'Horror': Massive Australia floods spark panic

Australia's third largest city has had major flooding. People in Brisbane are in a panic. 43 people are missing in the flood waters, and at least 22 people have died in Queensland since the rain began in November. The water covers an area larger than France and Germany combined. A violent storm sent an "inland instant tsunami" through the city of Toowoomba and a few smaller towns. Around 20,000 homes could be flooded by the end of the storm. A lot of people are wading through shoulder deep water to rescue possessions. There has been a lot of loss.

I feel bad for the people in Australia that have to suffer through this flood. There has been a lot of destruction. I hope that the missing people are found and that they will be all right. Its a bummer that this will impact economic growth and the the prices of food are increasing so much. They all ready have lost so many of their belongings, now they have to pay more for the food that they need to survive when they need to worry about repairing their houses and paying for new furniture and things like that. Maybe there should be a relief fund for Australia since there is a relief fund for Haiti. People are going to need a lot of help recovering from this. I hope all goes well.

Link to article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41034411/ns/world_news-asiapacific

1/12/11

Kidney-swap sisters released from jail

In Pearl, Mississippi two sisters were released from prison. Jamie and Gladys Scott were in prison on the charge of armed robbery. They had been in prison for 16 years and Jamie Scott was on a dialysis machine for her kidneys. Officials say that her being on the machine costs the state around $200,000 a year. The condition they be released is that Gladys Scott will donate a kidney to Jamie therefore eliminating the need for the dialysis machine. The sisters have decided to move to the Florida Panhandle because their mother and grown children live there. The condition is that Gladys must donate the kidney within a year. They were in prison because of an armed robbery taking something between $11-$200. They had life sentences but they have been suspended on the condition of the kidney donation.

First of all, I don't believe that the sisters should even have life sentences because of this crime. Yes they did get charged for armed robbery but they did not kill anyone and they only stole $11 to $200. That is not very much stolen to earn a life sentence. Although I also don't think that they should get out of prison just because the state has to pay for dialysis. Maybe they could have just gotten a reduced sentence on the condition of the kidney donation. Is it really fair to the other inmates that have committed petty crimes and don't have the same opportunity of kidney failure to get out of prison early. I don't think it is setting a good example. Although the state may have sentenced them a little harshly I still don't believe that kidney failure but getting a replacement is a good enough reason to get out of jail.

Link to article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40963267/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

Date: 1/07/11

No poison found in birds that fell on town

Between 4,000 and 5,000 black birds died in Beebe, Arkansas. It was originally estimated that only 1,000 birds had died but after the cleanup crews picked up all of the dead birds they tallied the numbers to be around 4 to 5 thousand. They have not found the exact cause of death yet but they diagnosed that the birds were dead before they hit the ground and did not in fact die from impact. The birds' stomachs were empty and other animals that consumed the deceased birds did not die so scientists are able to rule out poison. The birds that fell died of blunt trauma to their organs.

Now we as people have to speculate. What really caused the deaths of so many birds and all on one night? Was it perhaps a storm like scientists have suggested or a mid-air collision? Is it possibly a sign of the end of the world as many believe the Mayans have predicted? It gives off the feeling of a Stephen King novel. One full of terror and death, stepping into the world of Science Fiction. The only difference: this is not fiction. Birds falling out of the sky and littering the streets and back yards of the people in Beebe, Arkansas. What else could be the cause of this horror story? I don't have the slightest clue as to what has happened to all of these birds. Yes, they travel in flocks, but flocks the size of thousands and then crashing into each other in the air? It is definately freaky and I would love to know what they find out about the deaths or what caused them.

Link to article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40885546/ns/us_news-environment/

1/03/11

GM Recalls Almost 100,000 Vehicles

General Motors Company in New York is now recalling nearly 100,000 vehicles do to two different problems. One that could cause the rear axle to break and the other a malfunction in the passenger side airbag of the vehicle causing it to not work. The recall for the air bag affects nearly 96,000 Cadillac CTS models ranging from the year 2005 to the year 2007. The recall for the axle affects approximately 1,300 2011 year versions of the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 and Silverado 1500, and the GMC Sierra 1500.

