Massachusetts Court Limits Gay Unions

In Boston, March 30, Massachusetts's highest court, which legalized same-sex marriage here two and a half years ago, ruled that gay couples who live in states where such marriages are prohibited cannot marry in Massachusetts. The ruling, supported by six of the court's seven justices, upheld a 1913 law that says that no out-of-state resident can marry in Massachusetts if the marriage would be void in the person's home state, unless the person intends to live in Massachusetts. Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall wrote, "It is rational for the legislature to take steps to ensure that marriages performed here will hold up elsewhere, and that they will not be ignored by other states." Governor Romney said, "This is an important victory for traditional marriage and for the right of each state to be sovereign as it defines marriage. It's very important to contain a bad initial decision on same-sex marriage by this court and not impose it on the other 49 states." I feel that each state has a right to set up laws in which to govern and ensure the safety of its' people. I feel that this instance is wrong and unconstitutional to deny one person's rights to equality and happiness. Every individual is different and should be denied anything that makes them a unique person and member of our country. Who are we to say how others should live their lives? It is not our duty or right, I feel that people should be able to marry whoever they want as long as it meets all other State requirements of marraige.

NYC Releases 9/11 Emergency Calls

New York City released today partial recordings of more than nine hours of 911 calls that began pouring in on the sunny and deadly morning of Sept. 11, 2001, as emergency operators struggled to comprehend the chaos unfolding at the burning World Trade Center. The recordings and some transcripts of about 130 calls include only comments from emergency dispatchers and operators, after a New York appeals court ruled that the privacy concerns of families of Sept. 11 victims outweigh the public interest in releasing the tapes in their entirety. The calls appear to confirm the sense of chaos and confusion that gripped New York City that horrifying September day. One man that day called in, "We have about 100 people here. We can't get down the stairs," he said, adding later: "We have smoke and . . . it's pretty bad. People are beginning to get sick from all the smoke in the air." A dispatcher tells him: "Just sit tight. Just sit tight. We're on the way." "All right," the man says. "Please hurry." It is hard to believe that it has been so long since 9/11, everyone is still devastated as if it had occurred just yesterday. I know exactly where and what I was doing on that dreadful day, as does probably everyone else. I still pray for the lost loved ones of others and the brave men and women that gave their lives trying to save survivers in all the termoil. I hope that someday we can go on and become a stronger nation, because I know this day will never be forgetten.

Mixing Alcohol With Energy Drinks Doesn't Null Intoxication

Mixing alcohol with energy drinks like Red Bull masks some of the subjective feelings of intoxication, but you still feel drunk just like those who drink the liquor straight or with conventional mixers. Subjects took vodka straight and with Red Bull and said that they felt less intoxicated than with the straight vodka. The Red Bull vodka mixture masked some of the side affects such as the sense of tiredness and sleepiness. In other words the person is drunk even though they do not experience a feeling of drunkeness. The big danger with energy drinks is they mask some of the bad tastes of alcohol which can lead to an increase in alcohol consumption. The studies showed that after consumeing the alcohol whether straight or with the energy drink, the breath-test still came out equal for blood alcohol content. This increase in consumption of alcohol with energy drinks have people concerned that more and more incidents of alcohol causing injury will occur. I know personally that alcohol is a big problem for underage drinkers across Nebraska. On college campuses it is even worse, everyone around UNK knows the saying, "You can't spell DRUNK without UNK." I hope that this article will make some people realize that drinking alcohol with energy drinks is dangerous because it alters your own perception of being drunk.

