Looking for signs of rebirth on Japan's battered coast

The over 100,000 homeless Japanese are starting to be to a normal life three months after the devastating earthquake/tsunami combination. 15,000 people died and 8,500 are missing. Planting trees, clearing debris, and reopening family businesses are some of the things citizens are getting around to. Miranda Leitsinger and  Jim Seida are traveling to Japan to document the rebirth of the country. They will share what's going on through: facebook, storify, and world blog.

The people in Japan are living a disaster zone basically, atleast the ones on the coast are. There is also the concern of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant and radiation. Right now I'm very glad I don't live near any fault lines or the ocean. I couldn't imagine losing everything and having basically no where to go. Here we have tornadoes and you can lose everything, but there are people near that do have food and do have shelter to help you out. There they have nothing. It also seems like here it takes a long time to get government help in natural disasters.
http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/06/02/6772908-looking-for-signs-of-rebirth-on-japans-battered-coast

Army sergeant who saved 2 comrades to get Medal of Honor

Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Arthur Petry will be only the second living service member from the Afghanistand and Iraq wars to recieve the Medal of Honor. He lost his right hand throwing an armed enemy grenade back in an attempt to protect wounded soldiers. He is a thirty-one year old from Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has recieved two Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart and three Army Commendation Medals. The first living service member Medal of Honor recipient was Staff Sgt. Sal Giunta.

I think it's very important that we acknowlegde the bravery's that our service men and women show. Petry sacrificed his hand in order to protect others. If he hadn't done that there may have been more people killed and perhaps their bodies would never have been retrieved. I believe it's very encouraging hearing about the bravery's and the hardships that the service members go through. If they can make then anyone can make it. I would think it would be encouraging to other service members too. Let's keep the morale up in the war and get through it as quickly as possible. Let's bring the fighters home and reward them for all the hardwork, all the bravery, all the pain.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43231604/ns/us_news-life/

Is someone snooping your health records? New rule will tell you who

There is a proposed law that would allow patients to see who accessed their health records and what that person did with them. It would be very much like a credit report. You would be able to get one free report per year. The reports would only include electronic health reports. Recently there have been huge health information leaks from hospitals. Most health care providers are against the proposed law because it will be costly, but the hope is that snoopers will be deterred.

I think it's important for people to be able to find out who is accessing their private health records. It's a huge trust just letting doctors know. Perhaps this law, if passed, will allow people to trust electronic health records more. People also need to be told about the proposed law. If they don't know the reports are available to them then they won't request them. These laws are targeted at helping the consumer, and so the consumer should use it. If they don't use it then what's the point of having it available? The government is trying to take care of it's citizens and protect them, but the people need to be aware.
http://redtape.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/05/31/6757204-is-someone-snooping-your-health-records-new-rule-will-tell-you-who

NATO apologizes for Afghan civilian deaths

After a U.S. marine was killed an airstrike was organized. The airstrike hit a compound where five insurgents were fighting, unfortunately there were civilized inside also. Afghan officials report that 14 civilians were killed, 12 of which were children and two women. NATO reports that only 9 civilians were killed. Protestors, carrying the bodies of children, went to the capital. NATO only attacks as retaliation for attacks on them. Suicide bombers detonated themselves as top Afghan and international officials were leaving a meeting. Six people were killed.

With the U.S. secret mission to get Bin Laden and other raids that the Pakistani government haven't been told about, the ties between the U.S. and Pakistan are growing weak. Civilians are being killed left and right and it is important to keep the peace between these two countries. I think the U.S. and Pakistan government need to communicate more and figure out a way to communicate better. There must be some corrupt officials in one of the governments if the numbers given by their officials don't match the ones given by ours. Pakistan must be getting tired of having U.S. and NATO forces there, so I think it is important to wrap up this war as quickly as possible.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43209372/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

Obama expected to name new Joint Chiefs head

It is rumored that Army Gen. Martin Dempsey will replace, if approved by the senate, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen as the leader of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mullen's term ends September 30th. The report is that after the switch, the tactics in the war will not change. Mullen did not say whether he knows Dempsey will replace him in his interview. Mullen is proud of the citizens of the U.S. He said that he has noticed alot of support for those serving in the military.

