U.S. shivers as temps head lower

U.S. shivers as temps head lower
by Caitlin Canavati - Monday, 4 January 2010, 12:39 AM
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It looks like record breaking temps for the south! currently, temps are lowering and in places such as Alabama, northern florida, louisiana and Mississippi will see them go down to as low at the teens and 20's. temps could possibly get even colder which will come close to the standing records temps in these areas. some locations could see drops as much as 30 to 40 degrees, and in North Carolina it got all the way to 14 degrees breaking the record low of 18 degrees which was set in 1979. Typical temperatures for the north were recorded as minus seven in minnesota this week. However, Florida has been monitoring crops because if the temps get below 28 degrees it could cause serious damage. there is also concern for residents worrying that they take proper precautions to stay warm and heat their homes correctly. homeless people were also looking for shelter due the sudden frosty temps.

This is quite a shocking story to hear, however i have many relatives who call up alot to chat. they usually ask about the weather and how cold its getting, but recently they have been talking about how chilly it is down there and my aunt was saying how there was snow accumulation at one point. this is very unusual and i am very glad i did not take a trip down there to escape the cold and realize i was still in it!

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/weather/01/04/cold.weather/index.html

Fox says "Avatar" is costliest film it's ever made

Fox says 'Avatar' is costliest film it's ever made
by Caitlin Canavati - Monday, 7 December 2009, 10:40 PM
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Fox news has announced that Avatar, the new sci-fi movie that has come out has been their most expensive movie ever made, adding up to 300 million dollars to create. they company says it was money well spent and also say that the movie could even exceed the current most expensive movie ever made which is pirates of the carribean: at worlds end. the movie was extremely popular and is even available to watch in 3-D. the director, james cameron, had the idea in his head for over a decade.

i think this movie was definitely worth the money that went into producing it. i personally saw the movie and thought it was absolutely amazing with the special effects and couldnt imagine what it would be like in 3-D. the story line was also good so put it all together and it was a very successful movie. Cameron spent alot of time thinking of the idea and i think that the movie will make well over what was spent to make it and this will be a movie to remember.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/07/avatar.gianopulos/index.html?iref=allsearch

Jobs and Welfar Issue #2-Boosing the Minimum

Jobs and Welfare Issue #2-Boosting the Minimum
by Caitlin Canavati - Tuesday, 15 December 2009, 12:00 AM
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After fighting for highter minimum wage, recently it was raised to $7.25 from $5.15. This increase would bring many Americans who are living off salaries that are minimum wage to above the poverty line with the help of food stamps and Earned Income Tax Credit. In 2007, president Bush signed a large Iraq war funding bill which gave $4.8 billion of tax cuts to small businesses. However, minimum wage battles continue. It is morally unfair that full time workers who are making the minimum wage are living below the poverty line. Raising minimum wage is believed to greatly help out americans especially single mothers who struggle and have a hard time getting above the poverty line. If people made more money, they would have more money to spend, hence a boost in the economy and it will outweigh the negative effects of businesses raising prices to cover increased wages. also, the topic of tax cuts comes into play because they say that tax cuts should not have been tied into the new minimum wage because businesses have recieved such generous tax cuts already. Fighting back on the rise of minimum wage, it is suggested a poor idea because it is a weak weapon to fight poverty because its such a low number of the workforce being affected, and almost half of the people making minimum wage are teens, and not full time workers in poverty. Opponants also say that the raise of costs of doing business with lead to more job cuts and higher prices. the opponants also argue a more plausable solution to helping povery which is expanding the EITC that rewards workers with low income without interfering with the market.

In my opinion, i support the raise of minimum wage. i am one of those working teens who would like to get paid more than 5 bucks an hour for my labor. i also work for a small business, Dairy Queen North, which is privately owned, so i am also in support of small business tax cuts. from this job, i was able to see first had what its like to live completely off that income of a small business, and it's a difficult lifestyle, especially with the economy as it is right now. though it is correct that most people getting minimum wage are teens, many teens are responsible for paying for alot of the things they need. parents support may only go so far and they need money, especially when they are also in school and not working full time. with rising prices, it becomes hard to keep up with such a low income, therefore a rise in wage seems neccessary. George Bush also supported and agreed with raising minimum wage in an article titled "Bush Supports Rise In Minimum Wage + Tax Help"