Sleep Deprived Teens

An alarming number of adolescents are nodding off in class, driving while drowsy and falling asleep over their homework, all because they aren't getting enough zzzs, a new survey shows. "Only 20 percent of children are getting optimal sleep, and nearly half are getting insufficient sleep," said Christopher Drake, a clinical psychologist with the Henry Ford Hospital Sleep Center in Detroit and a member of the board of directors of the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Kids who are getting insufficient sleep are more likely to feel depressed, more likely to get poorer grades and be impaired while driving. This is a major, major serious area of concern. At least once a week, 28 percent of high-schoolers fall asleep in school, 22 percent fall sleep while doing homework and 14 percent get to school late or miss school because they overslept. About half of all adolescents go to bad after 11 o'clock. We as society are to blame for sleep deprivation, with late night talk shows and events going on after dark, kids are more active and awake at night. Getting less sleep may not seem like a big deal to most, but it is in children. Teens are loosing their sense of awareness and are unable to focus and concentrate on information being presented to them. No one wants their children to get low grades in school when they could be getting A's and B's. I feel that people need to be aware of the possible risk of sleep deprived youngsters, they could cause harm to themselves and others. I for one know that I am sleep deprived and hopefully will work on getting more sleep. How about you?

Bird Flu Vaccine Protects Half The People Who Take It

According to researchers, a new experimental bird flu vaccine protects 54% of people who recieve the maximum dosage. The dose of vaccine is twelve times the amount to protect a human being from the flu virus. According to Dr. J Treanor, University of Rochester, New York, even at such a high dose, the vaccine seems to be completely safe for humans. He also added that as nearly all humans have not been exposed to H5N1 at all, developing an immune response takes time. As there are now two types of H5N1 virus strains, it is not known whether this vaccine offers protection from both. For a human to become ill as a result of H5N1 infection, the virus has to make its way deep into the lungs. This is why humans cannot catch bird flu easily and cannot easily transmit it to other humans. An infected person who coughs or sneezes expels hardly any of the viruses. If the virus mutates, so that it can easily be transmitted from human-to-human, it will need to attack the upper parts of the lungs. If it manages to do this, it will be much easier to treat. This is quite important if we wish to stop a potential epidemic from occurring. I think that everyone should get the bird flu vaccine just to be safe. Although it may not help you, it will not harm you either. We need to be aware of danger, and take the necessay precautions to ensure our safety and that of others.

Citation and Outline Exercise

At first it seemed confusing, to try to make an outline with sources that were unrelated. The Citation exercise however did allow me to develop and practice making an appropriate Works Cited page and Outline. The material didn't flow together so it was difficult determines what points to stress on the Outline. The different information did allow me to see how to cite different articles from Websites, books, newspapers, and magazines. I felt that I gained a better outlook on how to develop a worthwhile Outline that will help with the flow of my speeches. The Outline serves as a great tool to lay out your ideas and points of stress in chronological order. This allows me to see where more time should be taken to develop a more powerful delivery of my points to the audience. The Citation exercise helps to properly cite information, so there is no suspicion of plagarism. Plagarism is a big deal and not taken lightly. If you are caught plagarizes it could mean a F on the assignment and a failed grade for the semester. Other people's work is theirs and they deserve the proper credit for their hard work. I didn't really enjoy the exercise, but I feel that I benefitted from it and so will you.

Loneliness Related to Blood Pressure?

New research shows, that loneliness and blood pressure might be related, especially in older adults. The University of Chicago's Louise Hawkley, PhD., studied 229 people between the ages of 50 to 68 and took their blood pressure and gave them loneliness surveys to fill out. Systolic blood pressure was 10-30 points higher in people with high scores on the loneliness survey. High blood pressure can lead to heart disease, stroke, and many other health problems. Loosing weight and getting regular physical activity can cut massive points from your blood pressure. Lonely people cope with stress passively, and perceive stressful circumstances as threatening rather than challenging. The lack of companionship causes stress to be built up, and are unable to talk about their problems which causes a increase in blood pressure and health risks. By getting out and sharing experiences with others you will relieve tension and become overall a healthier individual. Whether it is talking to advise columns about your problems or putting yourself on the yahoo personals to meet new people, either way you are decreasing stress and blood pressure.