I think a change in staff should benefit the efforts in Pakistan, especially if there is alot of time for the new chief and the old one to talk. They can combine their beliefs and perhaps find a better solution. I think it is very important for the government and soldiers to feel and know that the people support them in their efforts. Support makes a big difference in effort. We'll be more likely to be successful if all of the U.S. supports the soldiers. They'll be able to get the attention they need, if more money is needed the people can help, if they need supplies the people can help. All in all i believe that right now we have a good thing going in the wars.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43214822/ns/politics-white_house/

US: No sign Pakistan knew of bin Laden presence

The U.S. government is very interested to find out more information on bin Ladens presence in Pakistan. As far as the U.S. government has been able to tell, Pakistan had no idea he was there. He was living 35 miles north of the capital, Islamabad. The Pakistani govenment is doing an investigation on his having lived in Pakistan and the U.S. awaits the results of the investigation. The U.S. government is also awaiting to hear what was found and confiscated in bin Ladens rooms and it is awaiting the chance to talk with bin Laden's three wives. The Pakistani government has been cooperating with the U.S.

It's rather hard to believe that such a well known terrorist figure would slip under the radar of a government for 5 years. What makes it even harder to believe is that bin Laden was living within a couple hours of the governments intelligence headquarters. I can also see how he may have slipped under the radar since he hid from the U.S. for so long. It took the U.S. years to find him. His supporters would be very secretive about his whereabouts. I believe it is very important that the U.S. is patient with the Pakistani government and that we don't push too hard to gain evidence. The evidence may be taken the wrong way if it is hastily prepared and analyzed.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42948377/ns/world_news/

Issue 1: All things being unequal

Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, and other welfare programs are meant to help people struggling from globalization. The average American is facing wage freezes, meanwhile the prices of essentials are rising. The rich keep getting richer while the poor get poorer. Some believe that the government needs to protect domestic jobs (protectionism) and improve the social safety nets. Others say that government interference in that way would harm the economy. Businesses would have less to pay their employees. They believe that by leaving the market alone the gap between rich and poor will shrink.

Taxes need to be increased on the rich. They can afford to pay higher taxes. Workers do need to be protected by the governent. The workers are at the mercy of the company they work for. I agree with Obama when he supported the idea that companies that relocate jobs overseas should not have tax breaks. We need to reward the companies that keep employees in the U.S. and punish those that export jobs.

http://jordanscurrentevents.blogspot.com/2011/05/issue-2-boosting-minium.html
http://dparkinblogs.blogspot.com/2011/05/jobs-and-welfare.html

Flood swamps ND, Minn. farms, but not fortified cities

People of the Fargo area deal with flooding basically every year. The last three years have been especially bad for flooding. Area authorities are performing checks on the citizens stranded by flood waters and delivering supplies where needed. About 30 miles of highway 29 are flooded. Some schools have suspended classes because roadways are flooded. Most cities around the rivers have levees in place to hold back the flood water and keep property safe.
By now the cities in these parts should know to expect flooding. I suppose they do know to some degree, but houses are destroyed and damaged. Those houses obviously should not have been built where they were. I think there need to be building codes for frequent flood areas. Codes like how far from a river houses need to be and how high the ground needs to be in order for buildings to be built will help keep damage down. As far as farmlands go nothing is being planted or harvested at the moment so the only real concern is soil being washed away and animals being killed. There isn't much of an excuse for lost livestock, they can be moved elsewhere.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42556879/ns/weather/

Japan evacuees refused treatment amid fear of radiation

The earthquake and resulting tsunami on march 11 has caused  radiation scares. People within a 12.5 mile radius have been ordered to leave their homes and people up to 19 miles away have been urged to evacuate or stay inside. The U.N. wants Japan to increase the radius. Radiation levels thousands of times the legal limit have been found in the rivers. Hospitals are refusing to treat people from near the plant for fear they will contaminate the whole hospital.

