Let the bugs fly free!

The Mall of America has released 72,000 lady bugs inside. The reason they did this was to kill off the insect, aphids, that are killing all of the plants inside. The plants inside are natural air purifies for the mall. The mall has apparently done this before, but not in this large amount. The customers seem to not mind them, because they mainly stay on the plants, but when the get into your food, they are a little bit ticked off.

The Mall of America is so big that it can fit 7 Yankee Stadiums inside of it. It has 1.2 miles of skylights to give it natural sunlight and heat. Apparently, the Mall also converts all of the restaurants' fryer fat into bio diesel for the security vehicles, but it's kind of hard to believe that.

In the article it goes on about how the ladybug (Ladybird) population has been changing and all because of the climate change and the land-use patterns. It also talks about ladybugs are a biological defense system in the environment because it helps eat/fight off icky pests.

Yeah, this is all a little weird, but I think people would just be more accepting of getting dirt on their shoe from transplanting, that a ladybug flying into your milk shake. I already knew that ladybugs were a natural defense, but I didn't know that they fight off what ever this aphids. I wonder how those stupid little things got in there anyway.


http://news.yahoo.com/72-000-ladybugs-released-mall-america-193856307.html

Rare Diamond with a rare price

In the article, it was stating some facts about the Hope Diamond, which is the biggest, most famous diamond out there. The Hope Diamond is 45.52 carats, a deep deep blue, and was once own by King Louis XIV . It now sits in the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History, in Washington D.C.

The ring was first cut into a Trombino ring in 1965 by the Italian jewelry designer Bulgari.

That is a whole lot of money. Only a jewelry company could afford that, of course.

A rare blue diamond that weighed 5.30 carats went up for sale last Wednesday. The winning bid was 9.6 million to a diamond business, Graff Diamonds. The sale was held in London, by a jewelry company, Bonhams Fine Jewelry. The are very happy with the sale. The ring was expected to go for about $1.6 million; instead it went for close to $9.6 million, or $1.8 million per carat. That is a lot of money. The old record was $1.68 per carat.




http://shine.yahoo.com/fashion/rare-blue-diamond-fetches-record-price-163323202.html

SAVE THE WHALES

In the city of La Paz, Mexico, they are celebrating a very wonderful thing that happened. Last Sunday, some good Samaritans decided to help save a stranded humpback whale. The 30-foot whale was swimming on a shoal during low tide and had gotten stuck. Thanks to the good people of this world, they helped free the whale after numerous hours of hard labor. The whale was pulled free thanks to some ropes too. The whale was stranded on El Coromuel Beach. After they helped the whale, the whale ended up going back into the La Paz Bay, via the Sea of Cortez. People are hoping that they don`t end up seeing the whale on a beach somewhere dead.

In the article it was said that whales tend to swim closer to land when they are young, or feeling sick. They are not sure what the main cause of the whale swimming so close was, but they know he was just so tired from trying to get free. Humpback whales are currently migrating towards Alaskan waters.


As I was reading the comments below the article, I agree with all of the people that were saying that their happy that there are still some good people in the world who are willing to spend time to free a poor whale, without any type of payments. Mexico has been in the news way to often about their drug and other problems. I`m glad they got in the news for doing something good this time.

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/nature/post/humpback-whale-rescued-after-dramatic-community-effort-in-mexicos-la-paz-bay/

Technology helps keep us alive

There has been a system out there in the world that is helping keeping organs, specifically the heart, alive outside of the human body. This contraption is called TransMedics Organ Care System. It was first introduced in 2006, over in Europe, when they complete the first successful transplant using this system. Then, in 2011, they created a similar type of machine that is used for lungs. These machines are legal in Europe, but their still waiting to approve them for here in the United States.

According to the statistics in the article, it is said that 60% of lung transplant recipient's die in the first 5 years after the transplant. That is a very sad thing. There are many good things about this system, such as that it keeps the organ "alive" it stimulates blood or air movement, which is so much better than just plopping it on a pack of ice, and jostling it all around trying to get it to the recipient. apparently, 70-80% of the transported lungs end up being rejected by the body because of infections that happen during the transplant. That is horrible. The new system has given 200 people healthy organs, which keep them up and living.

This is such great news! I really hope that the doctors over here see that this  is a truly wonderful thing and that we need to get it in the hospitals now. Even if it cost a whole bunch of money, it is saving lives, and making people healthy.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/25/health/live-organ-transplants/index.html?hpt=he_c1

All Vegetarian School

An elementary school in New York City, New York has decided to become the first all-vegetarian school in the United States. The elementary school, Active Learning, has pre-kindergarten classes all the way through third grade. These students are really happy with the change. The school first introduced all the all vegetarian meal three years ago when they noticed a majority  of their students were eating  or bringing in vegetarian meals. At least 85% of their students are Asian and another 10% Hispanic.

The school had started the switch three years ago when they introduced a 3 day-vegetarian meal option in their school. They saw numerous amounts of the students enjoying the new menu. They teachers there believe that a healthy life style can help with your education. This seems to have proven them right. The school has officially switched to an 5-day vegetarian meal back in January.

 I think that this is really good for the school that they are finding ways for the children to eat healthier and to also be smarter. The fact that the children actually are enjoying all the different types of food surprises me, especially the tofu meals.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/02/health/new-york-vegetarian-school/index.html?hpt=he_bn6

I apologize.

For anyone one who reads my blog, which I doubt is any. I apologize.

I made a very immature mistake by plagiarizing. I feel bad that I did this just to try to get my grade up. It was a huge mistake, and I wish I would not of done it. I fell very apologetic towards the author of the article, and I wish there was some sort of way to tell them of my mistake. It was very silly of me to do this. But, as the responsible senior that I am, I accept any consequences that come out of this, even if it means not passing this class, with less than 10 days left.

Girls can now play sports!

Some big news in the world today is that Saudi Arabia girls/women can now officially play sports! The only bad thing about this is that it is only applied to private schools. In the article, it shows a picture of some girls practicing from 2012, but I thought that it was still illegal back then, but oh well. They said in the article that this is a "test balloon" to see if they would be able to allow the public schools to let women play sports.

