Bay Bridge Closed for Repairs!

The Bay Bridge has been down for about three days and they think that it might be open by Monday, but they are making no guarantees and taking as much time as they need until they are sure the bridge is safe. One of the cables had snapped and the bridge was immediately closed for repairers. I'm glad that this failure was relatively small and did not hurt anyone. Because of this they are upgrading part of the bridge to be more resilient to ware and movement, so it will be safer for the next earthquake, or mearly resisting the daily ware of travel.

Rufus!!

Naked Mole Rats might hold the secret to finding the cure to cancer! They have two ways to inhibit neoplasm growth instead of humans one. Because of this defence against neoplasms they can keep their telomeres active, these allow stem cells to also remain active. Stem cells factor into tissue growth and repair, so they are also able to recover from crippling injury's that would leave a human incapacitated. They also live eating 30 percent less calories, this calorie reduction system actually prolongs the life of animals that maintain that lifestyle. This research is important to cancer researchers because cancer kills 23% of people. There has not been any way to cure cancer so far, but maybe with continued study of naturally immune organisms, we will be able to learn how they protect themselves.

Suicide Car Bombers Kill 155 People In IRAQ

The deadliest bombing attack since 2007 happened int Bagdad on the 26th of October. Two synchronized car bombs went off near the Justice ministry in the heart of Iraq This bombing was right in the middle of Knri Kamal al-Maliki's reelection campaign. The result was that he lost many of hte people trust and votes because his campaign was based on the relative safety of the country. They do not want a prime minister that can no grantee their basic safety. The blast left 155 dead and about 500 wounded amongst the rebal of the building This shows that even thought we ar planning to withdraw in 2011, Iraq might not be read to e left on its own. It has been predicted that the violence might increase as the democratic election draws nearer and the insurgent groups become more desperate to destabilize the raising government. The government is very frail right now and could nt o holdup if insurgents continue to attack pillars of their leadership. I think that Iraq is not ready to give up the support and protections that American presents gives, but, it is necessary for us to bring out troops home, they have been in Iraq too long already. It is a hard decision, but supporting the democratic process through the election will give the elected person enough power to, hopefully, protect themselves from farther attacks.

College

Overall, enrollment in college ha increased to the highest percentage it has ever been at. The enrollment rates in both four year and two year colleges alike have increased dramatically along with a steady decrease in the amount of high school dropouts.
This is good because it shows that more people are getting a high level of education. This in turn stimulates society from the bottom up, starting with the economy. These more educated people work in fields that require more skills, and are influential in other jobs eventually benefiting the economy. People who have educations also have better paying jobs, allowing them to spend more and becomes and active consumer, also helping to keep the economy running. More benefits to going to college is a greater understating of your own life, financially they would be able to mange themselves, and not become a burden on our economy, educated people tend to have less children, aiding in the population crisis, they could choose to go green, helping the environment, and they can make informed decisions when voting.

Einstein's Still Right!

A burst of gamma rays was picked up by NASA's Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope a few days ago. This burst was released from the death of a star that happened what the universe was only half as old as it is now. This has backed up Einsteins theory's of relativity. The theory of relativity states that:

The speed of light is constant and independent of its color, or energy, its direction or how you are moving.

This was supported because of the slight variation. 0.9 seconds, in the arrival rates of the gamma rays, even though there was a 10,000- 31 billion electron volt range. Others ting this had not affected anything because of the lack of control in the testing environment. There are too many unknown variables in too much uncounted for space. Fermis discoveries is important because of its effect on hypothesized quantum gravity. This will lead to more research and more discoveries in this relativity uncharted territory.

Medicare Dellema

The Medicare system had gotten extremely complicated over the years. There are multiple kindscoverage that can overlap or leave large hole that must be covered by private companies. The government run Medicare has 44.8 million people but about 17.5 million still require additional coverage. The monthly price has also greatly increase, retiring extra payment for hospital or Doctor visits. In think that this is not a good system. The fact that the government is providing for the elderly is good, but they system has many flaws. There is not complete coverage and the system's incredible6y hard to sort through or navigate. Also it fluxuates with the population, the generation after pays for the retired older generation through taxes. This is fine when the babyboomers were paying, but now that they are the retired generation on medicare, the next, smaller generation cannot support them. The government will be forced to slack on their benefits for the elderly or go into massive debt, neither of which is a good solution.

