American boy, 13, breaks Everest record

On Saturday, May 21, 2010, an American boy broke the record for the youngest person to climb Mount Everest. Jordan Romero is 13-years-old from Big Bear, California. The trip up the mountain was tracked by a GPS as her climbed up the 29,028 feet (8,847 meters) above sea level. Before Jordan broke the record, the youngest person was a 16-year-old boy named Temba Tsheri of Nepal. Jordan started his journey up the mountain on the Chinese side because Nepal denied him permission on age grounds. Jordan wants to continue climbing and become a motivational speaker to get obese kids outside and exercising. Jordan has now climbed 6 out of 7 of the Seven Summits. The final summit he has to climb is in Antarctica and he plans to climb Vinson Massif in December.

I'm glad that he broke the record for the youngest person to climb Mount Everest. I believe that if Jordan keeps up with climbing and becomes a motivational speaker, that he can help American children get healthy. I believe that if kids hear the importance of exercise from other kids and not just adults, they'll be more willing to exercise. I also believe that he can get the message through to kids not to give up and just to go for your dreams. I believe that Jordan will be a very motivational kid and will always stay active. I believe that if other kids what he has accomplished, they will feel that they can accomplish what they set their minds to. I could see Jordan becoming a motivational speaker for his career when he's older. I also believe that Jordan will break more records. I believe that he can become the youngest person to climb the most mountains or the Seven Summits. I believe that Jordan is sending a great message to people by his actions about the importance of being outdoors and getting exercise.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/05/22/teen.mount.everest/index.html

Lebanon claims latest title in 'Hummus War'

Lebanon set a new record for the largest plate of hummus. Lebanon won the title in the continuous war of good eating against Israel. This war has been going on for years between the two countries with each country outdoing the next one of the world's best or largest hummus dish. There were 300 Lebanese chefs, gathered in the village of al-Fanar, that made the dish that weighed 11.5 tons. That turns out to be 23,042 pounds or 10,452 kg. This new weight more than doubled the old record set in January in the Arab-Israel village of Abu Gosh. The old record was more than 4 tons or the average weight of 4 cars. The Lebanese chefs used more than 8 tons of hummus, 2 tons of tahini, 2 tons of lemon juice, and 154 pounds (70kg) of olive oil. Hummus is made of chickpeas, sesame paste, garlic, and other ingredients. Hummus is a popular dish in the Middle East. Lebanon is trying to make hummus the national dish like what the Greeks dis with feta cheese. The hummus market is worth $1 billion.

I think it's cool that two different groups of people are having a "friendly war" over hummus. There hasn't been reported violence over the records. I do believe that competing for the hummus record is like competing for the largest pizza in the United States. Everyone would love to have a record, but once it has been broken, then you want it back. I believe that this little "War" will continue for a long time, if not forever. I think it would've been really cool to be at the event when the record was broken, especially since the broke the record by more than doubling it. I also think it's cool that the Arabs and Jews share the same taste in hummus. You normally only hear about all of the fighting in the Mille East and with the religions.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/05/09/lebanon.hummus/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

Children's cold, allergy medicine recalled

A recall has been issued for more than 40 over-the-counter children's medicine, including Tylenol and Motrin, because they don't meet quality standards. These aren't being recalled because of adverse medical effects, but parents and caretakers of children shouldn't give these products to children. FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg claims that the change of serious health issues to be "remote." Some of the products recalled may have a higher amount of the active ingredients and some may have an ineffective ingredient that doesn't meet health codes. The recalled products include Tylenol Infants' Drops, Children's Tylenol Suspension, Children's Tylenol plus Suspensions, Motrin Infant Drops, Children's Motrin Suspensions, Children's Zyrtec Liquids in bottles, and Children's Benadryl Allergy Liquids in bottles. The medicine was made in the United States and distributed to Canada, the Dominican Republic, Dubai, Fiji, Guam, Guatemala, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, and Kuwait. None of the generic brands of the recalled medicine was affected.

To learn more about the recalled products call 1-888-222-6036 or visit McNeil's website.



I believe that the United States should know better than to send medicine that they haven't finished testing or is unsure about out of the country. If they keep on doing this, they soon won't have any other countries buy their products. That could potentially hurt our economy worse than how it is already doing. I don't get how after keeping these medicines the same for years, that all of a sudden there is a recall. They have the recipe for making the medicine and they know what ingredients go into it. So than why is the medicine first recalled now after all these years? I never knew that we send medicine to so many other countries because I thought that many countries use home remedies to get better or just let nature take its course. I also don't get why the FDA claims there isn't any serious health problems, but yet that's normally why they recall medicine.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/01/drug.recall/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

China lifts ban barring entry to foreigners with HIV and AIDS

The Chinese Government has lifted a 20 year old ban saying that foreigners who have HIV or AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, and leprosy from entering the country. China lifted the ban because they realized that it did little to help prevent the spread of diseases and prevented the country from hosting international events. the government had temporarily lifted that ban during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and other large-scale occasions. China's government has estimated that the number of people living with HIV in China had reached 740,000 people. The decision to lift the ban came several months after the Center of Disease Control and Prevention removed HIV infection from the list of diseases that prevent U.S. Citizens from entering the country. Until January, the U.S. was 1 of 7 countries that prevented entry of people with HIV.

I'm glad that China had lifted the ban because many people don't go to another country and have sexual relations with that countries people. This could help to stimulate China's economy. I'm also glad that the U.S. realized the same thing. This could boost our economy because now we can have more people come to the U.S. on vacations or for medical attention. If the come to the U.S., they'll have to spend money here. By spending money, our economy will grow and we'll be able to provide more jobs. I believe the foreigners aren't the reason to blame for the increase of HIV, AIDS, and many other sexually transmitted diseases. I believe that the ban being lifted can boost everyone's economy. I also believe that China will now hold many national events.