Joes blog discusses issue #1- All Things Being Unequal

Jons blog discusses issue #3-Putting Welfare to Work

"Blind Side" No. 1 at box office

'Blind Side' No. 1 at box office
by Caitlin Canavati - Sunday, 6 December 2009, 11:11 PM
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Sandra Bullocks career at a high right now as her new movie the Blindside rose to the #1 spot at coming in second to New Moon. it recieved an A+ rating from cinemascore moviegoers, and critics say it should have no problem beating the proprosal's 164 million it made because the Blindside is already at 129.3 million and rising. this weekend the movie brought in 20.4 million which is where is passing New moon, who only brought in 15.7, but brought in a worldwide total of 570.1 million.

I recently saw the blindside and think that the reviews on it are very correct. this was a very touching and inspirational movie with a message. i would agree that Bullocks performance was phenomenal and deserves praise. this is a great movie to see with the family and i am not surprised its right up there with new moon.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/06/boxoffice.ew/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

Couple didn't crash White House dinner, husband says

Couple didn't crash White House dinner, husband says
by Caitlin Canavati - Tuesday, 1 December 2009, 10:53 PM


The Salahi couple has made headlines! this is a couple that successfully attended a white house party without being on the guestlist. unfortunately for them, this is bad news because they are being accused of crashing the white house party and are now paying many consequences. however, they completely deny that fact that they came univited. the president as well as secret service are worried about the security there and wonder how this could have happened. they have been investigated the salahis who had to cancel their appearance on the today show due to reports and investigations. mr. salahi states that the truth will come out soon enough.

i think that these people had to have crashed this party, and they are crazy for giving any other explanation. they were not on the guest list, and were not invited and were told they could not come, but decided to come anyways. i believe the security looks extremely faulty at this point and something such as this should never have been able to happen. something needs to be done to make sure that it doesnt happen again, because next time it could be a dangerous scenario.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/01/state.dinner.couple/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

Safe To Eat?

Right now, food-borne illnesses are rapidly increasing in the U.S. In 2006 there was a huge outbreak of E. coli from bagged spinach produced in California. This outbreak killed 3 people and 200 were made ill. Americans are trying to be healthier which is leading to more consumption of vegetables and fruit. However, when the produce is eaten raw, it leads to more bacterial infections. When many of these cases were happening people started to blame the FDA for not regulating the release of the food in the correct way. The FDA has allowed the industry to be self regulated therefore people believed this issue could have been avoided. Some people also think that there should be one agency in charge of America's food safety, yet others feel that plan would threaten businesses.

In my opinion, after these cases were coming about so rapidly why wouldnt the FDA get the hint that they need to step in and do something? i think that after 200 sick and 3 dead in one situation would be a big enough issue for them to change something. I think that the one agency idea is a good one. that way one orginization is dedicated to the safety of produce and can focus on that entirely. If the distributers were left in charge they may do anything to just make money meaning it would be risky for the sanitation of the food. Megan Johnson also agrees that food needs to be more regulated.

ISSUE #1 -Comprehensive vs. Incremental Health Care Reform.-Olivia Rice's Blog

Issue #2 - Ensuring Quality Care For Medicare Patients.-Aaron Rentschler

7th person arrested in gang rape

7th person arrested in gang rape
by Caitlin Canavati - Wednesday, 3 November 2009, 10:40 PM
Anyone on this site

There were seven people that took part in the gang rape that took outside of a highschool in northern California. The 7th person has currently been leaving 3 to go out of the alleged 10 that are said to have participated in this crime. There were said to be approximately 10 witnesses that took no action in calling the police while this was taking place. the victim, who was in critical condition, was released from the hospital the next day. The parents of the victim ask for help to find ways to prevent things like this from happening.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/03/california.gang.rape/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Aside from this poor girl getting raped, the thing that upsets me the most about this story is that there was multiple witnesses and not one of them was able to dial 911 and help this victim. i dont know how someone could just stand and watch someone being beaten and raped by multiple people and being left for dead. it sickens me to think that, and i am disgusted that there are boys who gang up to rape an innocent girl. something needs to be done to help prevent these things from happening, but its just frustrating when something could have been done, but people couldnt stop and call for help.