discussed ways that it might be overturned. This is the best comparison I could come up with, but if anyone has something to add, please do so.

Iraq War Costs Could Top $2 Trillion Before Its Over

A new study by Columbia University economist Joseph E. Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize Winner in economics in the year 2001, and a Harvard lecturer, Linda Bilmes, both conclude that the total costs of the Iraq war could top the $2 trillion mark. Reuters reports this number, which is far above the U.S.'s "pre-war projections". This predicted number takes into account the long term healthcare costs for the 16,000 U.S. soldiers who have been injured or wounded in the war in Iraq thus far. This figure is based on the projection that U.S. troops will remain in Iraq until 2010, with steadily decreasing numbers each year. Government data was also used from past wars, and included such costs as the rise in the price of oil, a larger U.S. deficit, and a greater level of insecurity caused by the war, and the increased costs of recruiting to replenish a military drained by time spent in the Iraq War, in which most losses occured due to deaths and injuries. Before the start of the war, Mitch Daniels, the White House budget director, had said that the war would be very affordable, and said that the idea of other officials, that the war would cost between $100 billion and $200 billion was a "very, very high" number. All of these selections by the new reasearchers are very, very rarely used by the United States officials to determine the price of a war. From this difference, these two economists, Stiglitz and Bilmes, have a very different final price for the war. Of course, Stiglitz has been known as an opposer to the war in Iraq, so his predictions might be a little exaggerated, and will most likely be ignored by the people.
In the history of the United States, the War in Iraq, part of the War Against Terrorism, is one the most expenisve and costly wars. If the War in Iraq is to reach the mark of $2 trillion, it would push the Korean War into the spot for 2nd-most expensive war in American history. The Korean War cost a total of $361 billion, and occured from June 25, 1950, until cease-fire on July 27, 1953. The war involved both North Korea and South Korea, and involved the U.S. fighting with South Korea, against the Communist North Koreans. Hopefully for the U.S.'s sake, the War in Iraq will not come close to $2 trillion.

Jury duty for everyone....even the President!!

For most American citizens, jury duty is a pretty common thing. Only a few professions are allowed to skip jury duty, such as teachers, firefighters, and doctors. However, the President of the United States of America is not excused from the practice. While you think most Presidents would have a problem with this, George W. Bush said he doesn't mind.
Bush was summoned to duty in December in McLennan County, Texas, where his ranch is located. Bush, a.k.a. Juror No. 286, couldn't make it to the court that day because he was a little bit too busy, being the President and all. But Bush feels that jury duty is an impotant responsibilty, and has decided to reschedule a day to serve in the near future. The local judge has given Bush some slack, and the President can choose from several different approaching dates. The first of these oppurtunities is on January 30. Before Bush can attend jury duty, the proper security must be attained, to insure the President's safety in the small courtroom. This is not the first time Bush has served jury duty however, but the last time he served, he of course wasn't such a high-priority figure. At the time, in 1996, Bush was the governor of Texas, and served at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin. Bush truly doesn;t mind serving jury duty, and will probably be seen in the court in the coming months.
Relating to American history, the closest President to ever serve jury duty, besides George W. Bush, was Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan was summoned during the 1980s in his home state of California, by the Santa Barbara County, California. Of course, Reagan did not serve the jury duty at the time, and was granted a deferment until he was out of office for a few years. Hopefully, George W. Bush will keep his word, and serve jury duty during his term.

ABORTION

In the washington post, there was an article about Samuel Alito's senate hearings. The main questions which were asked dealt with his views on abortion 20 years ago. In 1985, Alito made a statement saying that the constitution does not protect a right to an abortion. Now, he says that he agrees the constitution prtects the privacy of the person. Also, since abortion was legalized as a result of the Roe vs. Wade trial, he believes it should remain legalized. This is called stare decisis, which means standing by something that is already decided. Pro- abortionists, are opposed to Alito becoming supreme court justice because they feel he could be the swing vote that outlaws abortion.

The most famous and controversial abortion cases to reach the supreme court was the Roe vs. Wade trial. The final decision from this trial was that most laws against abortion violate the constitutional right to privacy. Therrefore, states could not make their own laws that say abortion is illegal. This decision divided the counrty in pro-choice and pro-life. The case was reoppened in 1992 as Planned Parenthood vs. Casey. The outcome of this trial was the same as before. A woman's decision to have an abortion is protected by the constitution.

Rebuilding New Orleans

Today the New York Times published that according to members of the mayor's building commission, residents of New Orleans are recomended to return to New Orleans and rebuild anywhere they want, no matter how trashed or vulnerable the area is. This will be released on Wednesday.

Homeowners are discouraged from returning to regions that were hit the hardest , but if they really want to, no one is going to stop them. The state commission is in favor of plans that emphasize safety and conservation. Mortgages will only be given to those who guarantee staying for longer than a year, and a light rail system and establishing New Orleans as the world center of neuroscience research are some ideas that will hopefully stimulate the city's culture and economy.

However, the fact is not all of the neighborhoods will be rebuilt. The Rand Corporation estimated that in three years the city's population will be the maximum of 275,000, over 40% less from the pre-hurricane population of 465,000.

