Read one national and one international news story. For national stories, try newspapers such as the LA Times, NY Times, SF Chronicle, Miami Herald, Washington Post, Chicago Sun Times or Boston Globe.
Blog a brief summary of the story and your response.
46 comments:
For international stories, check out this link:
http://www.thebigproject.co.uk/news/
Ramy Abdulmalek
(NY Times)
an investgation revieled a scam on the medicare departement, scam
artists used identities of dead doctors to take medical supplies, the scam artists used identities of doctors that were dead for 15 years. The government lost a total of between $60 million and $92 million. as a response Herb B. Kuhn, deputy adminstrator of the centers for medicare said that his departement is getting monthly reports of dead doctors. They are also assigning new identification codes to their doctors. Also
senator Carl Levin plans to hold a hearing on the issue on Wednesday.
Ramy Abdulmalek
aljazeera
A a man from tunesia targeted 12 denmark criteria artists that attacked Islam in their drawings, one of those artists is cort festerghord. But the court could not arrest the killer because there were not enough evidenece to do so. After the court declared the man was non guilty the artist requesed that the man would be forbidden from going back to his home. Also the artist questioned the court which was quite a shock.
Iran Test-Fires 9 Missiles to Show 'Might
Rosheen Massoumi
World News
Iran test-fired nine long- and medium-range missiles Wednesday during war games that officials said aimed to show the country can retaliate against any U.S. and Israeli attack. But even as Ahmadinejad and other Iranian officials have dismissed the possibility of attack, Tehran has stepped up its warnings of retaliation if the Americans — or Israelis — do launch military action, including threats to hit Israel and U.S. Gulf bases with missiles and stop oil traffic through the vital Gulf region.
This is especially important for me because I'm an Iranian and I think it's important to know whats going on in your native country. I don't know whether to think this move by the Iranian president was incredibly stupid or not. I guess we're just going to have to wait and see.
Teen Accused of Giving Cops LSD Cookies
Rosheen Massoumi
National News
A teenager is suspected of delivering baskets of drug-laced treats to about a dozen police departments in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to police who charged him Tuesday with LSD possession.The suspect denied trying to contaminate the goodies or harm anyone and said one of his friends might have been smoking pot.
It's actions like this that make the rest of us teenagers look ridiculously immature and stupid. Honestly if someone is stupid enough to drug the police with LSD, they should be detained.
brendol swygert
Africa: Emerging Infectous Diseases "on the rise"
allAfrica.com
The article was about how infectous diseases are being spread around. The numbers of infection has increased. Zoologist have found pathogens in animals as well. So these diseases are also vector-borne. Scientist are saying that we aren't doing enough to protect places that are more likely to be affected. A lot of these infectous pathogens are drug resistant. So antibiotics aren't really helping those who are infected. Scientist have found "hotspots" where they think disease will emerge. That way they can deal with them ahead of time instead of being surprised when they occur.
Tiffani Wakefield
berkeley sexual assaults,burglary may be related
oakland tribune
there has been three different sexual assualtsand burglary in berkeley recently near derby street.the only description available fot this man is tha fact that he has a deadly weapon.whith this, we are told to always lock and secure their windows and to Be aware of locations and situations which make you more vulnerable to crime
Derrick Virassammy
The Trinidad Guardian
Girl,14, gives birth in toilet
A 14 year old girl in Trinidad was sexually assulted by a 40 year old relative. She was at herr fathers house and at around 11 pm she gave birth to the baby in the toilet. Her dad didn't know she was pregnant and was surprised when he saw the bloody baby in the toilet. He took it out and wrapped it in a towel. Hospital officials say the baby is fine and in good health. The man will be charged with several accounts of sexual assaults.
I think this is crazy. She gave birth to a baby in the toilet. That is terrible that a relative would do something like that to her and just leave her to struggle. I talso think the dad did a good job of staying calm and being of good help.
tiffani wakefield
high food prices hit euroope
world news
there are very high food prices now which may reverse strong agriculture ouput growth in europe.the food prices have been rising all around the world fuelled by high commodity prices.there are more and more people going hungry everyday.near 950 million.