I think that it is a good thing that GM is recalling them because they know that there is  problem with them and are willing to take responsibilty in fixing that problem. It is not good that the axle recall doesn't begin ntil January and that they still don't know when the recall will start for the air bag problem. There are a lot of vehicles being recalled and that really sucks but it will prevent accidents like what happened with Toyota and the acceleration pedal sticking. It is a bummer that the vehicles are nice new ones from 2011 and now they have to get fixed after being so new. Did GM thoroughly check these vehicles before they were available to consumers? Should there be more testing required before letting vehicles go on the market? How can this be prevented? It must be sucky for GM too since they just started selling stock shares a little while ago.

Link to article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40793552/ns/business-autos/

12/23/10

Police: Houston Store Owner Kills 3 Would-Be Robbers

On Thursday, a jewelry store owner shot three would be robbers in Houston, Texas. There were two men in the store pretending to be customers when a third man walked in and said that he was robbing them. All three of the men had guns and tied up the store owner's wife. When they tried to tie up the store owner he pulled out a gun and killed one of the men. Then went and grabbed a shot gun and killed the other two. He is 52 years old. His name is Ramon Castillo and his wife's name is Eva. During the gun battle that followed his killing of the first suspect, Castillo was shot and injured in his shoulder, abdomen, and legs. He was in critical but stable condition in the hospital. Eva Castillo was unharmed.

I understand that the man was trying to defend his wife, but him killing other people is not necessarily okay. He murdered three people. If he took the first shot, he may have just escalated the situation. He may have scared the other robbers to want to defend themselves with their guns but he killed the first man so he could be the cause of all of the death that happened. Yes, they may have been robbers, but what if they were a few long term unemployed men who needed money and couldn't find jobs. What if they just made the wrong decision just once in their lives. They should have the right to go to jail and learn their lesson. Potentially changing their lives and making better decisions in the future. Now they have absolutely nothing because the store owner shot and killed all of them. He should have a trial and they should prosecute him if he took the first shot. He may have caused a lot of unnecessary death.

Like to article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40713870/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

12/17/10

Issue #2

However old this information may be, These are the facts. Many people agree that Medicare needs to be reformed so that it is successful in the years to come. The way that Medicare is set up is that the doctors get paid for the amount of work they do, not the quality of the work. A "pay for performance" system was approved by legislature in 2006 to allow Medicare to pay doctors a bonus of 1.5% for information on quality and type of work they do. The goal of this is to reward better doctors for their efforts in their work. Some argue that federal officials do not know what type of standards to set for the quality and bonuses. Among these opposers is Representative Pete Stark of California.

I think that it is a great idea to let doctors get benefits for the quality of work they do and not the quantity of work. If they misdiagnose a person, the person needs to come back after already paying for the wrong diagnoses only to get a new diagnosis and another medical bill. This could just keep on happening as the doctor gets richer and the patient gets poorer and sicker without the correct treatment or medication. The doctors need to take their jobs seriously and this will just further encourage them to do this. The government may not know the exact level that the quality of work should be at but it can be close and people could vote to establish a level. The quality of doctor visits needs to be increased. The bills are also a little over priced but perhaps if they gain bonuses for better work than the prices that the patients have to pay can decrease.
The American Medical Association also thinks that this bonus for doctors idea is a good idea.






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Links to other important issues:

Issue #1
Issue #3

S. Korea Fires Warning Shots At Disputed Border

There was a North Korean fishing boat that crossed the disputed border of South Korea and they were warned with warning shots fired by the South Korean Navy in Seoul. Approximately ten warning shots were fired in attempt to force the North Korean boat to return to North Korea. They did warn them from a loud speaker multiple times before firing the shots. There have been no incidences like this for seven years. Most North Koreans know not to cross the Northern Limit Line, set by the United Nations after the Korean War.

I think that if the South Koreans warned the fishing boat multiple times over a loud speaker they had the right to fire warning shots to force the boat back out of their territory. They have the right to protect themselves and if the boundary is known, then no North Korean should be able to cross into it without the permission of South Korean officials. They have the right to be cautious of North Korea because of the Korean War and conflicts that have to do with that. They most definately have the right to protect themselves whether from a fishing boat or a navy. They did not fire at the boat, only warning shots so I think it was okay to do so.

Link to article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39983651/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

11/03/10