Cat saves woman

A woman was recovering Wednesday after two large pit bulls attacked her outside her home in Texas, police said.Cherry Woods, 39, claims her cat, Lima, saved her from the dogs by scratching and hissing at the animals.According to the police report, the attack happened May 21 just before 8 a.m.Woods claims she was walking back to her home in the 2300 block of Short Springs Court in Pearland when she saw the dogs from a distance. When they started charging towards her, she tried to fight them off, but they knocked her down several times.
Her husband, Harold Woods, said he was inside the home when he heard her screams. He tried to get the dogs off but didn't succeed. That’s when the couple’s cat, Lima, jumped into the fray. According to Woods, the feline clawed and hissed at the dogs and distracted them.
"Our cat came out of the bushes, and scratched one of the dogs and started hissing at it. They both turned their attention to the cat. I was able to grab my wife and pull her inside the house," he said.Woods estimated the dogs that attacked his wife were 80-100 pounds each.
Other neighbors in the Shadow Creek Ranch subdivision said they’ve heard the dogs barking for years, but this is the first attack they can remember.
The dogs were put under quarantine at the City of Pearland’s Animal Shelter pending a Thursday hearing that will determine whether they’ll be allowed to return home or be put down.
"I’m very glad that we had [Lima] and that she was here, because when it came down to my wife getting hurt, she jumped right in. It’s amazing," Harold Woods said.

Wow who could've thought that a cat could save a person from two pit bulls? They are strong dogs I own one but he is not trained to hurt anyone he is the biggest baby you could ever meet in your life but this is just an amazing story!

Lady leaves toddeler on bus

In Miami-Dade police are investigating why a mother abandoned her 2-year-old daughter on a county transit bus Tuesday morning.
Pushing the toddler in a stroller, the mother got onto the bus and then immediately got off without the child, witnesses said. The bus driver tried to stop her "He was yelling after her and calling her, but she didn't answer. She just kept going," He said.
Miami-Dade police quickly found and detained the woman, and they interviewed and evaluated her in the hope of determining why she did it. Family members, who live nearby, said they are not sure what prompted the woman to leave the child alone on a bus.
"She's a very good mother. She takes good care of those kids," said Minnie Hart, the child's great-grandmother. "Do you think it was somehow an accident?" Local 10's Todd Tongen asked.
"I don't know. I'm puzzled, because I don't know. She's just not herself to me," Hart said.
Police said the child was not harmed. The Department of Children and Families took the toddler into protective custody. DCF has investigated two separate incidents at the family's home in the last two years, but the children were never removed from the home. The mother also was arrested in February on a charge of misdemeanor theft. The girl remained in DCF custody Tuesday afternoon. The mother could face serious charges. "Child endangerment, child abandonment -- there are numerous charges she could be hit with," said Robert Williams, of the Miami-Dade Police Department

This is terrible if she was such a good mother then why would she leave her child on the bus?

104!!!

In Pennsylvania a women is going to be turning 104 years old and she still drives but it doesn't look like it! And she doesn't act like she's over 100-years-old. "Many people my age and even younger aren't able to cope and do what I do." Gladys Flamer lives on her own in Coatesville, Chester County and does everything for herself. The feisty senior is also the owner of a two-toned 1979 Cadillac Coupe Deville. And while many of us would be concerned for a woman her age driving a car that big, Miss Gladys says she wouldn't have it any other way.
"Well I've always drove a bigger car, I've been driving since I was 15-years-old."
She took us on a ride through her hometown of Coatesville to show us what being more than a century old is all about. Though a lot has changed on the roads over the years, Miss Gladys always gets to where she's going - even if she has to put a few extra cushions on her seat to reach the pedal. "A lot of them think they can drive better than me. Maybe they can. But I don't have any problems with accidents. The cops don't bother me, so I think I drive alright."