I think that hospitals should be set up specifically to treat the people from near the plant. That way they can still get treatment. The people not dealing with radiation won't need to be exposed to it to get treated. The leaks from the plant haven't been found yet and if those can be found and stopped then it would be easier to clean up. With help from others countries i feel the plant could be taken care of more quickly. In the article it said that four of the six reactors would need to be scrapped. What will happen to those reactors? Won't they give off radiation? Or is the reactor just what holds the object that gives off the radiation? With all of the negativity of the radiation and being turned away from hospitals Japan needs hope and positivity. These newsreporters should stop being so negative. The citizens probably want to hear positive messages not negative.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42350531/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

Japan Vows to Review Nuclear Safety Standards

The earthquake just off the shore of Japan on March 11 caused the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant to lose power and now they are struggling to contain radiation and to regain stability within the plant. Tokyo Electric Power Co. was warned by history and scientific evidence that a large earthquake was possible, but they didn't listen. The plant was left without power and without backup power. Radiation from the plant has been found in food and water as far away as Tokyo.
I think that it is a great idea for the leaders to look back on this disaster and learn from it to help protect the people of Japan and the world from future radiation leaks. They did have an indicator that an earthquake and tsunami was possible so really there is not much of an excuse for the amount of trouble the plant is having now. Radiation from that plant has been found in the U.S. It has been found as far away from Japan as Florida. The workers need to have more protective clothing. Suits that were meant to be waterproof were soaked by contaminated water. Those suits need to be inspected and updated to keep the workers safe. The workers are taking care of the plant to keep people outside safe. Those workers are very important and need to be take care of or else there will be no one to keep the rest of us safe.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42324795/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

Shocking Mug Shots Reveal Toll of Drug Abuse

Deputy Brett King, in an effort to keep teens and others away from hard drugs, created a 48 minute documentary called, "From Drugs to Mugs." In the documentary there are before and after shots of drug users. Deputy King remembers that when he was a teenager it was very important to wear the clothing that was in. His hope is that by targeting a teenagers vanity he can keep them from hard drugs. The damage of hard drugs can be noticed in only a matter of months. Meth and heroin are often cut with sugar and when that is injected into the bloodstream the body is more directly in contact with the oily sugar and acne is triggered.

Personally I don't see much hard drug use in my school. It seems more like it's the middle age people that do hard drugs. When you are in high school you live with your parents, for the most part, and a good percentage of those parents care about their children and want their children to be in good health. I do think this documentary will work on teenagers especially ages 14-17. They most definetely care about what they wear and how they look. They care so much that they become snotty sometimes. They can afford name brands and you can't. These hard drugs seem to cause your skin to age also, just like tanning. The only difference is that hard drugs affect the rest of your body too. People will do things to their body, like tanning, to make themselves more appealing, even if it isn't healthy. I feel like if they understand what hard drugs do to a body they will stay away from them more.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41787410/ns/health-addictions/

Protests in Libya Continue Despite Killings

In the Middle East and North Africa revolts have broken out against the government. Each of the countries are governed by one president and have been governed without much choice for years. The recent overthrow of president Mubarak from Egypt has caused protesters to take to the streets in Libya. Moammar Gadhafi, the president of Libya, is using force and false propaganda to hold off the protesters. The actual number of dead is unknown. Gadhafi seems to be using the same tactics that Mubarak did in Egypt. Gadhafi has ruled for 41 years.

Obviously if Mubarak wasn't successful using his tactics then Gadhafi won't be using the same ones. In a protesting situation the government won't be able to hold off a country of disgusted citizens. Eventually Gadhafi's support will dwindle and he will be alone. His soldiers will die or defect perhaps and no one will be left to protect him. The people only want the choice to choose their leader and the way they live. There is no disgrace in supporting your beliefs. Gadhafi's soldiers are killing protestors in order to protect him, but that could enrage the citizens even more. He really is sitting in a losing situation. Even if Gadhafi started listening to the citizens and what they wanted he'd be taken out of office. The people are sick of him. Whether he lasts longer than Mubarak or not he will fall to the people. Keep the people content. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41658587/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/

War Dollars

When the federal budget for each year is established a certain portion is set aside for defense. Congress must approve the budget. An appropriation bill must be passed in order for the government to spend money. Many people think that the government is spending too much on the war in Irag and Afghanistan and that congress should limit the amount of money that can be spent. Congress did limit the American support of the Contra rebels fighting in Nicaragua. Other people believe that the president and his cabinet should have the sole ability to decide how much to spend on wars. The belief is that they president and his cabinet understand the situation of war and money needed to support the war better than congress.