Saudi Arabia (Google.com)

Apparently they are one of three countries all across the world to not let women participate in the Olympics. But last year, Saudi Arabia allowed two women to play for Saudi Arabia last year in London.

In the article, it states that there is only one university in all of Saudi Arabia that has a women's workout facility, which is only a tennis court. Apparently other gyms doe exist, but they are in danger of being shut down, or are only for the elite rich and famous.

I feel as if this is really good news for women. Their starting to get more rights on even just little things. Sports are a huge part of my life, and i`m glad that for at least some women there, they get to experience it too.


http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/Olive-Press/2013/0505/Saudi-Arabia-sanctions-sports-for-girls-for-the-first-time

Bulking Up

Pain and Gain has had a lot of good reviews, and not only just about their amazing, beautiful cast, Including Marky Mark (Mark Wahlberg). Mr Wahlberg worked out a lot, and I mean, A LOT. Clearly. He is looking way to good for his age, 41. For his role as a body builder, he worked out each and every day, multiple times a day. He also ate 12 meals a day. He would wake up specifically at night just to eat protein filled food.

And yeah, this doesn't really relate to the whole world humanities thing right now, but hey, it's Mark Wahlberg. he's known world wide, right? This could bring up the whole issue of the world wide controversy of muscles and illegal steroids and such, but I'm just gonna focus on Mark and his beautiful-ness.

Mmmm, still looking good Mark.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/03/how-mark-wahlberg-bulked-up-for-pain-and-gain/

Smoking is stupid; and here's the proof

Once again, it had been proven that smoking is still bad for  are you and always will be. This recent study has proven that people has young as 35 years old who smoke, or who are over weight, decreases your braing function.

This is what you stupid idiots get besides lung, throat, and every other type of cancer.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/03/smoking-being-overweight-decreases-brain-function-even-in-younger-adults/?intcmp=HPBucket

A big ol' fishy

A fishing guide in Spain had caught his own monster Wels catfish. The catfish weighs in at 6 feet, 11 pounds. He caught him on the Ebro River in Spain. They only kept him long enough to weigh and measure it, and then they let it go, like the good fisherman they are. And of course, right after he caught and released the fish, he tweeted about it.

Ben Hervey-Murray sent this picture along with an email, to GrindTV Outdoor, which then told the world about it in this article. He hopes that even bigger fish will be around so his clients can catch them, and really understand this whole ordeal.

That is one HUGE fish.

He's bigger than me!

The big ol thing.

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/excursions/post/fishing-guide-catches-own-monster-catfish/

Barbie Wanna-A-Be`s

What if people in this day of age actually looked like a barbie?

This article is about all of the changes that women would have to make to look like a barbie doll.
If you hadn't already heard, there is a lady out there,  named Valeria Lukyanova, who has went through all the surgery, and extreme dieting, to look like barbie. And she is damn proud of it. She does look a little add though. She is 2 feet taller than average, much bigger breasts, a way to tiny small of waist, and grossly thin arms and legs.

Apparently, she has even had some of her ribs removed to get the perfect figure..

Valeria Lukyanova

This doctor/researcher dude decided to do a study about it from barbie,  compared to the average 19 year old female, who is closest built to barbies figure.


http://shine.yahoo.com/photos/barbie-vs-real-women-artist-slideshow/

New Money

Woo, the US is getting a make over, money wise at least. The new 100 dollor bills is set to be produced any day now. It has more security features and will be harder to remake into counterfeit bills.

There is a lot more color in the new bill which will make it harder to reproduce. It also has a different background with more security features.


The Old

The New
 

This is good for the United States, but I wonder if they realize that people will still counterfeit the old money. You can't just take out all of the older bills. A lot of things would become un balanced and there would be chaos among the people, the government, and the banks.



http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/24/news/economy/new-100-dollar-bill/

Connecticut bans Guns

Connecticut has officially banned more fire arms since the Sandy Hook shooting. I am happy for them that this will somehow give them some sense of security, but people still have their guns. People have their ways of getting guns, whether it's through friends or online or whoever. People will have their guns.

In the article, it mentions how it bans some weapons as well as the sale or purchase of high-capacity magazines, just like the ones used in the shooting. It also requires background checks for any type of gun purchase. This isn't all that they proposed change, but hey, at least they got something passes, and a new law created.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/04/us/connecticut-gun-law-overhaul/index.html

A Generation to die for.

There is a new study out there that teens in this generation are bound to have heart disease in later life. I have no doubt about this. With all of this icky, greasy food, that people just shovel in their mouth is gross. I assume I will probably know some people who will get heart disease because they eat so unhealthy. like people, for real. EAT YOUR VEGGIES.

In the article it talks about how 80% of U.S. teenagers are on the path of getting heart disease because of their poor diet. It also talks about how they don't exercise enough. I will admit, that I am probably on that road too, but hey, I'm trying to make the effort and work out and eat healthier!

In the article it says that even children as young as 6 years old are starting to have enlarged arteries. THAT IS HORRIBLE. I hardly ever went out for fast food when I was young, because my parents knew it was bad for me. Why don't these parents realize that it's all processed cow or chicken fat with flavor and a whole bunch of sugar? I will be one of those parents who don't take their children out for fast food, and will not let them drink any type of soda or energy drink.

http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/01/17553021-most-teens-well-down-road-to-heart-disease-study-finds?lite

Rain is bad.

Heavy rains, in a forest that has a mine in it isn't the best idea. Because of the heavy rains in Myanmar, 11 people have died because it made one mine collapse and another have a tree fall on the living quarters. This happened last Friday. Hopefully they get a better support system in the mine, if they reopen.

Myanmar seems to be getting the metaphorical shaft lately. This sudden flooding is really bad for the already troubled country.


http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/myanmar-rains-gold-mine-collapse-kill-11-19100277

Crazy mother.

