Memphis Loses Huge Lead

Memphis Loses Huge Lead

By Nick Daniel

        

Chris Paul (front) driving around Zach Randolph (#50)

The Memphis Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Clippers are locked in a nail biting playoff series. On Sunday, the Memphis Grizzlies collapsed in the fourth quarter and let the Los Angeles Clippers come back from a 27 point deficit, ending the game on a 28-3 run. A major collapse like that can't happen from a playoff team! Losing that game lost the Grizzlies home court advantage. If a payoff team has a game in their control, they shouldn't lose control of the game. If a team does that, they don't deserve to be in the playoffs! Memphis has a chance to redeem themselves on Wednesday. Memphis fell in love with outside jumpers, and didn't play aggressive defense at the end of the game. Memphis gave the Clippers a ladder to climb out of the hole they built for  themselves. If Memphis doesn't finish well, they are going to be swepted by the Clippers. They need to get their head in the game. Something like just shouldn't happen! Memphis needs to fix their mistakes and win the second game of the series, or they are done for! Memphis just took a nap at the end of Sunday's game, they went into a coma. The Clippers just chipped away at the lead, and the Grizzlies let them. When Reggie Evans had that wide open lay-up, Zach Randolph didn't play aggressive, he just let him lay it in. Zach Randolph should have tied him up. Nick Young, acquired at the trade deadline by the Clippers, didn't shoot 50% in a game until his 17^th game as a Clipper. And in a span of one minute he hit three three pointers from the right corner. Then later in the game, the Grizzlies had a chance to win it, down one with eight seconds left. Rudy Gay had the ball, but instead of taking a quick shot so the Grizzlies could get the ball back if it was a miss, he let the seconds tick off the clock and put up a horrible shot. The Grizzlies got comfortable, and Clippers snuck on them and took the game right away from them!  On fan said "I was shocked that this happened, how can you lose a 27 point lead in the playoffs". Another basketball fan commented "Now the Clippers have the momentum in their favor". Memphis lost their momentum, now the Clippers have the advantage. A playoff team has to stay alert at all times, or they won't go far in the playoffs. For more info click on this link: http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2012/04/30/dont-go-to-sleep-on-the-clippers/#more-29322

Length: 431 words

Are doctors underpaid?

     Are doctors underpaid?

By Claire Ricketts

Doctor's get a high salary. Is it enough?

    We think of them as the most highly paid members of our society. If someone says they one day want to be rich, we say, “Become a brain surgeon.” No one ever mentions becoming a banker (even though you can make quite a bit of money from that too). So, even though they are paid mass amounts of money, and are trusted members of our community, some are complaining that they don’t feel compensated enough.
    Some people feel that this is obvious. After going to years and years of college and medical school, having low-paying internships, and complicated residencies, many people feel the high salary isn’t worth it. Student loans that take years to pay off don’t feel like much of a victory to most, even with the mass amounts of money.
    Many citizens in the community don't agree, however. Ashley Pun, a student in the Beaverton school district, says "I think [doctors] are overpaid, because everyone says "You should be a doctor when you grow up!" because that's how you make a lot of money." Emily, a fellow peer, says "I think they're fairly paid. I've always pictured doctors as these really rich men and women who get paid a ton of money. They shouldn't be selfish and want more." However, no one said they thought doctors were underpaid. Maybe that's because they don't have experience with the student loans, or because they don't know the extent of all the good work that doctors do for us. And, as Emily put it, many think they are being selfish.
    Despite the fact that medical education hasn’t changed for a while, this is a relatively new complaint. In fact, in the year 1985, a survey was done, and medical doctors were said to be the #1 overpaid people out of any job in the U.S. However, this complaint was made by people in other professions, so they may have had less information about the complicated loan system and seemingly endless years of schooling. Still, how could one of the highest-paying jobs in the world leave people disappointed?
     The problem of unsatisfied doctors may blow over, and many hope it will. The happier our doctors are, the more likely they are to want to treat people and to continue to benefit our community to the fullest.

