U.S. cigarette brands tops in cancer-causing chemicals

Recent research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that US made cigarettes contain more cancer-causing chemicals than some cigarettes brands made elsewhere around the world. U.S. made cigarettes have more of the major carcinogen (TSNA's) than cigarettes made anywhere else in the world. For this study, 126 smokers were recruited from five different cities. They smoked the brand they had been loyal to in the past, typically some of the most popular brands. They found three times higher levels of the cancer causing substance in the U.S. smokers’ mouths than any other place.
I was surprised by this; I thought all cigarettes were equally bad for you. I didnt know that they way they were made would affect what they have in them, and change the effects on your health for the worse. I don't think that people should smoke at all; it's going to be detrimental to your health no matter what kind you smoke. It's easily much better for you to not smoke in the first place rather than to decide which kind would be the best for you to smoke. We should work on taking the carcinogen out of the cigarettes so people who do smoke have less health risks (a bigger chance of getting cancer).

http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/01/u-s-cigarette-brands-tops-in-cancer-causing-chemicals/

Airlines add fees for peak summer days

The five largest U.S. airlines recently introduced "peak air travel surcharges" on nearly every day during the summer. American, Continental, Delta, United and US Airways are adding anywhere from $10-30 onto their already high prices for the summer months.The extra money will be a surcharge; the surcharge is figured into the final price that travelers are quoted, not listed separately. Travelers are advised to book early and look for the lowest rates and avoid extra fees to deal with the extra money they will have to pay for an airplane ticket. The more informed and aware the consumer is, the more money they stand to save when they travel.
I think that airline prices are high enough already, without them adding more to it. It's almost like they are trying to trick the consumers and travelers into thinking that they are getting a better deal but actually are charging them more; that just seems dishonest. I think that everyone in the U.S. who is planning on traveling this summer should know about this and really think it through; we all need to be informed, like the article said. I think that these airlines should stop raising the prices because eventually, the prices will get too high for consumers and the airlines won't be making much money at all.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/05/25/airfare.surcharges/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+(RSS%3A+Top+Stories)

Sentencing in Elizabeth Smart kidnapping set for Friday

Wanda Barzee, who pleaded guilty to kidnapping Utah teenager Elizabeth Smart in 2002, and attempting to kidnap Smart's cousin a month later, is being sentenced in a state and federal court this Friday. She pleaded guilty in 2002 for the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart. Barzee faces between 1 and 15 years in federal prison. When she entered the court, she apologized to Smart for all of the emotional and physical pain and suffering she put the girl through. Barzee was housed at the Utah State Hospital for the decision of whether or not she was competent to stand in court; they finally decided that she was competent.
I was surprised when I read this; I was surprised that it took them so long. Barzee had already admitted that she was guilty, and yet they put off the trial until years later. I remember hearing about the Smart kidnapping all the time in my past, and it was completely obvious that she and her husband and accomplice (Mitchell) were guilty of the kidnapping, and the attempted kidnapping of her cousin, and rape charges against them from Smart. It was such a big case back then, but then we slowly forgot about it. Until now, when everything is coming back to us, along with her sentencing. I believe that she should be put in prison for the rest of her life for what she did to Smart. It is finally the time for justice in this case.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/19/utah.elizabeth.smart.kidnapper/index.html

12 dead, 83 trapped in Russia mine after blasts

On Saturday evening an explosion occurred in the largest coal mine in Russia. The explosions killed 12 people working within the mine and injured 41 others. In addition to the dead and wounded, another 64 miners were trapped underground, along with the 19 who went to rescue those who were trapped. There were 359 people working inside the mine when a gas explosion occurred at about 8:55 PM. Four and a half hours later, a second gas explosion occurred. The Russian Prime Minister said, "By all accounts, the situation is hard, very hard at the Raspadskaya mine. I would say, it is tragic." They are still trying to save the people who are trapped in the mine.