Issue #3- Putting Welfare to Work

How can the American economy be the strongest in the world, yet 1 out of 8 Americans fall below the poverty line, even when working. there is a growing gap between the American middle class and the wealthiest Americans. In America today, about 150 million workers are employed. The government regulates how businesses are run and sets many rules. The people that work, but still need government assistance are the people who only make minimum wage. A full-time fast food worker made about $11,000 for the year at minimum wage. Without taxes and fees taken out of the check, that would be about $917 per month to live on. In the 1980s, new technology and globalization changed the United States. The United States started to outsource jobs, leaving jobs harder to find. Currently outsourcing has lead the United States to a rate of 10% unemployment. Not everyone in the United States earns enough money to live comfortably. A family of 4 in 2006 with an annual income less than $20,444 was considered poor. That family would have about about $1704 to live on per month. In 2005, 12.6% of Americans lived below the poverty line and needed to get some government assistance. The United States government has created many programs to help out the poor. There is Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. The government also has wage assistance, a Federal Minimum Wage, Food Stamps, and Welfare. More single mothers are working now more than ever. The amount of child support collected has increased, but that's not enough. Many people are now off welfare benefits because they have found work. The jobs that they found are very low paying jobs. These jobs are still not enough to cover the basic costs of living. People are now using food stamps and Medicaid more than ever since they don't qualify for all types of government assistance anymore. Critics say that the government needs to increase funding for job training, child care for working parents, and early childhood education programs for the poor.

I believe that the government should change how welfare programs are run. I believe that there are many people who are on welfare and don't spend money wisely. I see this everyday. These people are on welfare and yet they have the nicest cars, buy many lottery tickets, and buy cigarettes. I believe the government should offer programs on how to spend money wisely, like budgeting classes. I believe these people shouldn't be allowed to be on welfare if they spend their money on luxury goods and unnecessary products. John McCain has many of the same views that I have on welfare. He believes that people who get welfare should spend at least 40 hours a week on working or extra training. He also believe that in order to have food stamps, the stamps should say exactly what the people can spend them on. Click Here to read more about John McCain's opinion on welfare and what he supports.

Issue # 1

Issue #2

10-year-old's pregnancy fuels Mexican abortion debate

In Mexico City, Mexico, a 10-year-old girl was supposedly raped by her stepfather. This incident has heated up the abortion debate. The stepfather has been arrested, but he supports both sides of the issue. Abortion is legal in Mexico City, but it is prohibited or severely restricted in most of the country's provinces. The girls home state, Quintana Roo, on the Yucatan Peninsula, allows abortions in the first 90 day. She is 17 1/2 weeks along and is about one month past the legal limit. Federal Officials at the United Nations say that the officials didn't inform her about her abortion rights. The girl is in custody of state protective services and they are monitoring closely her physical and psychological status. The services reported that both the girl and the fetus are both in good condition. But officials say that continuing the pregnancy can cause both severe mental and physical health problems.Since 2007 when the abortion debate heated up, 17 states have passed a law saying, "protecting life beginning at conception."

I believe that the girl should still have a right to an abortion because of her age. I believe that she didn't choose to get pregnant at the age of 10 like some of the teenagers choose when they become pregnant. She didn't choose to have sex. She was supposedly raped and she has no way to take care of the child. This pregnancy can hurt her in many ways. Her body can have a baby, but it's not recommended. Her brain isn't fully developed and that could cause many psychological problems in the future. She also could have problems giving birth and carrying the baby to full term. She is past the legal limit of an abortion, but officials aren't sure that she was told about her abortion rights until too late because the Catholic Church plays such a big role in Mexico's society. The Catholic Church is against abortions. Even though she is past legal abortion limits, it might be beneficial to let her get an abortion because of all of the health problems that could occur. I'm glad that she has been taken away from her family and that her stepfather has been arrested. I believe that her stepfather should stay in jail for life. I would think that when he gets out, he would come and find the family and cause many more problems. I believe that the stepfather shouldn't have become part of the family. I believe it's a good thing that she's away from her mother and is getting the proper care that is needed.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/04/19/mexico.abortion/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

Postal Service edges toward cutting Saturday delivery

No matter how the weather is outside, the U.S. Postal Service is delivering Monday through Saturdays. The least amount of deliveries take place on Saturdays with 1/3 of the businesses closed. They are talking about stopping Saturday deliveries because more people are using e-mail and because of the recession. On Monday, March 29, 2010, the U.S. postal service announced they will stop Saturday deliveries the beginning half of next year. If they wouldn't cut out Saturday deliveries, they would face a $238 billion shortfall by the year 2020. They will still run express postal services and the postal offices will remain open.

I believe that this is a good idea because most people are busy anyway on Saturdays. This would save a lot of money on gas. This could also help keep costs from rising to mail a letter. The only downfall that I can see is that the Saturday morning deliverers would loose their jobs. Most of the Saturday workers aren't the normal weekday delivers, they are other people that either work only on Saturdays or use this as a second job to help pay their bills. I do believe that e-mail is becoming very popular. More and more people are using e-mail to communicate because the information gets to the people faster and cheaper than normal mail does. I know that some of my family members used e-mail to send their Christmas cards because it was cheaper than mailing them. I do believe that eventually we will not use the mail system anymore because of the cost and how long it takes for the mail to get to the people. but we will eventually do everything on line.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/29/postal.service/index.html