Stem Cells help Rats Walk

In Washington, scientists have discovered stem cells harvested from the brains of mice can restore some walking ability in laboratory rats with spinal-cord damage. The findings show that movement using stem cells, that can turn into different cells and tissues. Hopefully some day stem cells will be able to help paralyzed individuals to eventually walk again. The stem cells were ejected into the rat, where they eventually migrated to the spinal-cord and merged into the injured tissues, and developed into myelin a nervous tissue that conducts and transports neural signals to the brain. The impulses than allowed the rat to maintain some body movements resembling walking that was an impossible task before. Just think that one day humans that are paralyzed and thought they could never walk again could indeed walk. This is far into the future, but strides like this make the dreams a reality. Fetus embryos used for stem cell reseach is a contraversial subject and have yet to be fully used for stem cell research. What do you think is it worth being able to walk again?

Bush Blames Saddam

President Bush said Wednesday, "Saddam Hussein is responsible for U.S involvement in Iraq, and is responsible for ongoing sectarian violence that is threatening the formation of a democratic government." Many critics believe that continued U.S presence in the wartorn nation is fueling insurgency in Iraq against U.S forces. Terroristic activities are continueing to cause harm to the people of free Iraq and continueing to put U.S troops in danger. "I want the Iraqi people to hear I have got great confidence in their ability to self govern," Bush said. "I also want the Iraqi people to hear-its about time you get a unity government going." The ongoing war in Iraq has caused devastation to both the people of Iraq and American soldiers and their families as well. Will this threat of terroristic activity ever cease? Probably not, but hopefully soon our long long lost brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers will return back to us safe and sound.

Law Professor Bans Laptops in Class

A University of Memphis, Tenn., law professor has banned the use of laptop computers from her classroom, and students are totally against the movement. Professor June Entman says, "my main concern is that students are so busy keyboarding at their laptops, that they cannot think and analyze what is happening during class discussion." Some students believe that she has no right to take away something they own and is beneficial to them in learning the material at hand. Student Cory Winsett says, "If I must continue without my laptop, I will transfer to another school. I won't be able to keep up with class lecture if I must rely on hand-written notes, which are incomplete and less organized." The students and Memphis University have a difficult conflict that must be solved before students begin to leave their campus.

Smart Kids' Brains Mature Later

Recent studies have discovered that very smart children may actually lag behind other kids in development of the "thinking" part of the brain. The brain's outer mantle, or cortex, gets thicker and thins during childhood and the teen years. Studies have found that in kids which have super intelligence, the cortex reaches its thickest stage a few years later than that in other children. The delay in growth promotes higher intelligence because the child is older, and processes more complex information. Kids with the highest IQs of 121 to 149 did not reach maximum cortex thickness until the age of 11. Children who seem to be developing slow, may be do to the fact that their brain has yet to reach its' maximum potential. So, parents don't get discouraged if your child seems behind in his thought processing skills, they may be still growing in their minds. You never know you could have the next Albert Einstein on your hands.

Abramoff Gets 6 Years in Prison

In a Miami courtroom, disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and a business partner were sentenced Wednesday to 5 years and 10 months in federal prison, for fraud relating to their 2000 purchase of SunCruz Casinos gambling fleet. Abramoff pleaded guilty of conspiracy and wire fraud, and says that he isn't a bad person, he just made a mistake that he wishes he could take back. Both deny in any role in the killing of former SunCruz owner Konstantinos Boulis. Abramoff concocted a fake $23 million wire transfer to the $147 million purchase of SunCruz Casinos. Based on the fake transfer him and his collegue were financed $60 million for the business. Both admit that they were wrong and guilty, but don't believe they are the horrible people they have been labled. Either way a crime was committed, you be the judge if they deserve the criticism.