I do believe that the president and his administration should have the majority of the power over how to fund the war efforts. They are in command of the soldiers and have a better connection to the soldiers than congress. If congress is able to restrict the amount of money going into a war effort then America is sitting on the fence between support and no support. It will be an even greater waste of human life if the soldiers aren't getting the support, weapons, defense, or money they need to efficiently fight. Even here in America it's important for those soldiers to have the resources they need. Over there the soldiers are keeping the terrorists occupied in their lands rather than here in our lands. The soldiers need to be able to efficiently protect us. Joe Biden, the vice president, is dealing with the war in Iraq and talking to potential leaders. It isn't congress going to Irag to talk. The president's administration deals with the government of other countries more than congress does. http://news.spreadit.org/joe-biden-iraq-visit-july-2010/.

http://katiebruzik.blogspot.com/2011/02/issue-2-spending-what-we-can-afford.html
http://emilyewblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/issue-3-safe-to-eat.html

Playboy Mansion Visitors Come Down With Mysterious Illness

After attending a fundraiser for DOMAINfest dozens of attendees reported fevers, respiratory problems and headaches. Some people even reported pneumonia. The DOMAINfest conference was held at a hotel in Santa Monica and the wrap party was at Hugh Hefners' mansion. Right now the belief is that a bacteria in the air at his mansion caused Legionellosis. Together with DOMAINfest the LA County Health Department are investigating the source. Hugh Hefner is being cooperative with the investigation. None of the inhabitants of the mansion have complained of illness.
It is rather interesting that a bacteria can live in warm air like that. This makes me think about germ warfare almost. There is bacteria in the air, people are getting sick, and who knows if it was on purpose. Countries could release bacteria into the air in say an airport and people won't know for a day. If there are germs released into the air in an airport then it can spread around the world. If the government doesn't have people working on preventing and counteracting germ warfare then they need to get hoppin. The government seems to be working on topics that no one even knows about yet so i'm not too worried about that. Certainly other countries have scientists working on weapons and nothing has happened here yet, atleast on the large scale. I suppose we are more or less a super power in the world and countries don't want to attack us at home. I am very thankful for the protection that I have living here in the U.S.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41553815/ns/health-infectious_diseases/

Ditch TSA Workers? Airports no longer allowed to 'opt out'

TSA will no longer allow airports to hire outside security contractors. Right now there are 16 airports that do have private security contractors and they are being closely watched for now. Many other airports that had applied for private security contractors were denied with short statements and little reason. The TSA screeners and private screeners are going to be compared to decide whether or not all screeners should be part of TSA.
Personally a think that yes there are quite a few rules that we abide by, but when it comes to security, the best is important. If a terrorist gets passed the security checkpoint they can go virtually anywhere--without another screening. They need to be stopped at the checkpoints. TSA officials are trained and are all together, there is no bidding on who will do the job for what price. Private contractors will try to get you to go through them, but they may not be the best for the job. I'd rather have inconvience with waiting, than my plane being hijacked by terrorists. I don't want low rate security screeners in my airport. I want the best. Our safety is more important than money, life has no price. If i had to wait in line for 4 hours to get to a security checkpoint, then needed a personal screening I wouldn't mind. I have nothing to hide, no reason to be nervous, and the people around me can feel more safe knowing that I am clean. The cases where people aren't clean need to be caught always. We the people should have no complaint about our government trying to keep us safe. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41391509/ns/travel-news/

Cold night ahead after Northeast storm cuts power

Almost twice the amount of snow that was predicted to fall in the northeast cut off the power to over 150,000 thousand people in both Baltimore and Washington D.C. The snowiest January's on record have already been reported for five different cities. The New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg, learned from the December 26th blizzard and kept most buses off the streets.
"I've lived in New York 70 years and this year is the worst I remember," states Lenny Eitelberg. Even here we have had more snow than in the past years. The last time I remember having snow up to my knees was when i was 8. There are many natural occuring events that are the worst remembered. There have been earthquakes in Chile, Japan, and Haiti, all significant enough to warrant a spot in the news. Half of Queensland in Australia flooded. Reports of large numbers of dead animals are showing up. There has to be something going on in the world right now that is causing all of these disasters. Maybe the government needs to be looking into it to figure out whether it should be happening. I think there needs to be a large group of scientists looking into the health of the world, which there are i'm sure. When you look at the big picture what does it matter if abortion is legal if there is no one left to perform the procedure. If the world is dead nothing in government can matter. While we are still living the budget and other reforms are important yes, but the Earth's health should be a top priority too. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41288658/ns/weather/