There is this really crazy lady in the UK who forced her adoptive daughter to get pregnant because she isn't allowed to adopt any more children. Clearly, there is a reason for that. The daughter ended up having a miscarriage, so after a few more tries, she ended up having the baby at 17, with a  stranger's sperm that they bought online. WHAT THE HELL. I would straight up run away, but I guess if you loved your mother, and wanted to do anything for her, I guess you would do this. But now the crazy lady is in jail for a couple of years and her adoptive kids are now back in the system.

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/mother-in-uk-forced-14-year-old-to-get-pregnant/story-fnet08ck-1226631901344?from=public_rss

Violence against women act passed!

Struggling again with an issue important to women and minority groups, House Republicans on Thursday failed to pass their version of a new Violence Against Women Act and then split over a Senate version that won approval with unanimous Democratic support.

The measure now goes to President Barack Obama, who said in a statement that it was "an important step towards making sure no one in America is forced to live in fear." "I look forward to signing it into law as soon as it hits my desk," Obama said.

 

Thursday's votes reflected an emerging political reality in the GOP-led House, with a minority of Republicans joining Democrats to pass legislation supported by the public, including increasingly influential demographics such as Hispanic Americans. By a vote of 166-257, the GOP version of the Violence Against Women Act failed to win a majority after almost 90 minutes of debate. The House then voted 286-138 to pass the Senate version, with 87 Republicans joining all 199 Democrats to provide majority support.

Originally passed in 1994 and reauthorized since, the act provides support for organizations that serve domestic violence victims. Criminal prosecutions of abusers are generally the responsibility of local authorities, but the act stiffened sentences for stalking under federal law. Supporters credit the act with sharply reducing the number of lives lost to domestic violence over the past two decades.

Last year, the House and Senate were unable to compromise on another extension of the act, with Republicans opposing Democratic attempts to specify inclusion of native Americans, undocumented immigrants and lesbian, transgender and bisexual women. However, exit polling showed Obama won strong support among women and Latino voters in the November election that also strengthened the Democratic majority in the Senate and weakened the Republican majority in the House.

Unsolved mystery

The unidentified family of four — including two children under 8 — had been sailing a small vessel Sunday west of Monterey Bay. Forecasters had issued a weekend advisory warning boaters of rough seas in the area, and water temperatures typically are in the 40s and 50s, making long-term survival difficult. The group made its first distress call late Sunday afternoon. Investigators used the boat's radio signal and radar to determine the call came from an area about 60 miles west of Monterey. The boaters reported that their 29-foot sailboat was taking on water and the electronics were failing. Crews planned to search by sea and air through the night Monday to find the family, who said in the calls that they were fashioning a raft from a cooler and a life-preserver ring before they lost contact with the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard released one of the family's recorded distress calls, in hopes that it would lead to new information from the public that could help in the search. So far the agency has received no reports of missing persons in the case. The agency believes the boat's name was Charmblow. In the crackling recording, a man's voice is heard saying, "Coast Guard, Coast Guard, we are abandoning ship. This is the (Charmblow), we are abandoning ship."

Investigators determined from the broken distress calls that the family included a husband and wife, their 4-year-old son and his cousin. The boat's location initially was reported farther north, but investigators now believe the call came from west of Monterey Bay, about 100 miles south of San Francisco. The boat did not have a working GPS system. Calls to harbors in California have failed to locate the boat, and database searches have come up empty. . The Coast Guard was expanding its search to Hawaii, the Seattle area and north into Canada.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0226/Family-missing-at-sea-An-unsolved-mystery-video

Up and Away

A balloon had exploded, and its 21 passengers and operators plummeted about 1,000 feet to the ground. The number of dead had climbed to 19, making it the world's deadliest hot air balloon accident in at least 20 years. It was a gas explosion. Passengers in the balloon included 19 foreign tourists: nine from Hong Kong, four from Japan, three from Britain, and two from France and one from Hungary, officials said. An Egyptian pilot and another Egyptian also were on board. Two people, a Briton and the pilot, are hospitalized

Conflicting reports emerged about the company that operated the doomed balloon, Sky Cruise. The head of the country's civil aviation authority said the company was licensed and working legally. The agency has begun an investigation of the incident. The balloon's basket was divided into four parts, he said, each holding five passengers.

Meanwhile, Luxor's chamber of tourism said the company had previous violations. Several balloon companies had terminated contracts with the local meteorological service after the Egyptian revolution. Sky Cruise and other companies were known to violate safety and security instructions by flying out of East Luxor, instead of the recommended West Luxor. Luxor is among Egypt's top tourist draws. Visitors go to see ancient temples and tombs, and travel sites often recommend the hot air balloon trips.

The last hot air balloon accident in Luxor occurred in 2009, when 16 foreign tourists were injured after a balloon struck a cell phone transmission tower. Until Tuesday's incident, the deadliest accident in recent memory took place in 1989, when 13 people were killed as two hot air balloons collided in Australia.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/26/world/africa/egypt-balloon-deaths/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews

Seals and Science

Elephant seals wearing head sensors and swimming deep beneath Antarctic ice have helped scientists better understand how the ocean's coldest, deepest waters are formed, providing vital clues to understanding its role in the world's climate. The tagged seals, along with sophisticated satellite data and moorings in ocean canyons, all played a role in providing data from the extreme Antarctic environment, where observations are very rare and ships could not go.

Scientists have long known of the existence of "Antarctic bottom water," a dense, deep layer of water near the ocean floor that has a significant impact on the movement of the world's oceans. Three areas where this water is formed were known of, and the existence of a fourth suspected for decades, but the area was far too inaccessible, until now, thanks to the seals.

Southern Ocean Elephant seals are the largest of all seals, with males growing up to six meters (20 feet) long and weighing up to 4,000 kilograms (8,800 lbs). Twenty of the seals were deployed from Davis Station in east Antarctica in 2011 with a sensor, weighing about 100 to 200 grams, on their head. Each of the sensors had a small satellite relay which transmitted data on a daily basis during the five to 10 minute intervals when the seals surfaced.