Barry Bonds 'My Life in Shambles'

In Scottsdale, Arizona, just seven home runs shy of passing Babe Ruth percieved to be calm and jokingly making comments about steriod issues that surround him. Bonds said Monday, "My life is in shambles; its crazy. It couldn't get any cazier, I'm just trying to stay sane." 41 year-old Bonds, has been calm despite the recent release of the book "Game of Shadows," that alleges his longtime regimen for taking performance-enhancing drugs. He is 10 for 16 with four home runs in Spring exhibition despite having a sore elbow and coming off of knee surgery. Bonds starts the season next Monday at San Diego with 708 homers, and just 48 homers shy from breaking the all-time home run record held by Hank Aaron. But, with all the allegations against Bonds for using performance-enhancing drugs, may have tarnished the greatest home run hitters career and image. If he has used steroids in the past what kind of message is he sending to our children? That it is alright to cheat your way through life and lie to everyone because it could hurt your image. I guess for now he is still one of the greatest home run sluggers of all time and a future hall-a-famer.

Minister's Wife at First Court Appearence

In Selmer, Tenn., church members sobbed and dabbed their eyes with tissues as the wife of their small-town minister shuffled into the courtroom in chains, charged with killing her husband. Mary Winkler, 32 years old, is charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of her husband, Matthew Winkler, 31, a popular ministerin a small-town 80 miles east of Memphis, Tenn. Authorities say that she confessed of shooting her husband, when she was caught trying to leave town with their 3 daughters. Church members were shocked at the murder of their beloved minister. Many felt that they were happy together and had three wonderful daughters. What could have led to Mary shooting and killing her husband Matthew a charismatic and popular minister in their small town in Tenn.? We will probably never know why this happenned or what could have caused this tragedy, but we must go on and trust in our faith to carry us through these tough situations like this.

GM to Lay Off Hundreds

Detroit General Motors Corporation fail in sales in the billions of dollars, and now is forced to lay off hundreds of U.S employees. GM spokesman Robert Herta says, "cuts would involve about 500 workers at around 30 locations across the U.S." GM supposedly losed nearly $10.6 billion in 2005, and stocks fell 2 cents to $22.91 a share within the last week. GM currently employes about 113,000 hourly workers across the United States. The cuts would save General Motors billions, and they feel would bring them back to profitability. But, is money worth the lives that could potentially be destroyed by the layoffs. People's incomes would decrease dramatically by loosing the annual income earned by the family member employed through Gerneral Motors Corporation.

March Maddness

Lets play basketball! Its that time again, March and time for college basketball to reach its peak for the year. This year the men's NCAA college basketball tournament has been argueably the best one yet. At the start of the tournament people had their clear cut number ones; UCONN, Duke, Villinova, or Memphis. But, now going into the final four there are no clear cut certainties of who is going to win the tournament. All the number ones are gone and we are left with UCLA against LSU, Florida against the cinderella team that no one had on their brackets George Mason. Who would have thought that a small college team that had to get in on an at large bid would be in the hunt for the college basketball championship. George Mason has shown everyone that the size of your college, or competition determines how successful you can become, but by the size of your heart. Every game in this year's tournament has gone down to the wire. Tune in Saturday to enjoy the excitement of March Maddness and the Final Four.

Racing won't slow down, even for death

Paul Dana, an Indy Car Driver, died from from multiple trauma injuries, which is a technical term for "speed kills". In any other sport, it would be a tragedy, but in auto racing, death is merely an assumption of risk. Going around tight gripping turns at fast breath-taking speeds, I guess you could say only someone with a death wish would choose this career. The Indy Racing League's decision to "honor" Paul Dana with a moment of silence before the Toyota Indy 300 on Sunday, came as no surprise. Canceling the race would have been the honorable thing to do, but there were fans to entertain, advertising dollars to earn, and sponsors to satisfy. They couldn't let a little thing like death stop them. "It is very difficult to race under these circumstances," Dan Wheldon, the eventual winner, said afterward. "It's a job, and it can be pretty vicious at times." It is always hard to deal with death no matter what the circumstances, but the fact that little responsibility was taken by the Indy Racing League shows that green is mean.

