Judge rules enough evidence to hold officer on murder charge

Oscar Grant III was shot and killed by Johannes Mehserle on New Year's Day. Mehserle was a transit officer at in Oakland, California. He resigned a few days after the incident was found on the internet. A rainy phone video was taken by a witness of the event. One officer was kneeling on Grant, holding him down, while Mehserle is seen taking out his gun and shooting Grant in the back, killing him. Some say that Mehserle meant to grab for his Taser not his gun, but none will ever know for sure what was really going on. Mehserle was released on $3 million bail, which upset many people and fueled more demonstrations. The Grant family is filing a $50 million wrongful death suit against Mehserle.

I am a little surprised that I do not remember this happening on New Year's. I do not think I ever heard of this incident. I do not understand it either. I do not know if I should believe that Mehserle was reaching for his Taser instead of his gun and "accidently" picked the wrong one. Or if I Should believe that he meant to grab his gun and shoot Grant. It's a very tricky subject to discuss. Maybe Mehserle did accidently grab his gun, but would that change things? Probably not. Grant is still dead. His family will still mourne his death. Nothing can bring him back. I do think that it is good that the Grant family is filing a suit against Mehserle. I do not believe that someone should have died over a small transit fight. Especially shot by police, the people that are supposed to protect and serve. Not shoot from behind and kill.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/04/bart.transit.officer.murder.charge/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Wal-Mart: We're hiring 22,000

Need a job? Walmart is hiring this year. They are reportedly going to open 142 to 157 new or expanded stores in the United States in 2009. States with new or expanded stores opening that will be hiring new workers include, Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia. The new or expanded stores opening this year is fewer than the number of stores that were opened in 2008, but the company is not specifying that exact number from the previous year. Walmart hired 33,000 people last year, this years projected number is less by almost 11,000 people at 22,000 new jobs that will be needed to be filled this year. These jobs include cashiers and sales associates, as well as pharmacists, human resource managers and customer service associates. They are also going to fill their business units. This information came out before the May report on national employment. The national unemployment rate has risen to a 25-year high to %9.2.

I think that it this is great. It does not really make a huge dent in the unemployment numbers but it will at least get 22,000 people a job that did not have one before. The economy is terrible so any way that people can get it moving again is always good! I cannot believe that the nation unemployment rate is so high now. A 25-year high of %9.2! That is just crazy. We should really get on that and do something about that so nothing like the Great Depression happens again. It is good that at least one company does not need the help of the Government to stay on its feet, too. For example, all of the insurance and car companies that needed/wanted a bailout to keep them going. As well as those car companies that filled for Bankruptcy. At least someone is still on their feet.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/04/news/companies/walmart_jobs/index.htm?eref=rss_topstories

Ex-soldier apologizes to Iraqi family for raping, killing

Ex-solider, Steven Green, apologized to the family he hurt while a soldier in Iraq. He had raped a 14-year-old girl and killed her, killed her parents and 6-year-old brother while in Iraq. He was discharged from the army as soon as the crimes surfaced, so he was charged in a civilian court in Kentucky. The jury could not unanimously decide on the death penalty so as law states the judge charged him with life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Iraq family members of the family the Green killed did not accept his apology. They refused. Green said, "you wish I was dead, and I do not hold that against you. If I was in your place, I am convinced beyond any doubt that I would feel the same way. I know that I have done evil, and I fear that the wrath of the Lord will come upon me on that day. But, I hope that you and your family at least can find some comfort in God's justice." Green was one of the five soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division that has been charged with crimes and a subsequent cover-up.