Brendol Swygert
San Leandro toddler in crital condition with skull fracture and other injuries/ Oakland Tribune
A 2 year boy was taken to the hospital by his mother and her boyfriend. He had serious injuries that authorities believe were a cause of child abuse. His mother claims that she fell on him when her boyfriend pushed her down a flight of stairs. Authorities discovered that he did have a criminal record that involved violence. Both the mother and boyfriend were aressted on cases of suspicion, child abuse, and child endangerment.
Max Hotei
(SF Chronicle)
Nudists have sued for the right to let it all hang out after officials said they would crack down people who are nude in popular state parks.
The Naturist Action Committee filed a lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court Wednesday against the State Department of Parks and Recreation. The suit claims the agency should have sought public comment before banning nudity at the 1,000-foot beach starting after Labor Day.
Park officials say they have followed procedure and were forced to ban bare flesh after an increase in complaints from clothed beachgoers. A hearing is set for Aug. 20.
I thought this story was hella funny. I never knew nudists were so political. i thought they were just really "outgoing". a nudist should become president because they have the peoples' best interests.
Max Hotei
"The Scotsman"
THREE British soldiers were in hospital today after a "friendly fire" incident in Afghanistan left nine injured, the Ministry of Defense said. The MoD said a British Apache aircraft fired on a position which was thought to be held by enemy forces, but instead injured members of a British ground patrol.
A statement from the MoD said: "On July 9 at 12.27pm, a routine British patrol requested fire support from a British Apache when they encountered enemy forces near Forward Operating Base Gibraltar.
"After successfully engaging one enemy position, the Apache fired upon another position which the crew believed to be held by enemy forces.
"However, in the confusion of a rapidly changing situation and in what is a challenging environment, it would appear that friendly forces were mistaken for the enemy and as a result three members of the patrol were seriously wounded and six more were classified as walking wounded."
I never knew all of America's allies are retarded. I guess retards stick together after all. I think (unless there already is one) there should be an exercise that trains soldiers to know the difference between allies and hostiles. I thought there were already methods of telling who's who via blinking IR strobes. Maybe that's only America, i don't know.
Joseph Palega
BanHammer of Beijing
Canine cuisine is being banned during next month's Beijing Olympic Games. Dog meat has been taken from the menus of officially designated Olympic restaurants, and Beijing tourism officials are telling other outlets to discourage from ordering dishes made from dogs.
Tests Show That Proposed US Nuke Shield is Unnecessary
Ethan Switzer
The recent Iranian missile tests have shaken up the international community. The US has proposed a missile shield with installations in the Czech Republic and Poland. Russia, having always feared that Poland has served as the corridor to their country, has deemed the shield unnecessary, saying that the missiles show in the test only have a range of 2000 miles.
I think that Russia's concerns are valid because if you look at history, Poland has always been used as a path way to attack them. As far as the tests in Iran go, I think it was a stupid decision, as there was already a heightened sense of fear and suspicion surrounding it and it's nuclear program.
Joseph Palega
39,250 Seats is a Record
Jim Purol took a seat at the Rose Bowl, and then another, and then another, until he broke a world record. The Anaheim man set a Guiness World Record on Wednesday for "Most Seats Sat in 48 Hours" by sitting in 39,250 seats.
No charge for officer in '07 killing
NY times
A police officer in 2007 shot and killed a man in New York after they were arguing. He chased the man and then thought he had a gun so he shot him. The officer then left the scene and didn't report the shooting until 19 hoirs after. They searcehed the mans car and there was no gun.
I think this is pretty sad that the police can just shoot and kill someone when they didn't have a weapon and get off with it. I think he definitely should be charged.
Talei Tagivakatini
World Wide:The Fiji Times Online
(http://www.fijitimes.com)
Food Crisis
Basically two schools in Fiji are about to be in a food crisis. Those two school depend on farms for their food supply, but strong winds destroyed root crops and vegetables. They say that the crisis should start in the next two weeks and will leave the school to depend on fees for food in the next two weeks. The damaged crops aren't even eatable. Parents don't pay high in school fees so the schools won't even have enough to afford rice. Each family's school fee is $50 per family and not per student so big family's of children will still only have to pay $50 per term. It will take time to get caught up with the schools food supplies, which might take up the cost of the school's fees for family's.
(SF Chronicle)
The Bush administration rejected regulating greenhouse gases blamed for global warming, saying it would "damage the economy and cause too many job losses."