The decision of where to rebuild is a tricky one- the most devastated and vulnerable areas were in the predominately black eastern half of the city, and the wrong decision could intensify racial conflict.

The main author of the plan, Joseph C. Canizaro, said:

"Unfortunately, a lot of poor African-Americans had everything they own destroyed here...So we have to be careful about dictating what's going to happen, especially me as a white man. What's important is we give people an opportunity to determine their future, as best we can."

There will also be a new flood control system, promised by the Bush administration. However, Michael M. Liffman, the associate executive director of the Louisiana Sea Grant College at Louisiana State University, said:

"There are parts of New Orleans that are not fit for human habitation, they never were and never will be. But these are as much social calls as they are scientific ones."

The rebuilding of New Orleans can be compared to the reconstruction of the south after the Civil War. The reconstruction was a period when the Confederate soutern states were brought back into the Union. After the Civil War, the south was defeated, livestock was killed, slaves were free and plantations and industries were ruins. Plantation owners had to sell portions of their land, which led to sharecropping. The south was divided into 5 military districts and all of the states were readmitted int ot he Union by 1870. Freed slaves were treated as second-class citizens and would not gain their true rights until the Civil Rights movement in tehe next centurty.

tragedy in mines

Wednesday morning in Tallmansville, West Virginia, the families of the twelve trapped miners were informed that despite the rumors, only one of the men had survived the accident. The twelve miners were trapped in the Sago Mine 260 feet below the ground surface due to an explosion early Monday. Families had been given “miscommunicated” information when one family received a phone call saying the workers had found twelve3 bodies and were being checked for vital signs. Word leaked that all of the men were alive, causing for celebration. Three hours later, the miracle the crowd thought had occurred was crushed when only one of the miners, twenty-seven-year-old Randal McCloy, made it from the mine alive. Inside the mine, the men had put up sheets used to block the poisonous carbon monoxide from reaching them, as well as individual clothes to cover their mouths. Time, however, was their killer. The air in the mine was found to contain a high concentration of carbon monoxide, which is lethal in large doses. Today, the people are struggling to focus on the survival of the one miner.

On November 20, 1968, another mining accident occurred in West Virginia at the Consol No. 9 mine. Early that morning an explosion sparked a raging fire that tore through the cave. The origin of the explosion was never determined, but several safety precautions, seemed to have been omitted that day providing logical explanations for the event. Only twenty-one of the miners were able to escape the mine, leaving seventy-eight of the remaining workers missing. In order to extinguish the fire, all entrances to the mine were closed and the search was ceased. Similar to the current mining accident in the Sago mines, workers received high readings of underground gases, such as carbon monoxide, that prevented the trapped miners from surviving. With the tragic loss of the eleven miners this week, memories of past mining accidents of West Virginia loom in the air.

Like Father, Like Son

In December 2005, Mitt Romney released his decision to the press that he will not run for a second term as governor of Massachusetts. Elected in 2002, Romney has accomplished most of the goals he had set for the Atlantic state. He successfully closed a $3 billion budget deficit, continued high scores in national tests throughout public schools, and is close to an overhaul of health insurance in Massachusetts. Recently, Romney has begun to distance himself from the New England stat and its natives' beliefs, which is necessary of a presidential candidate. With a strong resume behind him, if Romney should run for the Republican candidate, he must battle others including Senator John McCain of Arizona and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

My grandmother would comment on this dramatic irony with the expression "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree". In 1968, Governor George W. Romney of Michigan, yes another George W. Senior, ran for the Republican nomination. Mitt Romney's father, however, lost to he favorable Richard Nixon and would later become the Housing and Urban Development Secretary under his competitor. As the decline of a second term hints, there seems a promising possibility of a second Romney running for the Republican nomination in the near future of the 2008 presidential election.

i owe a few

Today the New York Times published an article about Jack Abramoff, a Repbulican lobbyist, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy, fraud, and tax evasion. It is believed he tried to influence at least one member of congress, as well as offered government officals very expensive gifts in a ploy for their support. He became a millionare after representing the casino Indians, and through other work with Northern Marianas Islands. He funneled much of his earnings to friends campaigns, and payed for expensive vacations for government officals, republicans only of course. His tax return was also filled with illegal documents and he was charged with tax evasion. In response to his charges Mr. Abranoff released this statement.

Words will not be able to ever express how sorry I am for this, and I have profound regret and sorrow for the multitude of mistakes and harm I have caused," he said. "All of my remaining days, I will feel tremendous sadness and regret for my conduct and for what I have done. I only hope that I can merit forgiveness from the Almighty and from those I have wronged or caused to suffer. I will work hard to earn that redemption.

After discussing the matter for a few minutes with my father, he gave me the name of Martha Stewart. Though not a "historical" event, this conspiracy will definetley be in text books in years to come. She was charged guilty for lying to the government. She lied in an attempt to cover up her insider trading tips that her 3,928 shares of the company Enron would soon be worth nothing. The secret information was shared by Martha, Kenneth Lay, and other top Enron advisers and shareholders. Both stories share conspiracy, fraud, and illegal money.