The scientists get four dives worth of data a day but the seals actually doing up to 60 dives. The elephant seals ... went to the very source and found this very cold, very saline dense water in the middle of winter beneath a polynya, which is what we call an ice factory around the coast of Antarctica. Previous studies have shown that there are 50-year-long trends in the properties of the Antarctic bottom water, and Williams said the latest study will help better assess those changes, perhaps providing clues for climate change modeling.

http://news.yahoo.com/seals-scientists-antarctics-ocean-floor-035440809.html

Fighting the Lions

This kid is a genius. Really though! no training, hardly and materials, just pure brain power. He managed to put together a contraption that helped save his father's cows. He learned from experience that the lions are afraid of flashing lights. So, being the genius he his, he earned himself a scholarship, a trip to the TED conference, and his family's honor. Hell yeah I'd be proud of my kid if he did this all by himself. Seriously though, all he did was gather dozens of LED lights and rig them to a battery and solar panel that powered the family television. He devised a way to make the lights flash and placed the bulbs on poles surrounding the livestock enclosure. What a smart guy!

He mentioned his other tactics on how he was planning on to save the cows, one was a fire, which just let the lions actually see and be able to get through the enclosure. Another was a scarecrow. The scarecrow didn't quite work the second day and on, because just like the kid said, lions are smart. They noticed that the scarecrow didn't move. What sneaky kitties.

 

I'm sure this guy is hella honored to be able to speak at the TED conference. and get a full blown scholarship? damn. I wish I would of thought of this! But, i don't live in Africa, and I don't have to protect my cows from giant cats.

Oh, and by the way, this guy's name is Richard, and he's 13.



http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/51172/kenya+boy+13+gains+fame+for+protecting+livestock+from+lions/

Colorado child

This little girl, who is physically a boy, is being told that she cannot use the girl's bathroom. Even though the little girl, Coy, dresses, looks, and acts like a girl, she is told to either use the teacher bathroom or the nurse’s bathroom. She is six years old, and lives in Colorado. There is a lawsuit going on between her parents, and the school district.

I think that the parents, and Coy, should win. I know this is a psychological disorder and all, but this is her. Just as the quote goes, "This is me, take me as I am" the school just should deal with it. The parents had a good point stating that using the bathroom is a private thing in general. How is this little girl going to get bullied for using the proper bathroom? If anything, she'll be bullied for having to go to the teachers/nurses bathroom, and not the girl’s bathroom, like all the other little girls.

 
What I can’t believe, is that Coy knew about getting “fixed”. She specifically told her parents that she wanted to go to the doctor and get fixed. I’m pretty sure that Disney channel and Cartoon Network aren’t talking about transgender problems. Another thing, you can’t blame the parents for this. They had triplets, two boys, 1 girl, even though the other two seem “normal” something could have happened, such as if this was invitro, and something happened during the science thing. The world should just let people be themselves, with no judgment, especially to this little girl.


http://news.yahoo.com/colo-transgender-girl-cant-school-bathroom-214244912.html

Violence for a cause

A controversial group opposing Japanese whaling in the Antarctic region on Monday released video showing one of its ships, the Bob Barker, being sandwiched tightly between two larger vessels: a Japanese whaling ship and a Korean refueling tanker. It also shows what's said to be a flash-bang grenade explosion near the stern of the refueling ship, Sun Laurel. The dramatic incident surely ranks as among the most tense in the years-long history of clashes between the whalers and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

The latter group, which annually opposes Japan's whaling effort with harassment techniques, reports that the Bob Barker has been badly damaged but its crew is safe. Sea Shepherd also stated that another of its vessels, the Sam Simon, was dinged during another collision with the Nisshin Maru, and that there was a third collision that involved the Nisshin Maru. All three Sea Shepherd vessels are experiencing engine room flooding caused by water cannons, the group claims.

"The Bob Barker has sustained major damage from being sandwiched between the Nisshin Maru and the fuel tanker Sun Laurel," Sea Shepherd stated. "The engine room is now visible through a crack in the floor of the galley. The Sam Simon has massive scratches and dings along their hull, and a smashed satellite dome." Sea Shepherd's boats, trying to thwart refueling attempts, had been trailing propeller-fouling ropes when the collisions occurred.

This is the second set of collision incidents that occurred during the whalers' attempts to refuel. After last week's incidents, the government of Japan and the Institute of Cetacean Research, which manages the annual minke whale hunts, announced that they had temporarily suspended whaling operations. The ICR blamed Sea Shepherd for last week's collisions.

Japan annually targets nearly 1,000 whales, claiming the missions are scientific and using a lethal research loophole in the wording of an international moratorium on commercial whaling to skirt the ban

Silent Killers

A woman last week, named Tatyana Lokshina, who is a researcher for Human Rights Watch in Russia, received a lot of threatening text messages involving harm to her and her unborn child. The Human Rights Watch said that this was a response to the “hostile climate” for these activists. There are many other human rights groups’ organizations that are also facing threats to their workers/volunteers. This is all happening because President Vladimir Putin returned to Kremlin a few months ago. Lokshina received messages that included threats to her and her pregnancy, and her private, unlisted home address. Some of the messages stated that she would have an “uneasy birth” and that the senders of the messages were nearby and coming after her. The messages were implied to make people think about trying to help the Russians and their human rights. The Human Rights Watch organizer Kenneth Roth has called on the Russian authorities to investigate these messages.

President Putin had signed a law in July that stated that all foreign-funded NGO’s as “foreign agents” and that they are not welcomed. The U.S. Agency for International Development was ordered to stop operating in Russia this current month. Many Russians are concerned about what will happen. The Human Rights Watch stated that “The hostile climate in Russia for human rights work is worsening”.

I honestly had no idea that the United states was even involved in Russia. I know that Russia is having a hard time, but I did not know that we had human rights activists there trying to help. It is a very weird and cruel thing to threaten a women who is with child. Isn't it illegal to harm women AND children? that's basically life in jail. Then, you throw in all of the other people they threatened, and your just screwed over for eternity. Why would President Putin even come back? didn't no one like him? i just wish everything could go back to "normal" where everyone just wants to help each other become better people.