Word count: 388

Skateboarding fine

Andre Stoltzus & his Fine

Skateboarding fine
Skateboarder Andre Stoltzus was skateboarding after school doing cool stunts and tricks on his Skateboard  at union square on a tuesday afternoon. Later on he went to the other side of the square when he was caught and got a ticket. The ticket was for $100 and another for $1,000 for reckless skateboarding. His skateboard was then confiscated. Stoltzus was first skating on the steps at the south side of the park by 14th St., but then moved to the north side of the park. When he was then grabbed by an undercover officer he allegedly grabbed the youth's shoulder and tried to force him into an unmarked van. Stoltzus was not cooperate since the officers were not in uniform and the car was not marked. The cop said he was going to give the skateboard tho his son. The PEP are just like cops but do not carry guns. The PED said they stopped Andre four times before they gave him a ticket but it was not on record. The Park Enforcement Patrol and police officers are going to start cracking down on skateboarders who “grind” on the plaza's stair railings, do tricks on the granite steps or do other sorts of street skating that may be considered illegal. The Stoltzus family will now have to pay for a lawyer to help them. a Parks spokesperson, confirmed the summonses had been dismissed. “We asked them not to pursue it, and that was the case, based on our request,” The deputy commissioner said Parks is not anti-skateboarding, but there are places to do it and not to do it. Union Square — which has new steps and rails that can be chipped by street-style skating tricks — is one of the latter. “No Skateboarding” signs are posted, but may be a bit high up. Andre Stoltzus will now help them at the design table to make new ideas.

By Konner Layman
Word Count 316

Baby foot with medication with tubes because being exposed to 

 

prescription drugs

Babies being born exposed to prescription drugs

            The cries of babies are bouncing of the wall at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in the need of prescription drugs. Nearly half of the newborn babies at the hospital NICU are suffering from prescription drugs withdrawal.      

            Knoxville hospital has been dealing with a dramatic increase of newborns with NAS. NAS is a withdrawal process a newborn baby goes through after in utero expose to certain medications. The medication used during pregnancy can pass through the placental to the baby. When the baby is born the baby does not have access to the drugs and likely will go through withdrawal. The worst drug oxycodone is the worst for babies suffering from NAS.

            The babies suffering from withdrawal are easily agitated, cry constantly ,and many cannot be near sound and light. They also may have a high-pitched cry, tightening of the muscles and seizures. Tennessee they have more babies with NAS because they overuse of prescription pain medication.

            In a survey it proves that a third of pregnant woman are addicted to prescription pain meds. The babies with NAS have doubled since 2010.  

            The addiction of these woman have teared up families in Eastern Tennessee.

            Attorney Susan Kovac said “In Knox country we’re drowning , we’ve seen the number of children in foster care increase by almost 50% over the last few years and that’s just the tip of the iceberg because were trying to keep the children out of foster care. We’ve got lots and lots of relatives who are raising drug-exposed infants”.

            “We come and talk to the mom and try to find out what’s the level of her abuse, what’s the level of her addiction, and what can we do to get her clean so she can be in the position to take care of her baby” said attorney Susan Kovac.

            There are two areas were they focus on: environmental and medicinal. Last year the hospital created wing of private rooms that is quitter, darker and easy to control the massive influx of babies suffering from drug withdrawal.

http://www.drugfree.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Baby-foot-hospital-5-1-12-2.jpg(photo)
www.cnn.com (information for my article)

By: Liset Morales
Word Count:358

All about the decreasing gas prices.

gas chart in US

Gas prices falling 4 cents per gallon in the US. Michael says, "The increasing gas prices are not helping the Economy. People are forced to pay more to drive and it's not like they can just stop driving cars. It's part of their lives an if we don't stop using up the oil, soon enough we won't have any oil at all. The economy is getting better but I predict it is going to get bad."

 Sergio (the writer of this article) says"  I agree with Michael that the gas prices are probably going to go up because the population is going up and we need more fossil fuels and we are going to run out." Jonah says "THE GAS PRICES ARE EXPENSIVE! Erik says" I think it's bad because nobody wants to pay a lot for gas.

"Sean says "I think its terrible because we should use the money for more important stuff like stimulating the economy. Callen says "I think gas prices are rising because of supply and demand. Fossil fuels are being reduced and so people have to pay more. Gas prices shouldn’t be reduced because it encourages people to use electric cars and biking and other "green" things.

Gasoline prices hit $4 today at some Indianapolis stations. And in China they are looking to increase the price of gas by a good amount, enough to get peopl mad.

Jeremy says," I think that if you imagine the amount of cars getting gas and the prices gas nowadays, it is a reasonable amount since the amount of gas people are getting is, if you think about it, a really huge amount. The people selling the gas also have to buy the gas from other companies and that price is getting high as well.

 by sergio menezes 300 words

Are kids too young to be vegan?