More and more explosions and other things beyond our control are happening in other countries. But the thing is, I think that some things can be prevented. Why was there a gas explosion? What happened to make it explode? Why didn't they have a plan as to how to save those trapped? I'm sure that they knew that this could happen; they don't even know what to do about it. They say they can't just do nothing, but they don't know how to save them. I think that sometimes things like this can be, and should be, avoided at all costs. Precautions should be put into place in mines. They are a very dangerous place to work, and we should be doing all we can to keep those within the mines safe.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/05/09/russia.mine.blast/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+(RSS%3A+Top+Stories)

Issue #2: Boosting the Minimum

Many voters who were angry that minimum wage had not risen in 10 years supported Democratic efforts to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour. It would raise the take home pay and allow many to rise above the poverty level. Congress passed the new minimum wage law, but a full-time worker being paid minimum wage at times still cannot rise above the poverty level. Many believe that raising minimum wage would positively affect millions of Americans and it would boost the economy. But the people on the other side of the argument believe that raising the minimum wage would be counterproductive. They believe that minimum wage won't help fight poverty because it only affects a small percentage of the workforce, and most people earning minimum wage are teenagers. It would lead to higher prices and job cuts, which hurt the economy. They belieev that a better way to help the working poor would be to expand the EITC.

I am in agreement with the first side of the argument, the side that is for a rise in minimum wage. I say this because many people out there are struggling to keep themselves and their families over the poverty level. People out there are struggling and just can't live off of minimum wage. People need to understand that not everyone working for minimum wage is a teenager; some people try to live off of minimum wage, and it's almost impossible at the current time. We should boost minimum wage to help the people who need help and who simply need to make more money to survive. The economy would be just fine with raising the minimium wage; people would have more money to put into it. We should raise minimum wage to a wage that anyone can live off of.
Many other people believe that minimum wage needs to rise also. Here is the opinion of people who share my beliefs about this issue:
http://www.epi.org/publications/entry/issuebrief201/

Issue #1: http://alyciass2.blogspot.com/2010/04/jobs-and-welfare-blog-entry.html
Issue #3: http://shannon-thoennes.blogspot.com/2010/04/issue-3-putting-welfare-to-work.html

High court accepts case over violent video games

A California law restricting the sale of violent video games to children is headed to the Supreme Court this week for the final decision. Video game makers think the ban is going too far; the parents of these children should be able to judge is they want their children playing these games, not the Supreme Court. The state, however, believes it has a "legal obligation" to protect these children when the industry can't. The issue with the law is whether it is constitutinal or not, dealing with the right to free speech. Under this law, it is illegal for any person under the age of 18 to buy a video game that is "excessively violent" by the state of California.

I don't neccessarily think that this is a good idea, but I think it's a step in the right direction. While I don't believe that it is the state's, or the Supreme Court's, decision as to what video games children play, I believe that there should be some type of regulation on violent video games. However, I think the system would work fine if parents were in charge of the video games their children play. They can decide whether or not to allow it, not the state. It is a matter of personal opinion, not a legal issue. The constitution gives us all freedom of speech and expression. This law would take away from that freedom.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/26/scotus.violent.video.games/index.html

Body found in sunken South Korea vessel

The body of a lost sailor was discovered in a sunken South Korea ship that went down in March. The sinking of the ship was very mysterious and caused more tension between North and South Korea. They are investigating what actually caused the ship to sink, and many believe that North Korea was somehow involved. The 1,200 ton ship, called Cheonan, sank near the western sea border on March 26th. Forty of the 104 crew members have been confirmed as dead, and 6 are still missing and thought to be dead. 58 of the members of the crew were rescued before the ship sank.

I never really find myself being shocked about stories like this, even though many people died, because they seem to happen all the time. Forty people died in a freak accident that no one knows how it happened and we don't bat an eye. But everything in the world, all the death and destruction, will affect us all somehow in the long run. If I were the family of one of the 6 still missing, I would want to find them. I would just want the closure, even if they just found the body. Also, I would want to find out how the ship sank in the first place. It seems kind of shady to me; something else must have been going on there.


http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/04/24/south.korea.ship/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+(RSS%3A+Top+Stories)