Store owner kills 3 would be robbers

A jewelry store was targetted in a robbery attempt on Thursday. Two men, pretending to be customers, were in the store when a third man came in and announced a robbery attempt. All three pulled out handguns and took the wife of the store owner to the back and tied her up. Ramon, the storeowner, pulled out a handgun and killed one of them. Discarding it for a shotgun, he continued to fire away until all three were killed and his wife and store safe. Ramon was shot three times throughout the gunfight.

For three men to charge into a store with guns, and lose to a 52 year old clerk is almost pathetic. The shopkeeper is a hero, and deserves so much credit for fending them all off and ensuring the safety of his wife and store. It is always such a pleasure to hear of these stories versus hearing, "Three gunmen shoot store clerk and wife, and rob the jewelry store." Bravo to you Ramon, bravo.

Issue 2 - Ensuring Quality Care for Medicare Patients

A regulation is trying to be passed in our government concerning the quality of care for Medicare patients. As of 2008, doctors who treat Medicare patients will receive cuts of 5 to 10 percent. The way Medicare is currently setup, doctors bring in bigger reimbursements when they treat more people, rather than the quality of the care they provide. The regulation is trying to ensure that Medicare patients get the best care they can possibly get the first time, rather than a second or third visit. With the current system, a doctor can misdiagnose a patient and they will have to return for another prescription. With that, the doctor has a bigger reimbursment. In 2006, a "pay-for-performance" bill was introduced. When a doctor provides information about the treatment, if it is applicable, they will receive a 1.5% bonus.

I think they should go for the "pay-for-performance" bill. If a doctor can bring in more money by incorrectly prescribing patients, and they know it, they might just screw up to get more money. Doctors are some of the highest grossing people in the world, and they dont need any more money than they already get. If we related that to a mechanic, we can more clearly see the problems this causes. If the mechanic is payed by quantity of services rather than quality, he could repair a hundred cars a week with duct tape, and have them all break down again within a week. This mechanic now has two hundred fixes in a week rather than one thousand. Plus, if the mechanic is careless lives could be at stake when the cars breakdown. The exact same is true for a doctor. If he is careless and only goes through the motions, rather than fully diagnosing a patient, lives could be at stake.

http://www.nejmjobs.org/career-resources/pay-for-performance.aspx

Issue 1- http://arj-robinson.blogspot.com

Issue 3- http://angelicaseniorsocial.blogspot.com

Backpack too racy for elementary school

Fred Ferrer is challenging the Richey Elementary public school. He was told his sons backpack should not be allowed in elementary school. The backpack has a bikini wearing woman "showing too much cleavage." The principle claims the images portrayed on the backpack are too graphic for the elementary setting. The school has some preschoolers as young as 3 attending. The son, Quentin Ferrer, has used the very same backpack for the previous two years. Just this year another parent saw the backpack and notified the secretary for the school. Now the student was threatened to be suspended, but a compromise was soon followed. He could bring the backpack to school, but once there empty it out and carry the books to class, leaving the backpack in the office. He could pick it up at the end of the day.

This whole scenario is all Freedom of Speech/Expression. To wear what you want is completely up to you, until others rights are infringed upon. Nobody should care what the backpack was showing. The cleavage shown is exactly the same as cartoons Betty Boop and others. The only difference was the person. For mothers to be offended by another students backpack is clearly an overreaction. Their child sees similar images, if not more vulgar, everyday on television. It all depends on whose point of view you look at. I feel that the Ferrer's are perfectly right in their decision to move this to court. His son should not have to go through this because of a backpack with an "inappropriate picture"

'Superheroes' brawl at parking garage

On halloween night, a kerfuffle was created by two men. One, Captain America, was found beating the father of the second, Spider-man, in a parking garage. The fight continued for awhile, and then Captain America's girlfriend, who was dressed as Ivy, got in on the fight and punched Spider-man in the face before police broke it up.

This fight broke out because one man started attacking another mans father. To go after an elderly person when the attacker is in their mid twenties is pathetic. The Captain America clad Michael Sanchez should get a life. There is no reason whatsoever to attack a 50 some year old. As for Ivy, to come in late to a fight and punch a man sticking up for his father is just downright outrageous. Both should be punished for the horrendous crimes they have committed.

President Palin?

With election night behind us, its time to take a look at the results and what it means for future elections, most importantly the presidential one in 2012. With the Tea Party and Sarah Palin giving huge endorsements to the Republican party, helping the overturn of the Senate, theres a good chance that they will end up supporting her in her upcoming race for President. However, many people feel Palin doesnt have the qualifications to lead a nation such as ours. She does have a way with media and attention, but she just cant get the public support.

I feel Palin is a terrific woman. She has done so much for her state up in Alaska, and she has a good chance of doing well in the upcoming election. If she wins, she will be the first female president, and it will radically change the course of our country.

"Navel fluff" collection weighs a record 22 grams

An Australian librarian has recently enter the Guiness Book of World Records. His unique collection is not the largest stamp or button collection, but belly-button lint. Over the last 26 years, he has emptied out his naval cavity and stored the lint in a clay jar. To date, 22 grams have been collected. Every day he claims 3 milligrams of lint is produced. To further the point that this is a staggering amount, 1000 milligrams=1 gram. This man is now over 22 grams, and he says he wants to double that throughout the remainder of his life.