Are kids too Young To Be Vegan?

By Madelin Ramos 

I read an article last week about Veganism on CNN called “Are kids too young to understand Veganism?”. This article talked about how Ruby Roth wrote a book called “Vegan is Love”. This article made me think about Veganism in general, first off what is a vegan? A vegan is a person kinda like a vegetarian but they take it to the extreme. Vegans don’t eat, drink or wear anything that comes from an animal. There are about 1 million vegans in the United States (and it keeps growing). This article was asking if kids are too young to be vegan, are they? Well I went around asking people i know what they think about vegans and and Andrea H. said “I find vegans interesting/different, I don’t agree with people being vegan.”. Becky R said “Personally I don’t agree with the choice but it should be a child's choice if they want to be vegan the should have to be vegan just cause their family is.” I agree with both of them i don't agree with it but someone should not be forced to be vegan it should be their choice what they want. Some people say that when a child is vegan it makes them consider the harm to animals that are raised for consumption. And others say that making your kid go vegan is not good. Some kids just go vegan because they know that the diet helps you lose weight faster. Most people though do it because they are an animal lover and the want to make a difference. So going vegan should really be your own choice no matter if you are a child or an adult.

Andrew Luck being sued by card company

Andrew Luck being sued by card company

The Leaf Trading Card causing the legal dispute with Andrew Luck

 

On April 24, 2012 two days before the NFL Draft, Leaf Trading Cards LLC sued upcoming number one pick Andrew Luck saying "they have the right to produce his trading card." Andrew Luck disagreed with that statement. He believed that Leaf Trading Cards LLC should have never taken unauthorized pictures or made any trading cards with his name on it.

         Leaf Trading Cards LLC took the pictures of Andrew Luck back in 2008 when he participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio when he was a High School Senior. Andrew Luck had no knowledge of Leaf Trading Cards LLC taking those pictures and apparently he did not even know that Leaf Trading Cards LLC even existed.

         Sergio Menezes of Stoller Middle School says "Leaf Trading Company LLC should have never sued Andrew Luck because in is not necessary and both parties both have bigger issues to deal with then suing each other." "Vladik Katin of Stoller Middle School says, "I think that it is very wrong that Leaf Trading Cards LLC is suing Andrew Luck because it should be the players decision whether or not people take pictures of him." Jeremy Oh of Stoller Middle School says "I am against Leaf Trading Cards LLC because Andrew Luck verbally said that he didn't want his picture on the trading card so they should respect his opinion." All of the interviewed people agreed that it is wrong to be sued for such a small reason.

         This incident is often compared to when Bryant Mckinnie of the  Baltimore Ravens got sued for 4.3 million dollars for not paying back a loan. Although the two incidents are not related business wise, they are compard because Andrew Luck and Bryant Mckinnie are both NFL players. In the upcoming weeks, we will find out how much Andrew Luck is being sued for.

 Sources: www.usatoday.com, www.cbssports.com      

By: Jonah Han

       Word Count: 319

BCS: They get it right

BCS: They get it right

By Ryan Kister

I wish I was a fly on the wall listening to the 12 people in room 303 on floor 3 in the Westin Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, Florida. This is where the BCS made history last week. The 11 FBS commissioners and the Notre Dame’s athletic director hammered out a 4- team playoff.

"They were aware of the historical significance," says BCS executive director Bill Hancock. "It was done very thoughtfully. They knew."

↑The winner gets the Coaches Trophy↑

One will play four and two will play three. The four highest-ranked teams have a chance! That's a definite improvement on what we have now.  It was originally the #1 and #2 seeds in the BCS poll that week.

No more frustrated teams, athletic departments, or alumni like Auburn’s (12-0, #3, 2004) Cincinnati’s and TCUs (both 12-0 in 2009, ranked #3 and #4 respectfully) and no more Boise State (13-0, in 2010) missing an opportunity to prove themselves the best.  With the new system, all of these teams would have had an opportunity to participate in the bowl championship bracket and possibly proving that they were the number one team.

The scheduling is simple. The semifinals will be played on January 1^st, no matter what day of the week it is. The championship will be a week later, so students won’t miss class.  No more worrying for parents and academician! 