I personally find this to be stupid because he seems to care more about the economy and making money than saving the one earth that we all live on and are supported by. Hopefully, the next president will worry more about saving the planet while reducing our federal debt than the current president does.
Peru aims to reduce poverty to 30 percent by 2011
The general director of economic and social affairs for the ministry of economy, Javier Kapsoli, stated that Peru was working on making sure that the country's economic growth improved social welfare. He assured the country's ministry of economy was on the way to reducing poverty to 30 percent by 2011.
livinginperu.com
Logan Navellier
(NY Times)
Global Warming Talks leave Few Concrete Goals
Wednesday a group of major industrial powers and emerging nations met to discuss methods to cut gas emissions. President Bush said to fight global warming nations must be rich and have a thriving economy as well. The emerging countries were promised that the rich countries would do all they can now while the emeging countries develop more. These meetings, according to a climatologist at the University of Illinois were more of "talking the talk rather than walking the walk on climate change policy."
Not just the most stolen car in the state, the 1991 Accord has made the NICB's Hot Wheels report of the top 10 stolen cars in the country since 2004 and was the second-most reported stolen vehicle in the U.S. in 2007.
This is not uncommon. Not only the same manufacturer, but the same year and model vehicle often show up in the report each year. Frank Scafidi, director of public affairs for the NICB, attributes this to parts availability. "The parts on these models are identical and they are the source of most of the illicit supply for the repair shops."( LA Times )
SF chronicle
Police arrested a 19 year old because of suspicions of robbery and murder at a 7/11 in vallejo. The clerk who worked there died at the hospital.
BCC
In London there has been many stabbings and to prevent that the government is trying to start programs such as youth crime prevention or harder parenting programsn to mold children into making better decisions.
Here's what the new iPhone can do
The new programs are all available at App Store, which can be accessed through the newest version of the company's iTunes. The iPhone 3G is the next-generation iPhone known as 3G.
Apple said that 125 applications so far are free. Others costs from 99 cents to $69.99. To run the applications, users need to download the iPhone 2.0 software, which is free for iPhone customers and cost $9.95 for iPod touch users.
San Francisco Chronicle
International News In the Phillippines(
Dela Paz, unpopular with GMA AKA Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and allies, leaves a robust SSS )
Outgoing pension fund president Corazon dela Paz has fenced off political pressures to replace her—and there were several attempts in the past—but it is only this time that she will finally leave the Social Security System (SSS). She thinks that her successor, Romulo Neri, is better than those previously floated to replace her.
Former Finance Secretary Jose Isidro Camacho recruited Dela Paz in August 2001. She was supposed to stay only for a year to straighten the financial problems of SSS, but her stay continued to extend as she realized more reforms needed to be put in.
When she steps down on July 31, 2008, she will have stayed for a full seven years.
Her term has been through several rough periods. Politicians have used SSS as a tool to woo retirees. And as a member of the administration family, dela Paz is expected to defend the President.
But dela Paz was too independent-minded to play politics.
For example, in the run up to the May annual stockholders meeting of power distributor Meralco, where her counterpart in Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Winston Garcia, attempted to wrest control of the company from the Lopez family, dela Paz reportedly said she would vote the shares of SSS in Meralco after weighing the arguments of both sides.
SSS, together with Landbank and Philhealth, had 10 percent stake in Meralco. These government-controlled and run companies were reportedly required to hand over their proxies to GSIS so Garcia is assured of a solid 35 percent bloc of shares and could go neck and neck with the Lopezes who had 34 percent.
In the end, SSS also gave its proxies to GSIS, which is pushing to lower power bills.
But her earlier reluctance to be dictated upon was one more point against her.
C. Asuncion
abs-cbn.com
Logan Navellier
(The London Evening Standard)
After 10 years of searching, authorities were finally able to track down the man who allegedly stole original Shakespeare manuscripts worth about 15 million euros. The manuscripts were stolen from the Durham University Library in December 1998
Last weekend the West Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corporation hosted its third annual International Food Festival. With 15,000 people in attendance, the event showcased West Berkeley’s International Market District, which consists of small, family-run businesses in the blocks surrounding the University and San Pablo Avenue intersection.
(Oakland globe)
Firefighters in standoff with Butte County blaze
-Kumari Chadha
(S.F Chronicles)
Firefighters were holding their own today against a fire threatening the Butte County town of Paradise, as skies cleared somewhat and aircraft were preparing to re-enter the battle, fire officials said.
