Gas Prices at All Time High

The subject of gas prices has seemed to be on everyone's mind lately. Over the last weekend 2 cents has been added on. Gas went from $3.115 to $3.137 a gallon. Oil prices rose also to $100 a barrel. By this spring anaylsts believe prices may vary from to $3.75 to $4. According to Tim Evans, an energy analyst at Citigroup Global Markets, "We have record high prices, but we don't have record tight inventories. The gasoline market is not physically in bull market territory. Whether traders acknowledge this or not, these are bear market conditions." Gas supplies has rose over the last 15 weeks. This article applies to everyone who drives. Gas prices has become a hot subject among everyone. It really concerns me and what activities I can do because of the driving part. Gas prices has limited me and probably everyone from doing everything they want to.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/81360

Indonesia is Hit Hard by Second Quake

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/02/25/indonesia.quake/index.html

Indonesia is Hit Hard by Second Quake

Just off the coast of Sumatra Island, an earthquake hit. It is reported as being the ninth quake striking at about 5.0 magnitude. The earthquake was 6.7 magnitudes. No deaths or injuries have occurred because of the recent earthquakes. According to the article Second quake in 10 hours hits Indonesia, "The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami warning after determining that a destructive widespread tsunami threat does not exist." The earthquake struck just a little after 1 p.m which was just seven hours after the eighth quake hit. I find this article rather interesting because I think weather is fasinating especially earthquakes because we do not experience them.

Wal-Mart and Toys 'R' Us Crack Down on Safety

Milions of Chinese toys were recalled because of safety hazards. Both Wal-Mart and Toys 'R' Us are instructing tougher standards on manufactures of toys. The concern of too much lead in paint and other chemicals has both stores concerned about young childrens health. Toys are now supposed to meet a standard made and enforced by Congress. According to the article, Toys 'R' Us, Wal-Mart boosting safety standards, Gerold L. Storch, chairman and CEO of Toys "R" Us said, "We made a commitment to the world that we would push forward toy safety as a top priority. This is not the last improvement that we will put in place." Even though parents have seemed to calm down about toy safety, both companies do not want to risk anymore recalls. By March both companies hope to reduce the amount of different chemicals including phthalates and lead in their products. This is a great opportunity for the largest toy selling companies to show their dedication to their customers. Reducing lead in the products can illuminate health issues in children. I believe Wal-Mart and Toys 'R' Us are doing the correct thing by setting standards for their toys.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23184537/

Related Websites: http://wcbstv.com/consumer/lead.paint.toy.2.246583.html,
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/27/business/27toys.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=toys+%27r%27+us+and+wal-mart+toys+standards&st=nyt&oref=slogin,
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/18/business/18bibs.html?scp=1&sq=toys+%27r%27+us+and+wal-mart+toys+standards&st=nyt

Obama Vs. Clinton Showdown

While November draws near, Obama has won the last eight states to control the spot for the Democratic presidential nominee. Nasty comments between the two top Democratic nominees continues as Clinton blames Obama for being more talk than action. Competitive advertisments have critized Obama for refusing to discuse issues relating to retirement plans and health care. To help take the lead and slow Obama down, Clinton has emphasized the importance of economic development to middle and lower class citizens. According to the article Obama hits back as Clinton heads to Wisconsin, Clinton said, "It is time we had a president who was a fighter, a doer and a champion for the American middle class." The fight between the two Democratic nominees continues and will until a winner is announced. It's hard for me to distinguish between both Clinton's and Obama's issues because I do not agree with either. There seems to be more fighting between the two then working to establish the best ideals and government plans for America. I find it interesting to hear the different issues that both the Democratic and Republican nominees bring to the table. The months to come with be exhausting for both the canidates and also the United States citizens.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23198406/

Obama website: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/semr?source=SEM-register-google-obama-search-national

Clinton website: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/?splash=1

Wal-Mart Vs. HD DVD's

Wal-Mart decided only to stock Blu-ray Disc players instead of HD DVD's. According to the article Wal-Mart puts stake through HD DVD's heart, Susan Chronister of Wal-Mart said, "By June, Wal-Mart will only be carrying Blu-ray movies and hardware machines and, of course, standard-def movies, DVD players, and up-convert players." Changing to strickly to only Blu-ray Disc is best for Best Buy. Consumers will be more willing to accept only Blu-ray players if the price continues to drop. There are rumors spreading that Toshiba, who is the owner of HD DVD, that they might pull out of Best Buy themselves but Toshiba denies this allocation. This is a really interesting case. Best Buy has millions of constumers so this will affect many people. It is one of my favorite stores so anything that changes directly concerns me.