I say good for her I hope to someday live to be this old and still be able to do everything like I did when I was young.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=7459231

Dog put out as trash

In Orlando Florida an Orange County man set his 1-year-old Lab out as trash earlier this week.
They put the dog in a crate, covered him with a blanket and placed him by the curb to be picked up with the rest of his garbage, officials said. "He had been hit by a car at least 30 days prior to that and never taken to a vet,” said Jessica Chapman, a volunteer at Pet Rescue by Judy. “So, I don't know if they just couldn't afford him anymore." Dillinger (the dog) was in terrible shape when he got to rescued. The dog had suffered a broken leg, as well as ear and skin infections.
The dog underwent more than four hours of surgery to fix his broken leg, which cost close to $3,000. "Do something,” said Judy Sarullo of Pet Rescue by Judy, “and if you can't do it, then at least have him put to sleep humanely rather than let suffer and then putting him in crate and asking someone dispose of it in garbage truck." Police are still investigating.

This is terrible how could anyone treat an animal like this? I think of it as would you do that to your baby if you had one? Probably not some people just blow my mind with the things that they do.

http://www.wesh.com/news/23674030/detail.html

Lawsuit for smoking in the backyard

In Albuquerque, N.M. Linda Garcia's neighbors said her smoking in her backyard is a public nuisance, and have filed a lawsuit against her. How can this be such a big problem? On Monday morning, a judge denied Lane's motion to dismiss the case. The case is going to trial next week and Lane said he has a solid case. Attorney Charles Lakins is representing Garcia's neighbor. He said that he agrees that someone has the right to smoke in their own backyard, but Garcia's choices should not hinder his clients from enjoying their property as well.

I think that this is so stupid because you are in the comfort of your own home and it shouldn't matter what you do there. If you don't like it then kindly ask her to stop don't just sue someone for that. Simply ask can you please do this when I'm not around.

http://www.koat.com/news/23513247/detail.html

Alligator attacks man

A man out for an early-morning swim on Lake Mary Jane in Florida spoke to reporters from the hospital Sunday night after he was attacked by an 8-foot alligator and rushed to Orlando Regional Medical Center. "All of a sudden it hit me like a Mack truck or something. I just got hit real hard, and I felt the teeth and I said, I started thinking to myself, 'This is a gator, I can't believe a gator is biting me,'" Doug McCard said. "I knew I was in really shallow water, maybe waist deep, so I tried to spin myself and stand up and started swinging. Got a pretty good elbow to his head and he released me," McCard said. McCard said he was training for a triathlon and was 20 minutes into his swim when the attack happened at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. The gator bit McCard while he had one arm raised in mid-stroke, leaving him with some deep wounds all over his torso. he's been swimming in Lake Mary Jane since he's been a boy, so the attack came as a shock. "It's one of those things that happens and God was on my side today," McCard said.

I would probably panic if i was getting attacked so for him to stay calm and not panic was very good.

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/23571432/detail.html

Girl Catches Big Fish

A little girl on opening fishing weekend has a fish story to tell after she caught a 30-inch muskie on a kiddie fishing pole Saturday.2-year-old Ella Windschitl, was fishing off the family's pontoon boat tied to the dock in three feet of water on Round Lake near Randall. Ella was using her Barbie fishing rod and hooked a small sunfish on the line.That's when a muskie came out from under the dock and attacked the sunfish. Her Grandpa grabbed the line as the fish headed for deeper water. After a five minute fight, he was able to reel the fish back to the boat where Ella's grandpa, Dave, was waiting with a net. Dave lifted the muskie out of the water and showed it to Ella, who is about as tall as the fish is long. She said, "I caught a shark!" All of her family has tried so hard to catch a fish this big and she did it unintended.

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=851063

Issue #2 Boosting the Minimum

Many people are not happy with the minimum wage. Raising the minimum wage would increase the amount of money for many families. Raising it would hopefully decrease the amount of people who are in poverty. Congress passed a war funding bill in May 2007. This bill included raising minimum wage. There is still disputes over minimum wage. People who want to raise minimum wage argue that even with the raise before people are still living in poverty. They argue that boosting the minimum wage would benefit many people with in turn would boost the economy as a whole. They also think that the wage increase should not have been tied to tax cuts because businesses get tax cuts a lot. People who are against raising minimum wage say it is counterproductive. They say that it only affects a small percentage of the workforce so it does not have a big effect of lowering poverty. They also say that teenagers make up half of the people who receive minimum wage and they are not living in poverty. They say that raising minimum wage will cause businesses to spend more which will lead to cuts which will lead to people not having jobs. They also say that a better way to go about this is to expand the EITC.