The size of the blaze remained at 49,000 acres.Forty homes and 10 other buildings have been lost and 24 people have been injured since a series of freak lightning strikes ignited the blaze on June 21. Most of those homes burned early Tuesday in the town of Concow, just east of Paradise.
About 2,800 firefighters are battling the blaze, with 300 engines and
I think this is important to me because the numbers of wildfires in California are very high. Peoples houses and lives are at risk because of the numerous amounts of wildfire. I guess we have to wait and see what our actions will be to prevent this hazzard.
National Guard joins California firefighting(national news)
ALBION, California (AP) -- Sweat rolled down Lisa Mirander's forehead as she hacked a tangle of saplings and brush down to bare dirt to prevent a wildfire from spreading. It was a tough job, but no harder than the 13 months she served in Afghanistan.
California's wildfire season has become so severe so swiftly that for the first time in more than 30 years, National Guard troops have been deployed to fight the flames on the ground. Many are arriving at the fire line just after returning from combat zones.
For Mirander, the two jobs share some similarities.
Because this fire season started so early, the firefighting conditions have been among the worst in memory, even among longtime crews, said Terence McHale, policy director for CDF Firefighters of Cal Fire, the union representing the firefighters.
About half of the approximately 35 troops training for the wildfires had served in Iraq or Afghanistan, said state fire Capt. Walter Williams, who led the training.
But even for troops with combat experience, fighting fires is new, Williams said.
They must learn how flames can double back, leap over trenches and surprise even experienced firefighters. They also have to figure out how and where to dig, and how to feed out a fire hose. And they must get accustomed to hard labor in temperatures that peak around 110 degrees.
National Guard joins California firefighting(national news)
ALBION, California (AP) -- Sweat rolled down Lisa Mirander's forehead as she hacked a tangle of saplings and brush down to bare dirt to prevent a wildfire from spreading. It was a tough job, but no harder than the 13 months she served in Afghanistan.
California's wildfire season has become so severe so swiftly that for the first time in more than 30 years, National Guard troops have been deployed to fight the flames on the ground. Many are arriving at the fire line just after returning from combat zones.
For Mirander, the two jobs share some similarities.
Because this fire season started so early, the firefighting conditions have been among the worst in memory, even among longtime crews, said Terence McHale, policy director for CDF Firefighters of Cal Fire, the union representing the firefighters.
About half of the approximately 35 troops training for the wildfires had served in Iraq or Afghanistan, said state fire Capt. Walter Williams, who led the training.
But even for troops with combat experience, fighting fires is new, Williams said.
They must learn how flames can double back, leap over trenches and surprise even experienced firefighters. They also have to figure out how and where to dig, and how to feed out a fire hose. And they must get accustomed to hard labor in temperatures that peak around 110 degrees.
C.ASUNCION
Talei Tagivakatini
National News: Oakland Tribune
Man faces 20 years for keeping sex slave in Basement
John France Gonzales has been charged of holding a teenagegirl holding a teenage girl as a sex slave in his parents basement. He faces a only 20 years in prison instead of 132 after pleaing guilty to some of the charges he was charged with.
The girl and John met in 2000 when she was only 10 years old and he was dating her aunt. Then he first molested the girl when she was 12 and allegedly took her from her grandmother's house in August 2005. After her grandmother filed a missing person's report, and then was taken away by John.
The girl remained at John's parents house for at least a year, and within that time the John's parents were completely unaware of her because they lived up stairs and never visited the bottom portion. The only person aware of the little girls was the John's brother, who thought that the girl was living there by her own free will, but he was not charged with any crime. The girl remained at the house until October 2006 when the house was foreclosed and she finally returned home to inform her family of the whole ordeal.
She reportedly went willingly to John's house and had sexual relations more than 500 times. John thought that him and the girl were "happy together" thinking of the relationship on boyfriend and girlfriend terms.
But all I can't believe is that everything that he did to that little girl, he is only getting 20 years in prison. And why would you think that a teenage girl living with your brother would be staying there by her own free will?
(China Daily)
A british woman was deported from China for crimes as Tibetan separatist. She entered China in 2006. "The expelled British citizen, Dechen Pemba, is a key member of the ethnic separatist organization the Tibetan Youth Congress," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said Thursday day at a regular press briefing.