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9873029-7.html?tag=nefd.top

Related websites: http://www.crn.com/digital-home/206501657
http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2008/02/11/daily8.html
http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/industries/technology/article/best-buy-recommends-bluray-hd-dvd_474731_12.html

Clemens Accused of Using Steroids

On December 13, 2007, Roger Clemens a pitcher for the New York Yankees, was accused of using steroids to enhance his game. Denying this allegation, Clemens is testifying to the House. Brian McNamee, Roger's trainer, denies giving Clemens this drug. According to the article Clemens says he got B-12 shots; ex-trainer claims steroids, "I've never given Roger B-12," McNamee told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Clemens testimony did not match to what teammate Pettitte had to say. Pettitte testified that Clemenes told him in past years that he had taken steroids. A turning point arose when McNamee agreed that he has given players substances in the past. According to the same article, McNamee replied, "I just accepted it as the norm, and it was part of the culture in baseball." The fight to justice continues between the two men. I dislike when issues about performance-enhancing drugs comes up in the media. It takes away from the athletic competition between teams. Nobody likes cheaters and I believe thats exactly what steroids is; it cheats not only yourself but your team. Nobody really knows who the best team in the league truly is because of all the faulty drug use going on.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/13/steroids.baseball/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Clemens

For more information about Roger Clemens: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3153509

Outdoor Labyrinth Fun

The City Museum located in downtown St. Louis is a main attraction for all ages. Crawling through a 10 story steel mesh tube towards a Sabre 40 airliner is daring but fun. You can fall through each steel floor through a two story slide of the outdoor three-dimensional labyrinth. The museum even has tunnels formed in concrete that wind throughout the building. According to a visitor of the museum, Ms. Rhodes said, “This place is incredible. I have two 22-year-olds, an 18-year-old and a husband, and they are all being gerbils.” Bob Classilly is the inspirational artist of the museum. My brother lives in St. Louis and I plan on going there during spring break. This would be a very interesting museum to be able to visit. It sounds fun for all ages.

Teenage Movie Goers

The television medium is very important to many teenagers today. Teenagers spend several hours a day watching tv. Research would seem to reveal that teenagers that go to movies would watch less television. In the contrary, a media research firm called IMMI determined that teens aged 13-24 who has went to four movies or more watch twice as much television a year than their other teens. The firm also found out that with increased age there is an increase in television watching. I thought this article was interesting because I am in that age group and I agree with the results. I believe teenagers that go to more movies have more time to watch television on the side also.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/business/media/11drill.html?ref=technology

Super Bowl

This year's Super Bowl against the New England Patriots and the New York Gaints' was watched by approximately 97.5 million people, making it the the most watched Super Bowl ever. This surpassed the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburg Steelers in 1996 with a viewer audience of 94.08. It was an exciting game because of the surprising upset when the Giants won 17 to 14 beating the the Patriots who were goin to be the first unbeatable team in the NFL since 1972. The score was a tight throughout the game but an outstanding 32-yard catch by David Tyree kept the Giants alive and gave them a chance at the win.


http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs07/news/story?id=3229763

assignment 1

First assignment in 225

China Snowstorms Kill 60

The worst snowstorms in 5 decades have hit China hard. About $53.8 billion in damages and 60 deaths has taken a toll on China. Transportation has slowed due to the storms. People returning from the Lunar New Year have been left trapped in cars because of hazardous roads and waiting in line for crowded trains. The storms caused 5.8 million people between January 25-31 to be stuck in railway stations. Guangzhou has dealt with the worst travel problems. To help with the congestion, officials are trying to keep other travelers away from the Guangzhou station. Stocks have dropped in China because of the bad weather. Economic loss has also had an negitive impact on China but should only be short term. Further bad weather has been forcasted for China which holds a threat for the Olympic Games coming up.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22946800/

Microsoft Offers Yahoo $44.6 Billion

Friday Microsoft made a audacious move to buy Yahoo for $44.6 billion. Microsoft wants to take hold of the largest share in internet services which Google currently has. With a $31 a share this would be Microsoft's most expense purchase. The two companies working together would annually save $1 billion. Yahoo replied to the request saying they would look over their company's strategic plans. After reviewing negotiations and watching their shares for a year Microsoft believes the only way they can compete with Google is to combine their company and Yahoo. Secret meetings between the two companies continued throughout the year but some Yahoo board members disagree with the emergence because of Yahoo's new advertising system that could help to raise shares. Yahoo's stock continues to fall. Microsoft has also struggled with Google's dominance. They recently paid $6 billion for an advertising specialist called aQuantive. They are continuing to grow but still not profitable. Nonexecutive chairman Mr. Semel announced Thursday that he was leaving the Yahoo board after serving on it from 2001 to 2007. Roy J. Bostock was named the new chairman. I believe both companies can not overtake Google without combining. It is crucial if both companies do not want to see their shares to continue to go down.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/01/technology/01cnd-subyahoo.html?hp