Some people think that the #1 and #2 get to host the semifinals in the bowls they’re attached to now. If the top ranked team is from the Big 12, the Fiesta bowl will hold one. If the top-ranked team is from the SEC, the Sugar Bowl will get one, and so on.  This could not be further from the truth. 

“The most unfair part of the BCS bowls is that they're never north. They're always in the SPF 50 towns. It's unfair to teams like Ohio State and Notre Dame, teams that are built for the snow and the wind and the 4-yard nose-bending gain, to always have to go south to win titles. So we fix that right now,” says Rick Riley, ESPN columnist.

The last 5 venues for the National Championship were: the Louisiana Superdome, Dolphin Stadium, the Rose Bowl, University of Phoenix Stadium, and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, which are located in the southern part(s) of the United States.

The BCS got it right.

Some things still need to be worked out. The BCS directors are going to decide whether to keep the formula, revise it, or use a selection committee. The BCS is also going to use the same system as last year with one exception: no computers. You don’t want the same piece of technology that creates viruses picking your college football champ?

World's Worst Villians... DEAD

Osama Bin Laden... alive...

OSAMA BIN LADEN.....DEAD!

By Emily Purkey

Bin Laden’s death was a worldwide phenomenon that affected millions in  horrifically exciting ways! Bin Laden was the leader of the tragic 9-11 scene that killed millions and left millions more with out their loved ones. Bin Laden was a bad terrorist. He didn’t only cause 9-11 he also caused many other terrible events. In 1991 he set up training camps in Sudan where several terrorist attacks on the west are reportedly planned. During five years in the country he also began looking for nuclear weapons to use for attacks. He also was blamed for the bombing of American military housing in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 US citizens.

It was devastating when the twin towers fell, people were screaming while jumping out of the collapsing buildings. Thousands witnessed the death of millions as the plane crashed into the buildings catching them on fire. The whole world hit a realization point that the United States of America may be a threat to terrorist because our people have freedom and our Government has nuclear weapons.

Believe it or not Bin Laden had a daughter that witnessed his death. It was an accelerating event that needs to be described in full detail. The special SWAT team entered the area where Bin Laden was hiding out. They scoped out the area until they found him. They busted down the door while Bin Laden’s daughter was screaming and Bin Laden was too surprised to even run. They aimed, fired, and in one brief second one of the world’s most hated terrorists were dead. One SWAT member took his daughter and held her back while she kicked and screamed horrifically. They dragged him out of the building eyes open struck with fear and regret. Seeing her father’s dead corpse being dragged out of the building hit her like an anchor and she knew she lost her father forever. We know the he was more of a criminal than a father though, all of America knows. We should be thankful for those brave SWAT members who risked their lives to kill one of the WORLD’S worst villains.

Osama Bin Laden.

Word count: 354

Steven Adlers Final words on Axl Rose

Steven Adler at the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame concert

Steven Adlers Final words on Axl Rose
By:JacobMichel

    Its December, former Guns n’ Roses drummer Steven Adler still has hopes of a reunion with his four former GNR bandmates. Adler was hoping Rose would consider a reunion concert with his former bandmates at their induction into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Those hopes were erased when Rose declined induction to the hall of fame. Adler says he wants to move on with his life. He and his new band “Adler” plan to release their debut LP this year, as well as hitting the road on a tour. Adler says, ”Thats done. That's totally out of my system”. Adler also says in Roses letter “He showed his true colors to the world”. Basiclaly what Rose said in his letter, “I don’t care about you guys (the fans), I don’t even care about what you think”. Adler says, "The world needs a new rock and roll band, and we're just the guys (his new band Adler), to do it“. Although Axl Declined induction to the Hall of Fame, he was still able to reunite with former bandmates, Slash and Duff Mckagan. His comment on fill in singer Myles Kennedy “Myles Kennedy did a fabulous job”. Adler feels a big weight has been lifted off his shoulders with his final words on Rose.