My response is not from a racist or biased viewpoint, but I personally find this really weird but once I thought about it for a while, I realized that it is a case of a person fighting for what they believe in in a society where one small country wants their independence, but the big country wouldn't give it to the small country. So the small country resorts to means of protest, but the big country then resorts to security as a way to keep the small country down while the small country wants to rise up and actually be known as an actual country rather than the big country's property.
The Santiago Times (Chile)
SANTIAGO BOROUGHS TO RECEIVE US$40 MILLION IN SMOG COMPENSATION
Thursday, 10 July 2008
Santiago Regional Governor Álvaro Erazo on Tuesday announced a US$40 million compensation package for the parts of the Santiago Metropolitan Region most impacted by this year’s elevated pollution levels.
Smog has also been a significant problem for several smaller cities in southern Chile, including Talca, Temuco, Concepción and Valdivia, where wood-burning stoves are a major source of pollution.
National Environmental Commission (CONAMA) head Ana Lya Uriarte attributed this year’s p ollution to reduced access to cleaner-burning Argentine natural gas and increased industrial use of diesel fuel.
Critics attacking the government’s current pollution measurement policies find fault in two areas.
First, current health warnings are based on measurement of PM 10 particulates, or the larger-sized contaminants found in the air. Critics say measurement of the smaller, more hazardous PM 2.5 particles should determine whether or not environmental emergencies are declared. In terms of PM 2.5 pollution, Santiago has had nearly 70 days of unhealthy air quality this year (ST, July 4 ).[...]
I think this is a very important step the government is taking, to change this pollution problem. Giving money for public transportation will reduce the pollution. Im glad the government can acknowledge there is a problem and is doing something to take care a that big problem.
Jonathan Louie
Software problems bug Apple's launch of new iPhone (San Francisco Chronicle)
The new Iphone from apple has a several software bugs that are delaying their customers from accessing their Iphone and activating it. Apple has recommended to its customers to activate from their computer through Itunes but even then customers still can not activate their Iphones. Apple says that this is due to the severs going down because of how many people are trying to activate their Iphones.
Response:
I think that Apple should have separated the new Iphone sales by a week between each launch in each country. If Apple had done this the severs wouldn't be so congested and more people would be able to activate their Iphones and use it. I also think that Apple should have gotten more of the bugs out before they launched the new Iphones out to the public. I personally am waitng for my AT&T contract to end and then get the new Iphone, but I need to wait several more months till then. I too had camped out for the original Iphone when it came out and sold it for a higher price.
Ari Agress
The NEWLY and improved iphone G3! XD!
The San Francisco Chronicles-
Article:
The new iphone has several bugs that keep the new user from starting up and activating their new iphone. Although there is a new, slick, lighter, cheaper, and not to mention faster than the old iphone the service price went way up. Apple says it might take a while to activate their phones so they should activate it though itunes on their computer, but many people still can’t activate their phone. Apple says that the servers are going down because there are too many people activating their new phones.
Reader’s Response:
I think Apple should have waited a bit before even releasing the new iphone because the new one came out mearly a year ago and a new and better model has already came out. I think if they should of known that if like half the world tries to activate their iphones sorta at the same time there would be problems. They should have planned a head before they released it. On the other hand it’s the iphone for crying out loud! I could see them letting it crash and people would wait hours or days or even weeks for the iphone to fix because they like it so much.
Edher Gutierrez
national news
CNN
Grandma Acused of Hiring Hitman Heads to Court
Betty Neumar 76, is acussed of hiring a hitman to kill her fourth husband.
She collected at leats 20,000 dollars when Harold Gentry was sho to death and a year before that she collected 10,000 dollars in life insurance when her son died.
The police are probing that the deaths of her first child and four of the 5 men she married.
Paris-Burgers are now considered "chic"
In the past nine months hamburgers have become something that is now considered "chic." Before, you would not see french people eating hmaburgers because they were considered everything that French dining is not: informal, messy, fast and foreign. A french chef even sued Mcdonalds because they had made a poster that suggested that he was dreaming of a big mac.
Now everyone wants them.
38 year old Andrea Curry-Demus has been charged with homicide after police find Kia Johnsons bodie in her apartment.
Andrea Curry-Demus cut open Kia Johnsons uterus and took her baby.