Helping Russia

A woman last week, named Tatyana Lokshina, who is a researcher for Human Rights Watch in Russia, received a lot of threatening text messages involving harm to her and her unborn child. The Human Rights Watch said that this was a response to the “hostile climate” for these activists. There are many other human rights groups’ organizations that are also facing threats to their workers/volunteers. This is all happening because President Vladimir Putin returned to Kremlin a few months ago. Lokshina received messages that included threats to her and her pregnancy, and her private, unlisted home address. Some of the messages stated that she would have an “uneasy birth” and that the senders of the messages were nearby and coming after her. The messages were implied to make people think about trying to help the Russians and their human rights. The Human Rights Watch organizer Kenneth Roth has called on the Russian authorities to investigate these messages.

President Putin had signed a law in July that stated that all foreign-funded NGO’s as “foreign agents” and that they are not welcomed. The U.S. Agency for International Development was ordered to stop operating in Russia this current month. Many Russians are concerned about what will happen. The Human Rights Watch stated that “The hostile climate in Russia for human rights work is worsening”.

I honestly had no idea that the United states was even involved in Russia. I know that Russia is having a hard time, but I did not know that we had human rights activists there trying to help. It is a very weird and cruel thing to threaten a women who is with child. Isn't it illegal to harm women AND children? that's basically life in jail. Then, you throw in all of the other people they threatened, and your just screwed over for eternity. Why would President Putin even come back? didn't no one like him? i just wish everything could go back to "normal" where everyone just wants to help each other become better people.

http://news.yahoo.com/pregnant-human-rights-worker-gets-text-threats-russia-172228924.html

Rare Kitty

A rare tiger born was born at the San Francisco zoo. It is a highly endangered species, the Sumatran tiger. The tiger gave birth to a small but healthy cub. The two seem to be doing just fine.Zookeepers are watching the baby through web cam so the mother and cub can bond. They don't want to bring much human contact towards the two.

The mother , Leanne, is one of only an estimated 400 Sumatran tigers left in the wild. This made the rare tiger born news  more important for this endangered species. The young cub is still unnamed because they will not check until it is at least 2 weeks old. This birth marks the first Sumatran tiger born in the U.S. since 2008

This is such great news! everybody loves a happy ending. Now that they know the cub is healthy and so is mom, things will be going good for the San Francisco Zoo. I would personally love to travel to the zoo just to see these amazing rare creatures. 

http://www.examiner.com/article/rare-tiger-born-endangered-tiger-gives-birth-to-new-cub-at-san-francisco-zoo

Freezing Babies?

In this article, they had talked about how they "froze" a baby, to save it's life.The baby had a heart rate of about 300 beats per minute, nearly double the normal 160. The baby, Edward, was born with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and was given a five percent chance of survival. SVT is caused by improper electrical impulses in the heart that leads to an irregular rapid heartbeat heart, which then can lead to heart failure or affect internal organs. When the heart beats too quickly, it can’t fill up properly and then distribute blood to vital organs correctly. Hours after little Edward was born, his heart started racing again. Doctors tried shocking his heart and giving him different medications. None of those those treatments worked so they tried something new; lowering the body temperature to slow the heart rate. They had succeded, but a few hours later his little heart sped up again. They tried it one more time, but very very slowly brought his temperature back up. His body temperature got as low as 91 degrees. When they were bringing his budy temperature back to normal, they raised the temperature 1 degree, every 12 hours. They had kept little Edward afterwards for another month just to be safe, and then he got to go home. Now little Edward is a happy, healthy little boy.


So, just to get this out there, they techincally didn't even "freeze" the baby... They just brought the temperature down, as if he was just cold. Im really happy though that they were able to do this and save little Edward, and his parents from grief. Hopefully, this will help start a new treatment to help save children with SVT.


http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/02/15/to-save-newborn-doctors-freeze-baby/

Texas Drama

A judge issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the abortion while the case is ongoing.
The 16-year-old, who is identified only by the initials R.E.K., claims in the lawsuit her parents are Forcing her to abort her 9-week-old fetus through both verbal and physical threats and harassment. Her father stated he was going to take her to have an abortion and that the decision was his, end of story.

 The lawsuit claims R.E.K.'s parents kept her home from school, took her phone and car and that she, the father of her child and the child's paternal grandmother have been harassed by her father. It also claims R.E.K.'s mother suggested she was going to slip her daughter the abortion pill.

R.E.K is being represented by attorney for the Texas Center for Defense of Life. Under Roe v. Wade a woman has a right to decide whether she wants an abortion and under Bellotti v. Baird a teenager has the right to make her own decisions concerning her reproductive health.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/02/13/texas-teen-sues-parents-to-stop-them-from-forcing-her-abortion/

It makes a difference

Babies born by C-section had a different set of microbes in their digestive tracts than those born vaginally, and that infants who were breast-fed had a different type of bacteria in their guts than those who were given formula. Previous studies have linked cesarean delivery to a higher risk of asthma, diabetes and obesity, but the reason wasn't clear.

During vaginal delivery, for example, babies are baptized to the world of bacteria, viruses and other pathogens as they pass through the birth canal; birth is, in a sense, their first immunization against the bugs they are likely to encounter in their new environment as their still developing immune systems get to work taking stock of the microbes. Babies pick up the microbial content of their mother's gut.

Over time, the babies' immune systems start to distinguish between friend and foe in the microbial world, and launch attacks on potentially harmful bugs while leaving beneficial ones, like those that live in the gut, alone.

Cesarean section, however, bypasses this immunizing opportunity, and may leave newborns more vulnerable to certain infections since their immune systems are still catching up. In the study, infants born by C-section had fewer colonies of Escherichia and Shigella bacteria than those born vaginally.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/14/health/time-bacteria-children/index.html?hpt=hp_bn13

UPDATE: WTF?