Word Count: 226

Information from: http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/23/showbiz/music/steven-adler-axl-rose-done-rs/index.html

Five Men Who Plotted to Blow up Bridge By Jeremy Oh Jeremy Oh Jeremy Oh Jeremy Oh Jeremy Oh Jeremy Oh

Five men who plotted to blow up bridge

By Jeremy Oh

Five men tried to blow up a bridge about 15 miles south of Cleveland, the FBI said. Douglas L. Wright, joined Brandon L. Baxter and Anthony Hayne in a plot that authorities say honed in on the Brecksville Northfield High Level Bridge that spans the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and carries a four-lane highway. They were arrested on Monday evening in an FBI sting, but posed no real danger to the public because the explosives were inert and were controlled by an undercover FBI agent, the bureau said in a statement. The men have been charged with conspiracy and attempted use of explosive materials to damage physical property affecting interstate commerce. Connor C. Stevens and Joshua S. Stafford, were also arrested. Their charges are pending.
"Clearly this was a sting operation," said Fran Townsend, a CNN National Security contributor, describing the use of at least one covert agent in the operation. The men allegedly conspired to acquire C-4 explosives and build two improvised explosive devices to be remotely detonated. At first, the men had considered using smoke grenades to distract local law enforcement in an effort to "topple financial institution signs atop high rise buildings." Officials said. Court documents say three of the suspects are self-proclaimed anarchists who formed a small group and considered a series of plots over several months.

The Five Men Who Tried To Blow up Bridge

    "The safety of the citizens of the Northern District of Ohio is and continues to be our primary focus," Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Division of the FBI, said in a statement Tuesday.
    "The individuals charged in this plot were intent on using violence to express their ideological views. The Joint Terrorism Task Force will continue to be vigilant in its efforts to detect and disrupt any terrorism threat, domestic or international," Anthony said. It is unknown if the bridge incident was connected to Occupy Wall Street's plans for nationwide protests Tuesday.

Word Count:339

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/01/justice/ohio-bridge-arrests/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/01/5-arrested-for-allegedly-trying-to-blow-up-ohio-bridge/

Beautiful or Ugly?

Beautiful or Ugly?

By Ryan Kister

The Pittsburgh Steelers wanted to celebrate 80 years of their NFL career. They won’t hold anything back with their uniforms.

The Steelers are bringing back their uniform from 1934. It didn’t help; the Steelers had only 2 wins in only 12 games. They looked interesting doing it.

The jersey is covered in black and yellow stripes and the socks also have the yellow stripes. The pants are a light brown.

This is the Steelers throwback uniforms

“We wanted to use a jersey that we wore early in our history as we celebrate our 80th season," Steelers president Art Rooney II told the team's official website. "We have never used those jerseys since the 1934 season, and I think our fans will be excited to see our players wear them in action this year."

James Harrison, a Steelers linebacker, tweeted "It's 2012 now though, so send them back!!!"

The NFL just switched uniforms from Reebok to Nike. Now the Steelers have a lot of jerseys to choose from. Here's the reaction from Twitter, which was mainly negative:

WrecklessLove: I hope they kept the receipt.

Rastas4Jesus09: Ugliest thing on the planet. Looks like the Browns finally beat us in something.

JasonMcCulla: Looks like they used the yellow and brown from the Denver Broncos throwbacks of last year.

Spectre14: Put some antennae on the helmet and a stinger on the back of their belt and the look is complete.

Ksick2: Those unis make Baylor's camo catastrophe look sexy.

Pjdesantisusc: Represents the old-fashioned uniforms, seems very homemade. I think they're cool. Pittsburgh has always been blue collar!

Stevembk: Better looking than the current Bengals uniform.

Eaglescouch: Suddenly feel better about Eagles throwback yellow unis!

WR Antonio Brown told Steelers.com that the Steelers’ new throwback uniforms make a statement. “It's something special that the 1934 team wore it,” Brown said. “You have to appreciate the value of what a Steelers uniform means. It's not about the look; it's all about the tradition and the history behind it.”