Police Killed in Democratic Republic of Congo

Over 47 police men were killed on Friday trying to stop a conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This incident does not have and relation to the fights in the east. These two ethnic groups have been fighting for a long time, with what weapons they can get. The government seems to be very ignorant about the state of the conflict, whats happening and what its about. The government did, however send in the policemen to stop this developing conflict. Along with the policemen many citizens also were killed, the government does not know any specific numbers. It is not right for a government to be so disconnected to strife within their country, with so little knowledge and ability to intervene. While these conflicts do not compare to the conflicts farther east, they should not be ignored and and agreement between the parties involved could be reached. The fighting seems to be over small things, like fishing holes, they are not religious wars or large wars involving multiple countries. Why is it not possible to live peacefully, maybe even share the fishing hole?

Asylum for Domestic Abuse Victims

The US is now starting to view abuse as a valid reason to grant immigrants asylum. I believe this is a good thing for a few reasons. Mainly that abuse is a problem that people don't, or don't want to, see how common place it is. As individuals and a nations, we should do everything we can to stop abuse and violence. Providing asylum for these victims is a positive step in the fight against violence. It is not a large stress on our country either, they are granted citizenship, so they are not mearly leaching off our economy like illegal aliens. Unfortunately, violence seems to be ingrained in human nature, seeing as how we have been warring and hurting others since probably before we documented it with cave paintings. I think this granting of asylum is a wonderful step, even if it took over 10 years. And, because of it, courts now are willing to look into other cases on a case by case basis to asses if others are also viable for asylum.

What has Obama done to get a Nobel Peace Prize?

Obama was recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his foreign affairs and efforts to create a new world political environment. They say he has:

"...captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,”

and

“Obama has as president created a new climate in international politics,”.

It might just be because I'm not a huge politics geek, but I haven't heard that he had done all that much. He has met with many world leaders, but what has he actually accomplished? He seems to be an icon for hope yes, mainly because our last president was, lacking. It seems that he was awarded this mainly for not being Bush. For actually being open and reaching out to other countries, for not fallowing the example set by our last administration. I'm sure he has done things for the world, he would not have been considered if he hadn't, and I'm sure it will positively effect the world in years to come, but I believe that his actions were greatly boosted by how horrible the politics of the US was the last eight years.
Even Obama himself was surprised, saying:

“To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who have been honored by this prize, men and women who’ve inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.”

Obama says questioning his new position among the former Nobel Prize winners.
While this is a shock right now, Obama will most likely grow into this new honor. Even if it is just as a figure, he has inspired many people in many different countries. It is important to remember, as much as we want him to fix the world for us, he is still just one person, and one politician. We cannot completely rely on him, we need to help as much as possible, world peace is not something that politics can dictate, it is something the people control.

Which came first? Ribosome or DNA?

The Nobel Prize for 2009 was granted for ribosomal research. The recipients of the prize were able to get an accurate and discernible picture of the inside of a ribosomes. Because of this reaserch a more accurate view on how RNA is transcribed into polypeptide chains is being unveiled. This research will aid in bacterial disease prevention and treatment, and maybe at some point viral infections. This is important because of the increasing resilience to antibiotics antibiotics, it is a new way to approach protecting ourselves from these microscopic threats. This alsot brings back an age old question, which came fist? Usually it refers to the Chicken and the Egg, but similarly DNA or Ribosomes? Because ribosomes are proteins and all proteins are coded for by DNA and yet, the enzymes that help replicate DNA are made by ribosomes. The both rely on each other and cannot exist apart. A new mystery!

New Ring!

Saturn has a newly discovered ring! It stretches from 3.7 million miles from the planet to around 7.4 million miles away! While it glows with thermal radiation, it does not reflect much light, so only the infrared Splitzer telescope could see it. While this might have no effect on this world of everyday life, it is always significant when we discover something new about the universe we live in. Space is the last frontier and we are rapidly finding new things in and about it. Every discovery represents new levels in technology and awareness about our lives and world. I think space study is extremely important because humans are naturally curious beings, we always need a new toy, a new place to learn about. Space is a huge mystery that we are itching to delve deeper into!