Apprently, the "nine" year old girl who gave birth a couple weeks ago in Mexico, is actually about 12/13. Oh, and, the father, is actually her STEP-FATHER. Not some 17 year old boy she met at a party. Like, WTF! Paternity test had proven that the father is her step dad, and now he is under arrest. And now, they giving her birth control!? SHE IS TWEVLE people, not  16! As I was reading some comments, one of them was saying how they gave her birth control because they knew she would get touched again by her creep of a step father.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/02/14/9-year-old-mom-is-actually-12-or-13-officials-say/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/13/9-yearold-mother_n_2682652.html

Obama's STU: Gun Control

I personally think that President Obama won’t be able to pass the gun control bill. Guns have been a huge part of this country and it’s written, in our Constitution that we have “The right to bear arms”. With that, we are legally allowed to have guns. Yes, I think there should be a law saying how we can’t have certain types of guns, and how they should have crazy-checks going on before people get guns, but people are still going to get them. Whether it’s from gun shows, another country, or your neighbor, people are still going to find a way to get what they want, whether or not they are following the law.

There are going to be thousands and thousands of articles going on and on about Obama and his gun control. There is also going to be a whole bunch of blogs our there that are either for or against Obama and what he wants to do. There are millions fo ad's out there that are all about Obama getting rid of guns. No matter what happens, people are still going to have guns. And besides, "guns don't kill people, People kill people."

Obama's STU: Military

The military was mentions numerous of times in President Obama’s State of the Union Speech. He mainly focused on the military by stating how he was bringing home our troops and how we are basically going to have the best military ever. Obama stated that we have already brought home 33,000 of our troops and that we are going to be bringing home another 34,000 troops, just from Afghanistan. He said that by the end of next year that the war in Afghanistan is going to be over.

I think Obama mentioned this in his speech because it is such a big deal. I mean, our military is the best in the world and it’s going to stay the best. Mentioning that the war in Afghanistan is going to be over by the end of next year is huge! He was being very factorial by giving such good numbers and hopefully an accurate timeline. He needed to prove his point to the Congress, and the world, that he is doing the right thing and that no matter what, we are always the best.

That's a big croc.

LoLong, a 20 foot long, 2370 pound saltwater crocodile has died. He was a captive crocodile since September 2011, in a crocodile park in the Philippines. The reason he was captured was because was accused of eating a little girl in 2009, and a man also disapearing. He holds a record in the Guiness Book Of World Records, and the worlds longest crocdile. He will be missed, they say. They are planning on preserving his skin, and stuffing him, as a reminder to their people.

LoLong

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/11/world/asia/philippines-crocodile-death/?hpt=zite_zite5_featured

WTF?

A nine year old girl gave birth in Mexico. The father is about 16/17 years old. A good 7/8 year old difference. The only details they have released is that mother and baby are doing fine, and that their out searching for the father.

This is just all wrong. Way way way wrong. a NINE year old girl? like WTF. and it's like a 16/17 year old boy who is the father? CHILD MOLESTER ALERT. They need to find this guy fast. The fact that he is on the run is sketchy. The fact that he isn't even, like, turning himself in is horrible. Once again, this is a NINE year old girl. She is suppose to be playing with barbies still, not buying barbies for her child. In the article thuogh, it never said if she was raped/molested, or if it was consentual. This whole thing is just super disturbing and it grosses me out severly. Like, even if i am a young mom, I would never ever want my son in this position, or my daughter in this position. I am glad though that the authorites are involved and are trying to catch this evil twisted guy.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/mexico-9-year-old-gives-birth-to-baby-girl-and-purported-teenage-father-is-being-sought/2013/02/06/bb5901ae-70b4-11e2-b3f3-b263d708ca37_story.html

Protecting Themselves

India's radical Hindu nationalist party governing Mumbai has handed out kitchen knives and chili powder to women following a gang rape in the capital New Delhi that ignited a national debate on the best way to tackle sex crimes. The Shiv Sena party, an ally of the main opposition BJP, said it had handed out 21,000 knives with three-inch blades to women in the city and surrounding areas and plans to distribute 100,000. Mumbai police said they were examining the knives and considering legal action.

"This is a symbolic gesture," said Shiv Sena spokesman Rahul Narvekar, adding that a knife shorter than six inches in length does not fit the definition of a weapon. The party also handed out small bags of chili powder - apparently to throw into an attacker's eyes. "It's only to pass a signal to eve-teasers, anti-social elements and perpetrators of crime against women that women are empowered and they can take care of themselves," Narvekar said. Eve-teasing is a euphemism for molesting women.

"Don't be afraid of using this knife if someone attacks you," Ajay Chaudhari, running the knife campaign, was quoted by the party newspaper, Saamana, as saying."We have set up a team of nine advocates to protect you from any potential court cases that may arise."

A 23-year-old physiotherapy student was raped and beaten on a moving bus in on December 16 before being thrown bleeding on a expressway in New Delhi, dubbed India's "rape capital". Mumbai is generally considered a safer city for women. The attack and the student's death two weeks later caused public outrage at the failure of the government and police to protect women from rising sexual offences in a country where one rape is reported on average every 20 minutes. In response, more women are taking up self-defense classes and carrying pepper spray. A government commission set up to recommend revisions to India's sex crime laws this week said women who kill an attacker during a attempted rape should be able to plead self-defense.

 
This is a good thing for women of India because now they can actually defend themselves from these evil guys!


http://news.yahoo.com/indian-women-given-kitchen-knives-chili-fend-off-075309833.html

Dogs really did come from wolves

A new study of dog genetics reveals numerous genes involved in starch metabolism, compared with wolves. It backs an idea that some dogs emerged from wolves that were able to scavenge and digest the food waste of early farmers, the team tells Nature journal. No-one knows precisely when or how our ancestors became so intimately connected with dogs, but the archaeological evidence indicates it was many thousands of years ago. One suggestion is that the modern mutt emerged from ancient hunter-gatherers' use of wolves as hunting companions or guards. But another opinion holds that domestication started with wolves that stole our food leftovers and eventually came to live permanently around humans as a result. "This second hypothesis says that when we settled down, and in conjunction with the development of agriculture, we produced waste dumps around our settlements; and suddenly there was this new food resource, a new niche, for wolves to make use of, and the wolf that was best able to make use of it became the ancestor of the dog," explained Erik Axelsson from Uppsala University.