I think that the minimum wage should be increased. I know that for me minimum wage is not enough I am 18 and I have bills to pay. It is also not fair to pay someone who doesn't do more than sit in a chair all day more, and someone who does hard labor less. Here is Nancy Pelosi's view on minimum wage: http://www.house.gov/pelosi/press/releases/Feb05/ProsperityJobs.html



Issue #1:http://jill7blog.blogspot.com/

Issue #3:http://jordan112.blogspot.com/

Man found with throat cut

A white murderer accused of the deaths of two people in Brockton last year was found with a self-inflicted slash wound to his neck in his prison cell Thursday morning. He was taken in ambulance to Boston to the hospital. They are investigating. He is awaiting trial for the January 2009 slayings of two people on Clinton Street in Brockton, including his former neighbor, Selma Goncalves, 20, and Arlindo Depina Goncalves, 72, a homeless man who was collecting cans. He is also accused of attacking and raping Selma Goncalves' sister. After his arrest,he allegedly told police he planned to kill as many Jews, blacks and "non-white" people as possible before turning the gun on himself.

I think that this is a terrible thing but i hope that he is okay so they can figure out what happened but by no means should he be let back on the streets.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/23023589/detail.html

An odd way of Punishment

A Putnam County judge sentenced a teenager guilty of shoplifting with a public punishment. The teenager Britney Ernst was sentenced to carry a sign in front of the courthouse saying, "I Stole From a Local Store" where everyone could see. Judge Miller has been doing this for years and he claims that the people hate it! He thinks that he's doing something right. Ernst says that it is not embarassing she has done it before. However, even if the punishment does not stop a person from becoming a repeat offender, it can save taxpayers money by not putting someone in jail. Britney doesn't mind she says it is just good exercise.

I honestly don't think that this would work as a way of punishment what do they learn? Nothing they just know that they can commit a crime and get away with just carrying a sign. This is a stupid way of punishing a person!

http://www.news4jax.com/news/23019871/detail.html

Healthcare blog

Obama has been working on the health care reform bill for quite sometime. With this bill insurance companies cannot deny people insurance due to preexisting conditions. The bill was signed into a law on Tuesday. After hours of long debated his bill was passed. "It's been easy at times to doubt our ability to do such a big thing, such a complicated thing, to wonder if there are limits to what we as a people can still achieve," Obama said. The overall $940 billion plan is projected to extend insurance coverage to roughly 32 million additional Americans.

I think that this can be a good thing but it could also turn into a bad thing because some people may not be able to afford to have insurance even though they are required to at age 18. However if you are planning on staying in school you are allowed to stay on your parents plan until your 26 if need be. This is a big thing and we'll have to see what happens and how it turns out.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/23/health.care.main/index.html?npt=NP1

8 year old brings handgun to school

A third-grader at Sharp-Leadenhall Elementary School, was found to be in possession of a .380 caliber handgun on Thursday. Teachers said that the student was acting weird so they searched his backpack and found the gun they immediately called police. Both the teacher and the parents were shocked! The boy was arrested and taken to the Department of Juvenile Services.Police are trying to find the gun's owner, along with where the gun was bought and how the student got the gun. School staff members are being reconized for acting swiftly and making sure no one got hurt. School officials said once the investigation is complete, the student could be suspended or expelled.

I think that the teachers did a good job at reacting to this and i hope that they find out who gave the boy the gun. No one that young should even have hands on a gun without the help of a parent or a parent near by.


http://www.wbaltv.com/news/22753594/detail.html

Limb kills man in New York

On Thursday afternoon a limb of a tree fell on a 56 year old man in Central Park New York. His name has not been released. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Other incidents involving collapsed trees were also reported in the past, a tree collapsed and hit a city bus and one also hit a car but no one was injured. According to the NYC Parks Department, the snow storm that's sweeping through the tri-state area may be to blame for the tree related incidents. They think that this is a result of all the heavy wet snow build up on the trees.