I think that this is disgusting. I completely agree with Amanda on this one. The family should not have accepted his apology. There is absolutely nothing that he can do to make them forgive him, especially not just by saying he's sorry. Yes, he can not really do anything to make the family members come back and to take away his actions, but they should not have to accept his apology for that. He brutally murdered an entire family! That is just something I do not understand, how can people do those types of things? I supposed that the war got to him and made him crazy, but who knows? I'm not going to make up excuses for him. He definitely does not deserve it, that is for sure. I believe that he got the sentence he deserved. Two wrongs does not make a right, like Amanda said. Just because he killed that family does not mean that he should be killed as well. What good does that do? He will have never learned from his mistakes and will just be gone. No good will have been done. He deserves to sit in prison for the rest of his life and to think about all the terrible things he has brought onto that poor family.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/05/28/kentucky.iraq.murder/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

4 teens charged as adults in locker room sexual assault case

Randall John Moye, 14; Raymond A. Price-Murray, 14; Lee Louis Myers, 14; and Diamante J. Roberts, 15 have all been charged with four counts each of sexual battery. They have allegedly been sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy with broomsticks and a hockey stick for two months. All four are being charged as adults. Prosecutor Kimberly Hindman stated that two of the boys held down the victim while the other two violently sodomized him with hockey stick and broomsticks. There were multiple witnesses to these crimes as they were being committed but no one reported them, including the victim. The investigation started with a fight that started on the football field and continued into the locker room. During this fight the victim screamed, "I'm tired of them getting on me," Hindman said. All four of the defendants admitted to the crimes in a written statement. The bond for each defendant was set at $15,000, also all but one of them have to wear ankle monitors, the one that does not, has left the area. The defendants could spend up to 120 years in prison if convicted on all four counts.

This makes me sick to my stomach. Reading about this, I almost became ill. How could these boys do this to that 13-year-old victim and no one reports it? It was stated that MULTIPLE people witnessed the crimes in process and no one ever said anything. How can you stand by and watch something like that, with the victim screaming for them to stop, and not try and help? I just can not believe that people could just walk past it and not say anything! It's amazing to me. How can you be so cruel as to not help this poor kid out? He's being raped and harassed and abused and you just walk by and do not try to stop it? I just can not believe people could do that. I hope that these boys are convicted. They do not deserve to go free in anyway. They should definitely go to jail for what they did. It is horrific. It really makes me sick to my stomach. How can people be so cruel and messed up in the head to think that that is okay to do to someone? Those four boys do deserve to go to jail for that 120 years. They do not deserve to have a life after what they did to that poor young boys. He is going to be haunted for the rest of his life because of those four, he will never forget what they did to them. They should never have to forget what they did. I hope it haunts them for the rest of their lives. They do not deserve to be free.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/04/florida.sexual.assault/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Tyson's daughter dies after accident, police say

Heavy weight champion Mike Tyson's 4-year-old daughter was pronounced dead at 11:45 a.m. local time Tuesday. She was on life support before she passed and was in critical condition. Her older brother had found her the day earlier strangled with one of the cords on the families treadmill in their Phoenix home in Arizona. The boy called his mother and she untangled her and tried to perform CPR while calling 911 but by the time the emergency workers arrived she already needed to be on life support. After an investigation, it was found that this was just a terrible accident that happened while she was supposedly playing on the treadmill like it was on.

I believe that this is a terrible accident. The article said that about 1,000 children under the age of 14 die of unintentional strangulation each year. This is an alarming number. I did not know that this many children die each year from this. The article also said that 88 percent of the children are under the age of 4. This is just terrible to think about. It is a shame that we can child proof and child proof our homes, but it is still not enough sometimes. It is terrbile that some children are killed by the very things that they live with everyday. I cannot even begin to think of how the Tyson is feeling, or what they are going through. I feel terrible for them and anyone else who has lost their children for any reason. I cannot believe that this happened.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/26/arizona.tyson.daughter/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Saudi judge: It's OK to slap spendthrift wives