The Swedish-US team scanned the DNA sequences of the two types of canid for regions of major difference. These would be locations likely to contain genes important in the rise of the domesticated dog. Axelsson's group identified 36 such regions, carrying a little over a hundred genes. The analysis detected the presence of two major functional categories - genes involved in brain development and starch metabolism. In the case of the latter, it seems dogs have many more genes that encode the enzymes needed to break down starch, something that would have been advantageous in an ancestor scavenging on the discarded wheat and other crop products of early farmers. Domestication may have forced dogs into a permanent state of puppyhood . "Wolves also have these genes but they don't use them as efficiently as dogs," said Dr Axelsson. "When we look at the wolf genome, we only see one copy of the gene [for the amylase enzyme] on each chromosome. When we look at the dog genome, we see a range from two to 15 copies; and on average a dog carries seven copies more than the wolf.  "That means the dog is a lot more efficient at making use of the nutrition in starch than the wolf."

As far as the brain development genes are concerned, these probably reflect some of the behavioral differences we now see in the two canids. The dog is a much more docile creature, the likely consequence of early humans preferentially working with animals they found easier to tame.

"Previous experiments have indicated that when you select for a reduction in aggressiveness, you obviously get a tamer animal but you also get an animal that retains juvenile characteristics much longer during development, sometimes into adulthood," said Dr Axelsson. This might go some way to explaining the oft-repeated observation that dogs are permanently stuck in a kind of puppyhood.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21142870

Asthma rates going down

There was a sharp fall in the number of children admitted to hospital with severe asthma after smoke-free legislation was introduced in England, say researchers. A study showed a 12% drop in the first year after the law to stop smoking in enclosed public places came into force. The authors say there is growing  evidence that many people are opting for smoke-free homes as well.

Asthma UK says the findings are "encouraging". Researchers at Imperial College in London looked at NHS figures going back to April 2002. Presenting their findings in the journal Pediatrics, they said the number of children admitted to hospital with severe asthma attacks was rising by more than 2% a year before the restrictions were introduced in July 2007. Taking that into account, they calculated the fall in admissions in the next 12 months was 12%, and a further 3% in each of the following two years. They say over the three-year period, this was equivalent of about 6,800 admissions. The fall was seen among boys and girls of all ages, across wealthy and deprived neighborhoods, in cities and in rural areas.

Prior to the smoke-free law much of the debate on the legislation centered on protection of bar workers from passive smoke. At the time many critics said smokers would respond by lighting up more at home - harming the health of their families. But the authors of this study say there is growing evidence that more people are insisting on smoke-free homes.  The lead researcher, Prof Christopher Millett, said the legislation has prompted unexpected, but very welcome, changes in behavior. We increasingly think it's because people are adopting smoke-free homes when these smoke-free laws are introduced and this is because they see the benefits of smoke-free laws in public places such as restaurants and they increasingly want to adopt them in their home. This benefits children because they're less likely to be exposed to second hand smoke. These findings reinforce evidence on the impact of smoke-free legislation from studies in North America and Scotland, which also showed a fall in hospital admissions for children with severe asthma attacks. The law in England has also resulted in fewer admissions for heart attack.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21067532

Fat kids

Children from poor backgrounds are more likely to be overweight, a minister has claimed, blaming "an abundance of bad food" for the situation. Anna Soubry said 50 years ago youngsters from deprived households were taunted for being "skinny runts", but this state of affairs had reversed.

Ministers have threatened food manufacturers with legislation unless they cut the amount of fat, sugar and salt in their products and urged firms to sign up to the voluntary "responsibility deal" to reduce calories. The Conservative MP for Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire, a junior minister in the Department of Health who is in charge of public health, said a third of children leaving primary school were overweight or obese and the poorest were among those most at risk.

During her school days, Ms Soubry said poorer children were known as "skinny runts", because there were not getting the right food. You could tell the demography of children by how thin they were. You could see by looking at their eyes. But she said there was a now a link between childhood poverty and obesity: "Obviously, not everybody who is overweight comes from deprived backgrounds but that's where the propensity lies."

If the government fails to act we will continue storing up huge problems for the country and the NHS in the long term. It is a heartbreaking fact that people who are some of the most deprived in our society are living on an inadequate diet. But this time it's an abundance of bad food. Too many parents believed there was no alternative to junk food because it was cheap. She expressed concern at the number of children whose breakfast consisted of packet of crisps and a fizzy drink or fried meat in a bun. She also said she lamented the growth of "TV meals" at the expense of families sitting around their dinner tables. According to Department of Health figures, the poorest children are almost twice as likely to be obese than the richest.

The Child Poverty Action Group said there was clear connection between deprivation and obesity but ministers needed to revisit their own policies rather than blame parents. "The real reason why our obesity problem is going to get bigger in the years ahead is because our child poverty problem is going to get much bigger as a result of the government's own policies," said the organisation's head of policy Imran Hussain. "Poor children are much more likely to miss out on healthy food on cost grounds than children living in households with average incomes. And research shows that when the incomes of poor families rise, parents spend the gains on improving the diets of their children through buying fresh fruit."

Labour, which has launched a consultation on the case for statutory limits on the amount of sugar and salt in children's food, said the government was "doing nothing" to tackle the obesity crisis among children. "It is clear that their voluntary approach is not working," said shadow health minister Diane Abbott. "If the government fails to act we will continue storing up huge problems for the country and the NHS in the long term." Education Secretary Michael Gove has asked two restaurant owners to examine how nutrition in schools can be improved, but TV chef Jamie Oliver has criticised the government's approach, saying healthy food standards are being eroded

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21158087

This is Bad.