Personals

The yahoo personals Website is great and easy to operate to discover potential single people with great personalities looking for someone to experience life with. It is easy to look at potential matches of individuals who have qualities that are essential in a relationship and who can identify with your values and beliefs. You can find someone within an age range that is within close proximaty to where you live. Whether you are looking for someone to spend the rest of your life with or just to hang out with the Website offers people who are kind and are looking for happines to. I felt that the personal ads gave people the chance to meet and view many different prospects for potential matches. If I was single I would view the site as a great way to find someone to spend time with and get to know, but if you need someone in your life don't be shy and try the yahoo personals.

Advice Columns

Looking through the advice columns I discovered that people could come to ask Abby about any problem they might have. The site gave advice to people who needed clarity and are puzzled about where and who to turn to. The people in the columns asked questions that dealt with marital problems. About what to do if you and your loved one are having problems communicating to each other and understanding their problems wants and needs as well as your own. Some people needed advice on faith and religion, and what they can do to become a better person and live a healthier life. How to live in society today and how to cope with finacial problems as well as family problems. There are links to different Websites that can help as well as a unexpress.com search that allows you to find answers to problems that others are having as well. These sites are great for discovering and realizing that you are not the only one with problems and their are others who can help and sympathize with what you are going through.

A Look at Myself

All my life I have grown up and lived in a small community. I feel that it has shaped me into the person I am today. I love being in the outdoors; hunting, fishing, and camping are passions that I have enjoyed throughout my life. During the summer I am always traveling with my family and friends to Sherman and Calamus Resavior to camp and fish. Spending time with my family and friends are the things I value most. I consider my faith to be an important aspect of my life, it has made me a caring and responsible person. When I was younger I dreamed I would one day be Professional football or Basketball player. I am a big Husker fan and always dreamed of running out onto the field as part of the team. My father has always been the person who I bonded with most when it came to sports. To me it is still the only thing and passion that my father and I share together. I have always been concerned with the environment and the effect it has on the outdoor wildlife. Coming from a small town I am concerned with the fact that small schools are struggling and loosing financial aid from the state forcing them to close. I am a comedian at heart and have always looked up to comics such as Jim Carey and Chris Farley. Westerns are by far my favorite movies to watch especially with John Wayne. In the past I have been employed at Tri-County Sand & Gravel in Elba as a Truck Driver and a landscaper. But, now I am convinced that being a Radiologist is my future career. I love volunteering and working with kids so I have helped at a nursing home and a children's daycare within the last year. I feel that the best qualities I can offer is my kindness in that I genuinely am concerned for others. I read Field and Stream as well as HotRod which is a passion of mine for my own 1973 Dodge Charger. I keep up with current events by reading the Sports Page in the GI independant, and the classifieds. Basically I am just an average sports loving pollack from the small hicktown of Elba, NE.

Explore Online

The online research exploration was very helpful in discovering new ways to discover information on potential speech topics. While going through the www.nlc.state.ne.us I realized that this site would be great for finding and using presentational material and statistics for topics of your choice. On top of statistics and facts the site is government proven which will make your information for speeches personal and truthful. Google is also a great site for finding current headlines by clicking on the news tab. Advanced search allows you to find current articles on topics you want to know that are occuring right know. The more tab at google allows you to search articles on your topic of choice as well as find and look at Weblog entries by others of topics of your choice. Google also can be used to find great presentation ads such as clipart, and pictures that would be ideal for powerpoint slides. Overall both sites http://www.nlc.state.ne.us/nebraskaccess/ and http://www.google.com are essential for researching possible topics and finding reliable information and presentation aids.

Dodge Charger

LINKS

http://badrian.pitas.com
http://www.cccneb.edu
http://prod.campuscruiser.com
style="font-family:georgia;">http://www.google.com
style="font-family:georgia;">http://nlc.state.ne.us/nebraskaccess
style="font-family:georgia;">http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby
style="font-family:georgia;">http://personals.yahoo.com