Source: Steelers.com

Word Count: 332

Saints general manager eavsdropping

Saints general manager eavsdropping 
                                                 
    My topic is on the Saint’s General Manager Mickey Loomis, and how he eavesdropped on other teams at his home field.  I went and interviewed a few people, starting off with Ben Teeter.  Ben’s opinion of the situation was that if Mickey Loomis knew about it then it was his fault.  Ben also said that Mickey Loomis should be fined, but not suspended.  The next person I interviewed was Jake Montgomery.  Jake said that Mickey Loomis should be suspended for the acts that he did.  He felt that they should get all of the games in the seasons that they had eavesdropped taken away.  He also said that any awards or trophies they earned should be taken away.  My opinion on the situation that occurred is that he knew about what was happening so he should be fined and then suspended for the acts that he did.  I also think that Mickey Loomis should be fired for his actions, because it is not fair to the other teams that play in the league.  It is an advantage over the other team and can be seen as cheating.  The device in the Saints superdome was able to listen to the visiting teams coaches and players.  It allowed them to hear their plays and strategies on how to win the game.  This is not the first time that the Saints have cheated.  The Saints have used a bounty program where coaches or other players give incentive money for players to knock specific players out of the game.  For those actions the Saints head coach received a season long suspension.  The head coach cannot do anything, negotiate, or have any contact with the team for the whole season. More suspensions have occurred with specific players in the bounty program. Some of the coach’s words were “I knew it was going on, I knew it was wrong, and I should have stopped it when it was going on.” He also said that it was my fault and I am sorry for all the players that have gotten hurt, because of the bounty program that we have used.  Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, said,    “The Saints players embraced the bounty program.”
By Jared Reed


Word Count: 373

Michael Jordan Owns the Worst Team in the NBA

Michael Jordan Owns the Worst Team in the NBA

Michael Jordan as owner

            The Charlotte Bobcats broke the record for the worst winning percentage this year. They beat the 76ers old percentage of .110 with a percentage of .106. You would assume the they wouldn’t have a very good owner because of this, but you might be surprised. Their owner is actually the one and only Michael Jordan! He is one of the most famous and one of the best players ever! It is very surprising that the team he owns has the worst record in the NBA.

Michael Jordan led his team, the Chicago Bulls, when he played for them and helped them get the best record in the NBA, 72-10. He has won many awards from the NBA including the NBA champion 6 times, scoring champion 10 times, steals leader 3 times, minute leader 3 times, NBA all-star 14 times, NBA finals most valuable player 6 times, NBA rookie of the year, NBA slam dunk contest winner 2 times, and many more.

Most people would think that since Michael Jordan did so well when he was playing, he would be the owner of a really good team, not the worst team in the NBA.  Larry Brown, the coach of the Bobcats says  "He needs more people around him who he has respect for who are not afraid to tell him what's right. That's the one thing I'm disappointed in." Jordan fired Brown though in 2010. "My success will be judged differently ... I've come to accept I'll be scrutinized more than any other owner,'' Jordan said. "I know now that I have to have a tough skin about these things.'' He really is trying to make them a better team  tough, everyone on their team is saying that they have a plan but they aren’t telling anybody it.

The Bobcats best player, Corey Maggette, was out for half the season due to injuries. Many other players also were out because of injuries so they were forced to play some of their rookies like Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo who have had barely any practice time. The Bobcats weren’t hoping for much at the beginning of the season, but expected nothing as bad as this.

A similar thing happened with the 76ers in 1972-73. Their record was 9-73. They were having a few bad years, but that was by far the worst. The year before their record was 30-52, not that great, but a lot better than 9-73. After 1972-73 things started to get better and their records went up. The next year it was 27-57, year after 34-48, year after 46-36. Then, the next year they made it all the way to the NBA finals and lost with a record of 50-32.

So, we know that it is possible to go from terrible to great in just 4 years! The Charlotte Bobcats are keeping their hopes up because they have the best chance of getting the first pick in the draft next year. Some fans have lost hope in the Bobcats, but the true, loyal fans are still cheering and will be there to help them come up from the bottom!

Alexa Kerprich

Word Count: 524

Minivan sized Meteor blows up over California, more to come?

This is a rare photo of the minivan sized meteor that exploded over the California and Nevada border.

An explosion on the California-Nevada border early on Sunday, April 22 has been confirmed to be a minivan sized meteor. According to Bill Cooke, director of NASA’s Meteroid Enviroment Office, the meteor weighed around 154,300 lbs or over 75 tons. It was soaring through the sky at 34,000 mph and generating energy equivalent to an explosion of 3.8kilotons of TNT or a 5-kiloton explosion. “Elizabeth Silber at Western University has searched for infrasound signals from the explosion,” Cooke told SpaceWeather.com. “Infrasound is very low frequency sound which can travel great distances. There were strong signals at two stations, enabling a triangulation of the energy source at 37.6N, 120.5W.”

The meteor blew up several hundred miles east of San Francisco and was reported to have let off a sonic boom, shaking houses around the Sierra Nevada mountain range from Central California to Reno, Nevada. “The fact that a sonic boom was heard means that the meteor penetrated very low in the atmosphere, which means it had a speed of less than 15 kilometers per second (about 34,000 mph)” Cooke told SpaceWeather.com.