She then went to the hospital and told them that it was her baby.
Then she told investigators the she bought the baby from it's mother for $1,000.
She later said two people brought a pregnant woman to her house and the next day give the baby to her and then took it to her sister house and told her she had just givin birth.
^
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SF Chronicle
(the australian)
a cross dressing man in Australia is a suspect in a string of sexual attacks in Sydney.
The interviewed him and he was released
SFgate.com
Gabriel Alejo, 18, suspected of shooting four people in South Berkeley is being sought on a warrant. The four people were wounded but are expected to survive. Police served a search warrant at Alejo's home but he wasn't there. Police warn that he should be considered armed and dangerous. All I have to say about this article is I can't believe something like this happened so close to Albany. I hope the police find him.
SFgate.com
A Palestinian rammed a construction truck into three cars and a bus near the hotel where Barack Obama is supposed is supposed to stay. The incident injured five people before an Israeli civilian shot and killed the attacker.
Alex Holt
LAS VEGAS -- No tears for Sara McMann this time. No medal, either.
There's also no Olympics return trip for Patricia Miranda as the first day of the U.S. wrestling trials on Friday may have been the last day of competitive wrestling for several women whose skills helped gain the sport Olympic status.
McMann, who sobbed for nearly an hour after losing a late lead in her 2004 Olympic gold medal match in Athens, was dry-eyed after losing consecutive matches at 138 3/4 pounds to Randi Miller, who also defeated her two months ago in the U.S. nationals.
McMann had three easy victories in the morning challenge tournament that gained her a win-and-go-to-Beijing rematch, but Miller wasn't intimidated by McMann's silver medal or bullied by her strength.
"I think we're about equal strength," said the 25-year-old Miller, who was second nationally in 2006 and 2007. "It's a good feeling, but I've got other goals."
The same goals Miranda no longer has.
Miranda, a 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, was top-seeded and heavily favored at 105 1/2 pounds only to lose successive best-of-three matches to Clarissa Chun, who had beaten her only once previously.
"I knew I could do it. I just had to grit my teeth and do it," said Chun, a 23-year-old from Honolulu who lost to Miranda in the 2004 trials finals.
It was a day of smiles and tears for coach Levi Weikel-Magden, who is married to Miranda and coaches her and Miller.
"The outcome definitely stings," said Miranda, who took a year off from wrestling after Athens to graduate from Yale Law School but will retire after this year. "But I've still got my health and my life and my loved ones."
The Olympic trials and tribulations of two-time world champion Kristie Marano continued, almost certainly for the last time.
Marano, a nine-time world medalist, failed again to make the Olympics when she was pinned in the 158 1/2-pound challenge tournament by longtime rival Katie Downing.
"It's kind of hard to beat her because I love her so much and she deserves it so much but I've got to take my shot, too," Downing said.
Downing went on to lose in the finals to Ali Bernard, who followed up her national championship victory by gaining a trip to Beijing. Bernard, from New Ulm, Minn., does much of her wrestling in Canada at the University of Regina.
It was the second successive Olympic trials letdown for Marano, who missed weight in Indianapolis in 2004 and unexpectedly had to wrestle up a weight class, yet still nearly made the Olympics team.
It's extremely disappointing," said Marano, a single mother at age 29 who is also expected to retire.
One favorite had no problem: Marcie Van Dusen, who defeated Sally Roberts in the 121-pound finals. Van Dusen scored the biggest win by a U.S. wrestler in years in January, beating previously unbeaten Olympic champion Saori Yoshida of Japan, and she used that as a springboard to national and Olympic trials titles.
The only men's Olympic spot decided Friday went to 21-year-old Spenser Mango, who followed up his national championship in April by winning at 121 pounds.
Men's freestyle starts Saturday and extends into the final day Sunday, with additional Greco-Roman matches also set both days.
Hindu Times
-Kumari Chadha
BAGHDAD: Three women bombers blew themselves up on Monday in a crowd of Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad, one of a string of attacks in Iraq that killed at least 56 people, undermining hopes of a drop in violence.
Response: I think this news is very devistating. There is just so much violence in this world that we don't know how to deal with it. People are bombing others homes and destroying there country, and killing families. We need to make the right choice on how to have peace with one another.
JERUSALEM-
During a demonstration against a security Barrier ,Israelis security forces killed a young boy.