Recently, Judge Hamad Al-Razine, from Saudi Arabia, stated, "if a person gives SR 1,200 [$320] to his wife and she spends 900 riyals [$240] to purchase an abaya [the black cover that women in Saudi Arabia must wear] from a brand shop and if her husband slaps her on the face as a reaction to her action, she deserves that punishment." The women in the court house heard this and were outraged. They were shocked to hear this from a judge. Arab News said that Al-Razine was trying to state the reason for domestic violence in Saudi Arabia. He said that women and men shared their responsibilities, but added that "nobody puts even a fraction of blame" on women, Arab News said. Al-Razine "also pointed out that women's indecent behavior and use of offensive words against their husbands were some of the reasons for domestic violence in the country," it added. Saudi women's rights activist Wajeha Al-Huwaider told CNN, "This is how men in Saudi Arabia see women. It's not something they read in a book or learned from a friend. They've been raised to see women this way, that they're less than a person."

I believe that this Judge said some things that were very ignorant. I think that these men have been brought up to see women as someone that is not a person. I cannot believe that countries still have these beliefs. I do not understand this custom because I was not brought up in this way. I do not understand how someone can even believe this. I know how you are brought up, is how you are going to act when you do grow up, but I still do not undersatnd. How can you look at someone that is just a different gender than you and believe that you are better than them, just because of that difference between you? Sexist beliefs that this should not be practiced, I believe. It is just something that I feel is completely wrong. You cannot be better than someone else just because you may be a different gender. I feel that this judge was completely out of line when he made this comment and ruling. I thought that if you were a judge you were supposed to have an unbiased opinion and that you were just supposed to rule on justice and what is right and wrong. It seems to me that this judge had already made up his mind on who he was going to side with before he even started this case. I think it is wrong that this judge made such a sexist comment, and that he should not have made his ruling on his opinions but on justice instead.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/05/10/saudi.court.wife.slapping/index.html?eref=rss_mostpopular

Polar bear attacks woman at Berlin Zoo

Police say that on Friday, a woman jumped over a fence and into the water habitat of the polar bears at the Berlin Zoo. She jumped into their water during feeding time. The polar bears proceeded to attack her. Biting her and hitting her. The zookeepers then threw out life perservers and rescue rings into the water to try and get her out. They also used the rescue rings to distract the other polar bears while they tried to hoist her out of the water. At one point they had her but she ended up falling back into the water and grabbed by another bear. The zookeepers did eventually get her out of the habitat to safety. She is now being treated at a nearby hospital with severe injuries. No one knows why she went into the polar bear habitat, but the police did issue her with a trespassing citation.



I believe that she woman must not have known what she was really doing. Especially since she went into the habitat during feeding time. I mean really, why would you want to go into a polar bear habitat at all? Yes, they are cute and fluffy from behind the fence, but once you are inside the fenced in area, they can be killers. I honestly do not understand why someone would want to go into a polar bear habitat, other than if you were a trained professional who was feeding them or something. Even then I do not understand why you would want to go in there. I am glad that the zookeepers managed to get her out of the water and save her life. That is an amazing thing that they did. I just do not understand how or why this woman decided to go into the habitat. It really does not make any sense what so ever to me. It is basically common sense that you do not, under any circumstances, go into the cage. The only way I could see that she got into the cage would be falling in by accident. But that is why they have all of the fencing and barriers they do at zoos. So people don't fall in by accident. It is a very good thing that this woman is safe from the polar bears and I do hope that she makes a full recovery.


http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/04/11/polar.bear.attack/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Residents race to fill sandbags as flooding threatens North Dakota

The Red River Valley area in North Dakota and Minnesota is experiencing some of the worst weather lately. They are experiencing some very bad flooding because of all of the rain they have recieved lately. The Red River as of Monday was supposed to crest at about 40 ft during the weekend. Flood stage starts at 17 ft. The River continues to rise as they keep getting the worst types of weather when in flood stages. They need more than 1 million sandbags to save more than 6,000 homes that are in danger. As of now they only have 310,000 sandbags ready to go. That is definetly not enough to have when they need 1.5 million to be on the safe side. The National Guard and FEMA have been helping out. Yet, it is still not enough. Citizens have really stepped up and have been going out to help sandbag as well. Hopefully it will be enough to save those homes that people are so desperately trying to save.