While the meteor was in the Earth’s atmosphere, the pictures or videos that have been taken of this rare moment, you see a white looking ‘glow’ around it. The explanation of that ‘glow’ is that the meteor is moving so fast through the air that it’s turning the air white.

This meteor has been estimated to be one of the largest to strike the Earth’s atmosphere in recent years.
The meteor is a primitive kind of rock that dates back to 4 to 5 billion years ago.

Peter Jenniskens of NASA’s Ames Research Center quotes,“Our goal is to determine the orbit of the meteor and to understand how it fell apart when entering the Earth’s atmosphere.”

People near where the meteor was seen are starting to look for little pieces of the meteor that broke off during its flight. The meteorites landed not far from Sutter’s Mill in El Dorado County, CA the same place where gold was discovered in the 19th century, starting up the Gold Rush. Jenniskens thinks of finding the meteorites is like the Gold Rush, “I think John A. Sutter must have felt the same way when he found the first gold nugget back in January of 1848.”
“I think this is a reminder that space is not an empty place, it’s full history, and all kind of left over’s from when the Earth and all the other planets formed. There still flying around, and there’s no doubt that they won’t come down.” Corey Powell, Editor in Chief Discover Magazine.

-Eva Driscol
Word Count 434

Fatal Decisions

Fatal Decisions

 

Golden Gate Bridge

Aokigahara Forest

 

 

 

 

Suicide, a topic many find disturbing and unimaginable. But for some it's a constant worry. The Golden gate bridge in California is an architectural masterpiece, but it has a grave reputation as being the worlds #1 suicide hotspot. Over 1,200 people have ended their life by jumping off this bridge. As compared to the worlds 2^nd suicide hotspot, the Aokigahara forest in Japan. Around 600 Japanese business men have walked in, and never walked back out. For both hotspots unemployment and debt were of the highest reasons for making the fatal decision. 

California's Bay Area transportation committee voted July 28 to appropriate $5 million in federal funds to engineer and design a suicide barrier, a stainless-steel net. The net will hang 20 ft. below the bridge to catch and cocoon jumpers in midair. The Golden Gate suicides were brought to a new level of attention at the release of the documentary The Bridge, in which a camera was placed to capture the last decisions of so many people. Ms. Meyer, the suicide hot line manager, said the government must also act immediately to help those in economic despair. “We have noticed many more people mentioning the economy.” 

While this bridge has a plan to save lives, the Aokigahara government has made no attempts to stop the suicides besides measly little signs. These signs say things like," Your life is a precious gift from your parents," and "Please consult the police before you decide to die!" "We've got everything here that points to us being a death spot. Perhaps we should just promote ourselves as 'Suicide City' and encourage people to come here," the exasperated mayor of Aokigahara has been quoted as saying. Aokigahara is considered the most haunted location in all of Japan, a purgatory for yurei, the unsettled ghosts of Japan who have been torn unnaturally soon from their lives and who howl their suffering on the winds. Spiritualists say that the trees themselves are filled with a violent energy, accumulated from centuries of suicides. They don't want you to leave the forest. 

Combined these beautiful places see around 80 deaths each year. The installment of the suicide net on the Golden Gate bridge will nearly cut the death toll in half. As for the Aokigahara forest, it's up for the people to decide. Quoting Ms. Meyers “Suicide is an attempt to stop pain,” she said, and is not always caused by mental illness, which she called a misperception. “That pain can be emotional, physical or economic.”

Anthony Simmons       Word count= 421

Woman Found with over 50 Rabbits

Woman Found with over 50 Rabbits: By Mallory Hoffbeck

Last year in Virginia Beach, California, on the 2100 block of Wolfsnare Road, a woman’s house was found filled with rabbits. On Thursday, her neighbors reported a putrid smell coming from her house. The county police  arrived to find that the house was filled with more than 50 rabbits. Firemen were called, and the woman was taken to the police department.

After dressing in hazmat suits, the firemen proceed to capture the animals by hand. They found that two of the rabbits were dead, and some showed signs of sickness. Animal control supervisor, Megan Conti. says “Most of the rabbits appear healthy. There are some, a few that are concerning. Like I said. we will assess those as we get them to the shelter. It’s just been more trying to contain them and remove them at this point.” The county firemen were having extreme difficulties catching the rabbits because they are so nimble.