Residents say that the young boy was shot in the head by bullet shot by an Israelis soldiers. they say that he was resting under a tree after the demonstration when they shot him.
BOSTON- Massachusettes started a move closer of stoping a hurdle from blocking out of states gay coupes to marrying here.Following a vote by the state Senate two weeks ago, the House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to repeal a law that prevented Massachusetts from marrying out-of-state couples if their marriages would not be legal in their home state
Chronic homeless population down 15%, U.S. says
A federal report tracks the problem over the course of 12 months, a change from earlier 'point-in-time' looks.
By Vimal Patel, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
7:54 PM PDT, July 29, 2008
WASHINGTON -- The number of chronically homeless people declined by 15% last year, according to a first-of-its-kind government report released Tuesday, though officials cautioned that part of the decline may be attributable to better counting methods.
Nationwide, almost 1.6 million people were homeless and found shelter last year, the report found.
"We're very encouraged by this," said Steven Preston, secretary of Housing and Urban Development, whose department released the report. "We want to present the facts as we see them, and the facts are really good. . . . We are making progress."
The report represents the first time that homelessness has been tracked over the course of an entire year. Prior estimates, starting in 2005, were "point-in-time" snapshots that provided a count of the homeless population on a particular night.
The new measure will enable authorities to more effectively allocate funding for homeless programs, officials said. The government wants to make this an annual report, a baseline to measure homelessness, they said.
The report defines a chronically homeless person as a disabled individual who has been continuously homeless for at least a year or has been homeless at least four times in the previous three years.
The report found that of the nearly 1.6 million homeless who found shelter, either in emergency housing or in transitional living programs, 77% were in "central cities" and the rest in suburban and rural areas. Families with children (typically a mother with two or three children) constitute 30% of this population; minorities make up 64%; and 13% are veterans.
Advocates for the homeless warn that counting the population poses challenges. For instance, homeless individuals may not want to be found. In addition, fallout from the housing crisis and economic woes may not have been evident during the time of the study, which was conducted from Oct. 1, 2006 through Sept. 30, 2007.
"Families who have been foreclosed upon -- they downsize to a cheaper apartment, move in with friends or relatives, move into an RV and do everything they can before they are on the street," said Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. "It's a two-year downward cycle they're going to be experiencing. There hasn't been a tidal wave yet."
Before the government began implementing the use of local data systems in 2005 to better track people's recourse to shelters, such as when and how frequently they use services, the best big-picture count of the homeless came from the "point-in-time" estimates based on volunteers and field workers fanning out in a specific area, armed with notepads.
These snapshots, which measure how many people are homeless over one night, are still collected. But they do not provide the best estimate, say HUD officials and homeless advocates, since people go in and out of homelessness.
Even the new data systems -- called "homeless management information systems"-- can't account for those who don't want to be counted. They track only those who use shelters, though officials think that, over the course of a year, most homeless people -- even those who largely "go it alone" -- will need such services.
"People's methods for doing these estimates are improving," said Dennis Culhane, a University of Pennsylvania social scientist who helped analyze the report's data. "Some of the count is real; some of it is better counting methods."
In California, the decline in the number of chronically homeless from 2005 to 2007 was nearly 33%, according to the report. The statewide drop in the total homeless population was about 15%.
I am happy to hear that the homeless rate is going down. I am tired of seeing a homeless person every time I go outside. Now that the rate is going down that is going to help the crime rate to decrease as well.
Nikki Goudeau
47 dead, 100 missing in Congo boat accident
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) -- Officials say a motorized boat has sunk in Congo, killing at least 47 people. At least 100 people are missing.
Mathieu Modeste Bella, district commissioner of North Ubangi province in the far north of the central African country, said that 47 bodies had been recovered from the Ubangi River in the Central African nation. Twenty-seven survivors were helped to shore.
Bella says the boat was carrying at least 182 passengers, mostly merchants but also women and children.
"The rest of the passengers, more than 100, have disappeared," Bella said. "We do not know what happened to them."
The boat went down on Tuesday night after it left the Congo town of Mobayi Bongo, 700 miles northeast of Congo's capital, Kinshasa The boat was headed for Central African Republic, which shares a border with Congo.
I found this and am very sadden to see that this is going on. I hope that someone will intervene and try and help these people.
Nikki Goudeau
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