I agree with Lauren on this subject. I also love the fact that people are giving up their time to go and help when people are in need. This is a crisis that needs to be taken care of as much as we possibly can. We can't really control and really know how Mother Nature is going to change and affect us, but we can prepare for it as best as we can and hope that it is all enough. It's quite amazing what some rain and snow can do to a River. Its quite amazing what mother nature can do when you let it. I cannot believe that all of this flooding and crisis has happened in such a short amout of time. It looks like the Red River Valley might even have more flooding than their record from years ago. The river is going to crest pretty high and hopefully all of the efforts to save those houses with sandbags and levies will be enough. It will be a devastating thing to clean up when it is all over, as well. Hopefully someone is watching out for them from upstairs.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/weather/03/23/dakota.flooding/index.html?iref=newssearch

Air Force jet crashes in California

An F-22A fighter jet crashed near Edwards Air Base in California on Wednesday. It is one of the most expensive Air Force Fighter, at $150 million. It is a single-seater, and crashed at about 10:30 a.m. The condition of the pilot is still unknown. The Fighter was on a training mission while it crashed. It ended up crashing about 35 miles northeast of Edwards Air Force Base. The plane was designed in the 1980s.

I think this is a great loss. I don't understand how we can have such a great and powerful military, yet these types of things still happen. It is very unfortunate that that soldier in the Fighter lost his life while on a training mission. Hopefully, figuring out how this happened will help the military make their Fighters better so that this doesn't happen again. It makes you wonder how these things happen when they do. What could have possibly gone wrong to make this plane crash? Will investigators ever know the real reason? How will they know what really went wrong? What was going on with the pilot that caused the Fighter Jet to crash? Hopefully everything will be figured out so that the family of the pilot and the military will figure out all of this information so they can all rest easy.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/25/california.crash/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Alaska volcano back on eruption watch

Researchers have put an alert out on Mount Redoubt because of the increase in seismic activity recently. Researchers have raised the alert level to "watch". No eruption has happened yet, but researchers say that things can change rapidly so people should always be on alert. "Watch" level, or orange level, means that the mountain is exhibiting heightened or escalating unrest with an increased potential of eruption. Mount Redoubt is 100 miles from the largest city in Alaska, Anchorage. That last time it erupted was in December 1989, and it lasted until April 1990.

I think volcanoes are amazing things. People should be watching out for activity so that they don't get caught off guard and become in more danger than they were. I think it is good that researchers are watching the volcanoe just in case something happens. Sometimes volcanoes show activity but nothing ever ends up happening. Hopefully everyone that is in the path if something happens will be well informed before danger becomes evident. Hopefully everyone will have a chance to get to a safe area before something happens, if something does. It is very good that researchers and scientists are watching volcanoes around the world so that people have a way to know when they might need to get away from the area in danger.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/03/22/alaska.volcano/index.html

FAA: 17 killed in Montana plane crash

A plane that was supposed to be flying to Bozeman, Montana, crashed into a cemetary in Butte, Montana Sunday. The plane left from Orville, California at 11 pm PT, it was supposed to be flying to Bozeman, Montana but was rerouted to Butte instead. It ended up crashing 500 feet short of the Bert Mooney Airport in Butte, Montana. At least 17 people were killed. The plane was manufactured in 2001 and is registered with the Eagle Cap Leasing in Enterprise, Oregon, said the Federal Aviation Administration. They are not sure on why they plane crashed, the National Transportation Safey Board is still investigating the cause. Several children were on board on their way to a ski vacation, according to The Montana Standard newspaper.