I think that this would be a terrible way to die! This must be really hard for the family if the body has been identified. A lot of weird things happen in this world.

http://www.wpix.com/news/wpix-falling-tree-kills-man,0,6649164.story

Teacher Holds Girls Head Under Water

Because 8 year old Kaylan got out of her seat without asking, when on a bathroom break she was washing her hands with water the assistant teacher came in and said you getting on my nerves girl and held her head under water she couldn't breathe and was coughing. They said they talked to the students and none of the kids said it happened, but I spoke to one of the kids in front of her parents and she said she saw this. said Kaylan's dad. The student safety is always the top priority. This is still being investigated.

I think that some people are just sick and they need to not be around kids at all if you get irritated by them then don't be around them or don't have kids it's simple don't try to act like everything is okay when they are around.

http://www.wapt.com/news/22660778/detail.html

Bobsledders Quit Olympics

Fear of getting hurt the coach wasn't asking him to win; he was asking him whether he could compete. The coach and his pilot walked the course, and de la Hunty told van Calker to think about it, giving him an hour to make a decision.
Later on Van Calker told his coach he just couldn't drive this track and so on Wednesday the four-man No. 1 sled from the Netherlands pulled out of the Olympics. Van Calker crashed on his first run during two-man practice on Saturday. The memories of other crashes, including one that resulted in two teammates in the hospital, were too much for van Calker. Van Calker said, "I have to look after my boys and can't close my eyes to that, For me, it's not about performing. It's about surviving."



I think that if i had fears of getting hurt then I would've done the same thing I'm not gonna risk my life for a game so i think that he made a wise decision.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/02/25/olympics.bobsled.driver.quits/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Same Sex Marriages in Maryland

While some other states have the right to get married as a couple of the same sex now you can be recognized for it in Maryland. Maryland's attorney general said Wednesday that the state may legally recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.Maryland state law from 1973 says that only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid in the state. But, there are no laws or court cases about recognition of marriages legally performed in other places, the attorney generals office said.

I don't think that it is a big problem if they are recognized for their marriage it is not like they are hurting anything they are gonna be together anyways. So what's the big deal if they are just recognized for being together. This wouldn't be a bad thing i think that Minnesota should be able to recognize this too.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/25/maryland.same.sex/index.html

Social Insecurity

ISSUE #3 Social Insecurity

The problem with the Social Security fund is becoming huge in the world today. Many people, under the age of 22, are complaining that they pay into this fund, a fund for the retiring older generation, but they will never receive this money back because all of it will go to years before them. This is because as years go by the number of people are living longer. This means that these people need pension for longer than they did 10 years ago and there is just not enough money being put in to this fund to provide that type of fund. Some people out there say this is an easy fix; all you have to do is gradually raise the retirement age. Then there are the people who think that you need to make major changes like private investment accounts. There are many different views on whether Social Security is a good working system or not and here is my opinion.

I think that this is a big problem because, while my generation has to continue to work until older age, the generation before us will be rolling in our social security funds. They get live life to the fullest while I'm working to support them with my social security funds? I don't think that it is fair that the money taken out of my paychecks is going to the generation before me and i'll never see it again. A lot of people think that this is a big problem. Joe Biden agrees that we need to raise the cap by $97,500, As well as raise the retirement age.

Issue #1 Issue #2

Toyota Recall

Toyota has recalled 5.3 million cars due to the accelorator sticking. 1.1 million were justed added on to the 4.2 million that were recalled back in November, which was the cause of the pedal getting caught on the removable floor mat. Later they found out that it can stick on its own. The vehicles being added to the floormat-related recall are the 2008-2010 Highlander, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Venza, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe. The Pontiac is included in this recall because the Vibe and Toyota's Matrix are similar vehicles that were produced under a partnership between the two companies.

I think that toyota should've recalled these cars right away instead of making it into a big thing and now they have to recall and pay for a lot more than they would've had to before if they did the recall right away.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/27/autos/toyota_recall_expanded/index.htm?postversion=2010012815