The fire officials are unsure whether they should take condemn the house because of the smell and conditions inside of it. The police were called because the neighbors complained about the smell, so the odor is pretty extreme. This makes it likely that the house will be taken.

The woman who owned the rabbits may be brought up on animal abuse charges.The police are unsure if any charges will be pressed. but as of now none have been, and it appears as though none will be.

word count: 251

Windstorm come out of nowhere and hits Turkey

Windstorm comes out of nowhere and hits Turkey.

By Callen Guillory

April 27, 2012. Period 3 Media Literature

Terrified people stranded on boat

In Istanbul, Turkey A terrible windstorm ruins many lives. about 100 people were injured and many affected in other ways. These devastating winds blasted the roofs off of about 350 buildings around Istanbul. The wind was measured to be 62 miles per hour. 5 people have been reported dead and 5 in life-threatening condition.

In the waters next to the coast, a group of people on a yacht had to jump off the boat because of the flames that were climbing all over. The harsh winds caused the fire to spread dangerously fast and put the group in a really bad position. Luckily, local fishing boats came to rescue the bunch. Thankfully nobody was harmed.

blinding sandstorm and harsh winds.

The country is having to cancel flights because this event. 43 flights have had to be canceled. They have also had to close several bridges over the Bosphorus.

   
In the Central Anatolian province the strong winds blew a tile off of a roof and hit a 51-year-old women straight in the head. A while later, a bus carrying spanish tourists hit a cargo truck injuring 34 people. This was caused when the sandstorm caused the bus to have very little vision and the truck appeared to "come out of nowhere".

about 600 hectares of land was burned from just a small spark in electricity transmission lines. The raging winds caused the fire to spread extremely fast in the forest. These fires were devastating and destroyed the habitats of more than 100 different species.


word count: 250

Should Israel and Iran go to war?

Should Israel and Iran go to war?

 By:Vladik Katin

Explosion during the Vietnam War

Russia warns Israel not to attack Iran, they think it would be bad and played down failure of a U.N. nuclear agency mission to Tehran. Countries think if anybody attacked Iran it would send the middle east into a bigger war, and gas prices would be really high like they are now, but even higher. Iran wants material for use to make fuel from Bushehr nuclear power plant but the U.S. disagrees and will not let them get the materials because they think Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb. The Haaretz newspaper says it would be a bad mistake for Iran to build a bomb, and that they don’t think Iran will go the extra mile, which means they don't think they will do it because they might be attacked . Iran says if it feels endangered or threatened it will attack. Other countries like Russia, and China and many more have tried to come up with a solution with Iran, but The discussion has been frozen for more then a year. They still think they can revive the conversation, in other case try to have another discussion with Iran to come up with a solution. The conversation has not happened yet, but the U.S will strike Iran by the end of this year has dropped to 28 percent from 33 percent. I think nobody should attack or should Iran build a nuclear bomb because if they do the gas prices would be higher and people might not be able to afford it which will lead to other problems. We know that Iran or Israel will not attack in the year of 2012.

Word Count 275

House prices gowning up or crashing down

House prices going up or crashing down

by Sergio Menezes

house prices over the years

    How soon will it be before people finally start using the term "depression" to describe what has happened to the U.S. housing market? The real estate hasn't this bad since 2002.Home prices down nearly 33% since peaking in the summer of 2006. Meanwhile the U.S. Census Bureau says that the nation's homeownership rate has fallen to 66% - the lowest in seven years. Some suggest prices are down because more sellers are willing to accept the weak market conditions and lower their asking prices.

 Ms. Clements says, "The house prices are two fold. As a buyer its good because you get more for your money and have options and as a seller you can sell your house quickly. Also you don’t have worry that much because it’s a cheep market. For a buyer the interest rates are good but in mortgage contacts if you default and you can't pay for it because the economy is REALLY bad you're at a higher risk.

 A house that has 3 Beds, 2 Baths, Built in 1964, and 1,501 Square feet is one hundred sixteen thousand nine hundred dollars. "We still have 6 million homeowners who are late on their payments," said David Blitzer, spokesman for S&P. "We'll still have lots of foreclosures, which will depress prices." In Atlanta's housing market prices fell 17.3% year-over-year. In fact, U.S. housing prices have now fallen further during this economic downturn than they did during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

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