This is a terrible accident. Its amazing to me how something like this can happen and it already be in the news literally 12 hours later. Airtravel, while fun and easy, is also unreliable at times. I don't understand how something like this can just happen. I agree with Amanda http://current-events-7.blogspot.com/ when she says that they need to have regulations on checking planes so this kind of thing doesn't happen so often. They crashed literally 500 feet short of the runway. Just 500 more feet and they all would have been fine. Those 17 lives that were lost would all still be here with their families and friends. Those children would be hitting the slopes down the mountains in Montana. Unfortunately, those things did not happen. This plane crashed, for no reason known yet. It is a very sad event. Something that makes you really sit down and think about things. There were a couple of eye-witnesses, they said that they just saw the plane nosedive out of now where and went to try the survivors if there were any, unfortunately there was nothing they could do to help the victims. It was already too late by the time they made it to the plane that had crashed. Its a was a terrible accident. Hopefully the National Transportation Safety Board will find a cause and put some more perspective into what happened to those 17 people. Hopefully some closure will be found for the families and friends grieving their deaths tonight.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/22/montana.plane.crash/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Robert Gibbs takes verbal slap at Cheney

This article is about President Obama's Press Secretary, Robery Gibbs, and his comment about former Vice President Dick Cheney. Gibbs said a sarcastic statement about Cheney on Monday during a Press Conference on terrorism. "Well, I guess Rush Limbaugh was busy, so they trotted out the next most popular member of the Republican cabal," Gibbs said. Gibbs said this after Cheney had said that President Obama's policies had made the country not as safe as before. Gibbs also said that he thought President Obama was doing a great job keeping the country safe and secure. Cheney came back and Gibbs by saying, "I think those programs were absolutely essential to the success we enjoy, of being able to collect the intelligence that let us defeat all further attempts to launch attacks against the United States since 9/11," defending the Bush administration.

I think it is sort of funny that there is a little bit of political drama/sarcasm going on in the White House these days. It lightens the mood during such rough economic and other times of our country. I think that people shouldn't take comments like these so seriously when they are said. Sometimes, they are said in good natured humor, not to acutally insult the person they are said about. Such nonsense is not really news. It's just another silly thing that the press can obsess about for a few days before someone else says something silly or something that makes them look ignorant that they can report on, until the next big thing comes in. I don't really think that it matters the Gibbs was just making a little sarcastic comment after Cheney insulted the Obama administration. Gibbs was just trying to counter act what Cheney had said to make Cheney look bad. I don't believe that we should be wasting our time reporting on things that are not really important. Yes, it's fun to see who is making a fool of themselves these days, but we should be reporting on more important issues, like iraq, and they economy.


http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/16/gibbs.cheney/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Source: Mullen offers Obama update on Mexico

President Obama was briefed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen Saturday about the recent drug wars in Mexico. President Obama is interested in how the United States can help out in Mexico. President Obama was interested in what way that we can possibly use our military forces to help Mexico out. Mullen briefed obama on how we can possibly help Mexico with our intelligence on fighting terrorism. Mullen has stated that Mexico could possibly borrow from us our intelligence and equipment to help them fight these drug wars that are affecting their country.

I believe that we should try and help Mexico in their time of need during these drug wars. I do not believe that we should send any type of military help other than intelligence and information. We do not need to be losing our family members in another country that does not want us there in the first place. Mexico is not threatening our way of life so there would be no need to send any type of military action on them. Yes, we should try and help Mexico officials in stopping the drug wars because of the thousands of Americans that travel on vacation to Mexico each and every year. We do not want any one from our country being caught in the middle of some fight between drug gang leaders and losing their lives over just being at the wrong place at the wrong time. We should not get into another war like in the middle east to try and stop these drug wars, but we should try and share our intelligence on fighting terrorism with the Mexican government so that we can travel to our favorite Mexican cities and not feel like our lives are being threatened by these drug gangs fights. We should be able to travel safely and not being worried.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29577612/

Obama returns to D.C., Afghan decision near

President Obama spent the past weekend in Chicago with family. On his return he has some pretty key issues that need to addressed. For instance, sending more troops to Afghanistan. Mr. President's press secretary says that the administration continues to review its policy towards Afghanistan. Everyone seems to be awaiting President Obama's decision on troops in Afghanistan because of how Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that the President was very close to announcing his decision. Lt. Gen. David McKiernan is very supportive when it comes to adding fresh troops, he wants more fighting forces. But, for now we all have to wait for President Obama's decision before we get all excited.