A Republican lawmaker in New Mexico introduced a bill on Wednesday that would legally require victims of rape to carry their pregnancies to term in order to use the fetus as evidence for a sexual assault trial.

House Bill 206, introduced by state Rep. Cathrynn Brown (R), would charge a rape victim who ended her pregnancy with a third-degree felony for "tampering with evidence."
“Tampering with evidence shall include procuring or facilitating an abortion, or compelling or coercing another to obtain an abortion, of a fetus that is the result of criminal sexual penetration or incest with the intent to destroy evidence of the crime," the bill says.
Third-degree felonies in New Mexico carry a sentence of up to three years in prison.
Pat Davis of ProgressNow New Mexico, a progressive nonprofit opposing the bill, called it "blatantly unconstitutional" on Thursday.

“The bill turns victims of rape and incest into felons and forces them to become incubators of evidence for the state,” he said. “According to Republican philosophy, victims who are ‘legitimately raped’ will now have to carry the fetus to term in order to prove their case.“
The bill is unlikely to pass, as Democrats have a majority in both chambers of New Mexico's state legislature.

  Brown said in a statement Thursday that she introduced the bill with the goal of punishing the person who commits incest or rape and then procures or facilitates an abortion to destroy the evidence of the crime.

“New Mexico needs to strengthen its laws to deter sex offenders,” said Brown. “By adding this law in New Mexico, we can help to protect women across our state.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/24/new-mexico-abortion-bill_n_2541894.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Oh My Good Lord...

Somewhere in this world, this little boy is recovering from multiple major surgeries. This little guy got beat up, cut open, and severely damaged. Why was this poor little boy beat to death? He knew his attackers, the men who tried forcing him into begging. It is quite popular in India, and the only reason we know about this is because of the brave souls over there who have the courage to report this and try to make things right.

This seven year old boy was tricked by his neighbors, beat up by his fathers friends, and was found, practically dead, by his mother. Four men had surrounded the 7-year-old boy, bound his hands and feet and cracked open his head with a brick. They held him down and took a switchblade to his throat. They sliced his chest and belly in an upside down cross. And in a final brutal act, they hacked him sideways, chopping off his penis and his right testicle.

These men are did a horrible act. There are millions of people out in this world that do this to poor, innocent children, just so they can be greedy and take all the money. They are selfish, horrid people. They intentionally beat up children and dismantle them so people feel sorry for them and give them more money.

The only reason we know about this story is because of a human rights activist. She saw how this man was helpless to his child, and how wrongly the system  is in India. Some "uncle" reported that this all happened with a school boy. The police believed only the uncle's story, and not the fathers. Honestly, what kind of seven year old boys are able to smash open heads and carry around switchblades?

So, thanks to technology, this lucky little boy is alive, and somewhat living a normal life.


wwws.cnn.com/2012/12/06/world/freedom-project-operation-hope/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Rape: Social Media's Role In It

 

Images and messages posted to social media that appear to depict the sexual abuse of a girl in Steubenville, Ohio, have been taken out of context, the attorney for one of the teenagers charged in the incident said Friday. "One of the main concerns we have is that this matter has been, by special interest groups all over the world, tried in the court of public opinion," said Walter Madison, the attorney for defendant Ma'lik Richardson. Richardson and another 16-year-old member of the town's highly regarded football team, Trent Mays, are charged with raping the girl at a series of back-to-school parties in August. Mays also is charged with "illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material." Although the teenagers are juveniles, CNN is identifying them because they have been publicly named by a juvenile court judge, by defense attorneys and in media accounts. CNN is not identifying the girl, who also is a juvenile, in accordance with its policy not to release the names of alleged rape victims. Special prosecutors from the state attorney general's office allege the teens repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl while she was unconscious.

The case gained national attention after The New York Times reported on it in December and an activist hacker group this week posted a previously unpublicized video of teenagers in the small Ohio River valley town cracking jokes about the case. The controversy has shaken the city, with some residents accusing outsiders of trying to ruin the reputation of the town's high school football team, one of the few bright spots in the economically depressed community of 18,000.

Early hearings in criminal cases often hinge on the prosecution showing it has sufficient evidence for the case to go forward, not to prove a defendant's innocence.

Madison said more information will come out at trial, which is scheduled for February 13.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, whose office is investigating and prosecuting the case, declined Friday on "Starting Point" to say if anyone else could be charged in the case.

But, he said, investigators are continuing to follow leads.

On Thursday, the police chief who initially investigated the case before the Jefferson County prosecutor asked state officials to step in said he's puzzled why no one intervened in the alleged assault. "Why didn't somebody stop it?" Steubenville police Chief William McCafferty said. "You simply don't do that. ... It's not done."

The case has attracted the attention of bloggers and even Anonymous, a loosely organized cooperative of activist hackers. Anonymous has released information about the town and the football team, and is threatening to release more unless everyone comes clean about what happened that August night.

"The town of Steubenville has been good at keeping this quiet and their star football team protected," an Anonymous member wearing the group's trademark Guy Fawkes mask says in a video posted to the group's LocalLeaks website.The organization, he says, will not allow "a group of young men who turn to rape as a game or sport get the pass because of athletic ability or small-town luck."

The girl was assaulted the night of Saturday, August 11, and early the next morning, according to authorities.

 Involved, according to authorities, were members of the Steubenville High School football team, popular among many in the small, down-on-its-luck town along the banks of the Ohio River.

Police got involved on August 14, when the girl's mother reported the alleged assault, according to McCafferty, the police chief. The family provided a zip drive showing a Twitter page, possibly with a photo, the chief told CNN. A kidnapping charge was dropped by the juvenile court judge at a probable cause hearing last October, said McCafferty and Adam Nemann, who is Mays' attorney.

I don’t think that everyone has all their “cookies”. The whole thing seems very suspicious to me. You shouldn’t protect some guys who decided to gang-rape a girl. That’s just plain wrong. Why in the bloody hell would you go rape a girl, that you know, and then let all your friends do it too. This just sickens me.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/04/justice/ohio-rape-online-video/index.html?hpt=hp_c1