Out of Iraq!

By October General Odierno will send another 4000 American troops home from Iraq. This is faster than he expected, but works well with Obamas withdrawal timeline. The relatively peaceful conditions have make this withdrawal possible, and the upcoming election will set the stage for how Iraq is doing on its own. Unfortunately for some of our troops, they wont be coming home, they with 150000 pieces of American equipment will be shipped to Afghanistan fulfill their need for armies, and help them right their country.

Those that are coming home are not off free tho, there are many factors that may keep them from leading normal lives. Things like shell-shock, or post traumatic stress syndrome might plague them with paranoia, feelings of loneliness, violence, and suicidal thoughts. While they might be physically home, the mental war still rages. This is one of the horrible side effects of war, the survivors don't really survive. There are the killed, and then the mentally scared. No one is fine. This news is great, that we are bringing our troops home, but they should not have been there in the first place, war is not necessary and could have been avoided if people communicate better and keep open minds.

Crazy Inventions

The Ig Nobel ceremony held at Harvard University shows that Americans have not been completely left behind. These crazy ideas, such as bras that turn instantly into gas masks, the finding that named cows produce more milk, and the ability to get diamond from tequila. These feats show Americas entrepreneurship, one of the only things that we still rise above the world in. Americans are extremely creative, and that can give us hope, we will make up a way out of any issue we are faced with, such as the economy and on a global scale Global Warming and the growing population. Contests like this are important, contests which honor

"achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think,"

While some might think of this contest as a joke, it is very serious, it shows the core of America, the peoples minds, and gives others hope to fallow and create their own solutions.

Twitter Is Taking Over!

I find this mildly disturbing, that now things such as court orders can be served on social networks such as Twitter. While this trial was about Twitter and a breach of copy right, and it is perfectly ironic that it be served through the tool of offence, this is just another example of how Internet is harming us. Instead of calling someone to court or at least handing them the injunction personally it sent over the web. The impersonal, semi- anonymous web. While I love the Internet, the lack of meaningful connection between people anymore worries me. It is now possible to stay connected with hundreds of people, but how close do you get though Facebook chat or fallowing someone on Twitter. The legal system, fallowing shopping, networking, politics, entertainment had succumbed to the Internet. I believe that some things should be kept face to face, or even take the five minutes to mail it in an envelope and print the address, if your suing someone, the least you can do is give them the respect of a few minutes of your time.

Where Are All the People?

One of the biggest issues facing humanity currently is the exponentially growing population, but where are all the people? I hear about this problem all the time, but I haven't felt or seen any population increases or anything that is supposed to go along with it. While living in America probably has much to do with not feeling the effects, i barley even hear about it. If all the people aren't here, where are they? The map seems to suggest that the majority live in India and China. But if India and China are supposedly suffering the effects of over population why do only good things come from those countries? We constantly heard about China developing and industrializing. Their economy is booming, we even have borrowed billions of dollars from them, their politics are strong, they seem to be cooping with any stress extremely well. India is not fairing as well as China, but for the second most populated country in the world, it is not displaying the tell-tale symptoms of over population. So if the two most over populated countries are doing fine, where will over population hurt us?

Cash for Clunkers?

The Cash for Clunkers program is just what it sounds like. Car dealers will take money off you new car payment if you trade in your old car. But is it really a good thing?



This program has increased the purchase of cars in this time of recession, but what does buying cars do? Buying cars puts money back in the economy, get the free cash flowing. The companies can make more money, hire more people, and therefore spread the wealth throughout the working class. It stimulates the economy on a small scale, encourages people to buy in stead of saving their money. It also gets more modern cars on the road, taking off cars with bad gas millage which pollute the air. As long as the production of the new cars are clean and the waste from clunkers is properly recycled. While it promotes a capitalist economy, which is questionably good depending on what point you are looking form, it also helps the economy right itself and, depending on production and breakdown, help the environment. So, yes Cash for Clunkers is a good program.

Chicago Olympics!