I think that it is great the Obama's get to spend some time with their family over the week. But, I also think that talking about troops and Afghanistan is getting pretty old. Yes, it's been going on for so long and we need to get out of there the right way... But can't they just make up their minds already? Do they really need to announce to the public that the announcement on more troops or not will be coming soon? Why announce an announcement? That just makes no sense to me. They could just rationally think through the situation and make a decision. Yes, it's going to take time and money, but people want to hear what is going to happen to their family members we are in the military. I think we need to decide soon on whether or not we are going to send more of our citizen's into war. We need to help the people in Afghanistan to regain control of their country from the Taliban insurgents. We need to get one step ahead of the Taliban and take over before they take over us. President Obama just really needs to make a decision on whether or not he is going to send more of our family members into war so we can prepare ourselves for the unthinkable. I hope President Obama makes the right choice for our country. 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29223161/

Obama orders review of cybersecurity

President Obama ordered a 60-day review of our nation's cybersecurity Monday. Obama appointed former Bush administration aide, Melissa Hathaway, to head the cybersecurity review effort. Obama wants everything looked at to prevent an attack on our cyber infrastructure. Obama criticized former President George W. Bush's efforts on protecting this information. Obama's aides have looked at this proposal and some think he should keep his pledge for a czar, other think it should go to the Homeland Security Department. A senior administrations official would not say whether or not a cyber czar would be permanent after the review. Hathaway's review will include everything that has been done and ways to improve what we are doing now. 

I think that having a review on our nation's nation cybersecurity is a great idea. President Obama compared the cyber threats we received during the Bush administration to nuclear and/or biological threats. This is not a good thing. We should not be having the same amount of threats to our cyber world as with nuclear weapons. It would be chaos if someone could log onto a computer and shut down an entire country with one click of a button. That would be terrible. I think it would be a very good idea to continue with reviewing and definitely improving our nation's security. If we cannot improve our security, what can we improve? If we are not safe from the worry of an attack, how could we live our lives? We should not have to worry about our information on passports, taxes, or anything in the nature every time we fill out a form for the government. That is just something that we as Americans should not have to worry about. It should be a guaranteed right to not have our information read or used against us when it comes to our government asking for it. I believe President Obama has a very good idea when it comes to reviewing our nation's cybersecurity. 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29108453/

Obama gives D.C. cold shoulder over 'some ice'

President Barack Obama was flabbergasted when he found out that not just his daughters school but many others in Washington closed their doors this Wednesday. He was very surprised that they were not having classes because of a little bit of snow that had fallen the night before. He said, "...My children's school was canceled today. Because of, what? Some ice?" His children had said that while in Chicago they never canceled school. Mr. President also said that they are going to have to make Washington more tough. He didn't mean to say that they are wimps, but there are just a few things that Washington can't handle, like weather.

I think this is very interesting. It is very funny how the President doesn't believe that Washington has as much toughness as Chicago does. I guess they just need to see a little bit more snow and ice than they do to fully understand what tough is. Chicago definitely receives a greater amount of snow per year than Washington. If the President thinks he can toughen Washington up, I'm not sure how he thinks he'll do it. If a little snow had fallen the night before while here in Minnesota, we'd still be going to school the next day. The only way school is canceled here is if it is less than 40 degrees BELOW zero. There would have to be a blizzard warning from the National Weather Service and actual snow falling from the sky. I guess that we Minnesotans are just a little bit tougher than the citizens of Washington, D.C. I suppose it is a little different when it comes to school closings in such a metropolitan area, though. Yet, schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul do not close without a valid reason either. For us, here in Minnesota it quite different than in Washington. 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28896569/