President Obama is campaigning for the 2016 Olympics to be held in our very own Chicago! He says it is like a mini representation of the world, it has everyone, and it will do America proud. It has passed the preliminary rounds of elimination and is one of the last four cities that are still in the running for hosting the Olympics. While i must admit i am biased obviously, I believe that Chicago would be a great choice. Actually, no, it does not matter what city as long as the Olympics are hosted somewhere in the United States. Hosting the games in the US would have two main beneficial effects. One, would be the economy boost that goes along with that many foreign travelers. There are hotel expenses, food bill, and then souvenirs that must be paid into our country from foreign markets. This will not only stimulate the economy that is in direct contact with this surge in cash flow, it will eventually spread though the country, leaving us in a better economic standing. The second reason is that right now, since 9/11 America has been increasingly cut off and hostile to foreigners. We hide behind our metal detectors and national security because we fear another attack. Hosting millions of people form all over the world will force us to leave that scared mentality and open up again, to rejoin the rest of the world without hiding.

Poseidons Wrath?

When a 20 food wave hit Sumatra it decimated the city of Padang and other coastal developments. Buildings collapsed under the water pressure, trapping hundreds of people and killing over 1000 more. There are not enough emergency vehicles to retrieve everyone from the rubble, so same died buried alive. Hospitals are full of injured and Indonesia is calling out to for help.



On this subject i completly agree with Presedent Obamas course of action. He wishes to respond possitivly to the Indonesian plea and send aid. I belive this will be good move for America to increase citezen support and start to mend our reputaion with the rest of the world. Most of America knows about this tragedy and if Obama rushes to help, it might gain some of the favor that he has been loosing. With the world, our social standing is horrible, everyone dislikes the United States, if we abandon a country suffering from a natural disaster, we will be despised. The only fault with this plan is the time it is taking to instigate it, people are trapped and dieing extraordinarily painful deaths as we organize. This needs to happen now if it is to have effect.

New Kid on the Block

There has been a huge new discovery! Discovered in 1992 a new skellotin named Ardy was found in Africa, these remains are aproximatly 4.3 million yeas old and is an Ardipithecus ramidus, what could possibly be the predicesor to Lucy, who we have connected to the development of the modern Homo Sapein.



Why is this important? Its just a pile of really old bones! Its important for a few reasons, mainly it is another link between humans and their common ancestor with the apes. This supports the theory of evolution, making it even more believable. At the same time, this might in the long run have start religious unsettlements, yet more proof against creationism. It is the history of life, the history of humanity, and I believe it is just as important as learning the history of individual countries or empires, if not more so, because this applys to everyone. Not just Europeans, not just Asians, every single human.

Water on the Moon!?

Scientists have now discovered what appears to be water on the moon. While it is not enough for astronauts to drink, it is the discovery that is important. This is another major discovery in the astronomy, space science. This chart shows the amount of water, and hydroxide molecules in the moons rocks:

While this might not seem like a a huge amount of progress, but in this field every new discovery is a huge advancement. Especially to find something new about the thing we have been studying for years, shows that we do not know much about even our own moon. Space is a whole new frontier, unexplored and and foreign. With our new technologies are finding new things everyday, maybe some day we will all live in a different solar system.

50 Gallons of Water in One Cup?

The people from World Wildlife Foundation have tracked the consumption of water through the entire production of one cup of latte, and the number they came up with was frightening, about 200 liters. Every time someone drinks a latte they are consuming over 50 gallons of the earths fresh water supply, that is not only a huge strain on the world, but think about all of the people in undeveloped or developing countries who do not have fresh water to drink, and how many of them it would save to give up even a week of coffee.



While I love coffee and do not want to give it up, the amount of water we use in its production is absurd. I think that if many people were aware of this huge number less people would drink lattes unit ll the production became more efficient. I completely agree with this video when it says that we need, not only to change this individual production, but we must to change our way of thinking about consumer items in general. The fact that many Americans don't care where there items come from or how they are produced along with out use and discard mentality, is doing the environment real harm. We take all the recourses and then fill the land back up with toxic and unnatural materials while poisoning our water and air. You might say, its only a Latte! But that Latte could be a small step forward instead of one more thing we are using to kill our planet.