I'm unsure as to whether this man is pathetic or a pioneer. Collecting his naval lint and storing it up to see how much he can gather is new, but odd to say the least. Most people are not curious as to how much lint accumulates in their bellies, but this man wanted to know. I feel sorry for the guy. Collecting lint probably doesnt go too well with the wife.

Issue Number 2 - Spending What We Can Afford

First Mark Baucus called for the suspension of pay-as-you-go payments (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAYGO). Now he is currently telling the public to completely avoid pay-as-you-go payments. If we eliminate pay-as-you-go payments altogether, the national debt and defecit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_deficit) will continue to rise. Eventually it would get out of hand, and we would be unable to pay off the piling debt. The alternative to spending money willy-nilly, whether you have it or not, is to only spend the amount of money you have readily available and available to pay it off.

http://www.concordcoalition.org/files/uploaded_for_nodes/paygo-issue-brief-chart.jpg


I am 100% against Mark Baucus. Being a younger generation, I am actually afraid as to what might happen with the national debt. With all the politicians being 40+, they have nothing to fear if their debt keeps climbing. By the time it will matter they will be dead, and our current teenage generation will have to pay it off. Not only this, but the Social Security funds are already depleted, and future generations will not be able to benefit from that. On January 27th, President Obama urged the Senate to adopt pay-as-you-go payments in his State of the Union address. I feel Obama is recommending the right thing here, and that the Senate should really consider taking that policy in.

http://arj-robinson.blogspot.com/ -Issue 1
http://cassiesamazingblog.blogspot.com/-Issue 3

"Meet ‘Lazarus tot’ whose heart stopped for 1 hour"

Gore Otteson, age 2, was left unattended for 5 minutes, and had wandered out of an unlocked cabin door. When the mother had come back for him, he was gone. She sees that the door has been unlatched. Upon running out and searching with her family, Gore was found trapped under a log in a fast flowing irrigation ditch.

This kids will to live must have been outstanding. To have been dead for minutes, and come back to life is a statement to our medical advancements. As for the parents, to leave a 2 year old unattended for minutes is inexcusable, let alone the fact that their doors are easily opened by a toddler.

Woman going nuts

A Yvonne Hiller of Philadelphia was suspended from her job at the Kraft foods company, came back minutes after being escorted out, returned with a gun and opened fire. Two were killed and one critically wounded during this spontaneous outburst of violence. There were approximately 100 employees in the building at the time of the shooting.



A woman returning to her place of work with a gun after being suspended is beyond belief. She was temporarily suspended, for reasons unknown, and she took it as being fired and must have snapped. If people like this are out there mixed in with normal people of society, we must ask ourselves, "What has our world come to?"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39089483/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

Hillary Clinton meets with Haiti leader after arrival

Hillary was sent to Haiti on behalf of President Obama. She stated, "We are here at the invitation of your government to help you. We will be here today, tomorrow, and the time ahead." Haiti was struck with a 7.0 earthquake, leaving hundreds of thousands dead. Hopefully, we can do a better job here than in New Orleans.

After Katrina, some 6 or 7 years ago, New Orleans still hasnt been rebuilt and is in horrible condition. Its excellent that we can send so much support down to Haiti and give them a hand, but honestly more people would rather us rebuild our own country before helping others. We are in a "recession" and here we go spending millions of dollars to help out Haiti when New Orleans is in just as bad condition.

Patients demand: 'Give us our damned data'

For five days, the wife of a patient at a hospital demanded their medical records. The fifth day was the day the husband was moved to a nearby hospital, and could not recieve any care or medicine for his pain because the records were not given to the family. The wife had to rush back and demand the records and causing an outburst in the hospital. Another "famous" incident where records were not given was a case in MN where a kidney cancer patient had the wrong kidney removed. If the family had been given their records, that could have been prevented.

If it takes a hospital five days to comply with a families requests while they are making ridiculous amounts of money for short work, they need to figure out how to be more customer oriented. The family needed the records and requested them every day for five days straight and they were not recieved. All i can say is that the hospital better get its act together.

Two charged with hate crimes in gay man's beating

Two men brutally attacked an openly gay man outside of a deli in Queens. They are being tried for hate crimes as well as robbery. They were beating the man and yelling anti-gay remarks and then took his wallet. The gay man was treated for a broken jaw, several broken ribs, two collapsed lungs, and a lacerated spleen.

All i can say to this is, "Really?" Why would anyone do something like this just because of a lifestyle choice. Im absolutely sure that there are things that are different and weird about the two attackers, other than the fact that they find it ok to horribly beat up a person for being different, and im sure theyd prefer to not be attacked and injured because of them. They should be put in jail for a minimum of 25 years. Hopefully, the trial does get taken as hate crimes so the punishment is worsened.

Arizona boy who admitted killing father sentenced to treatment

The boy, who was just 8 years old at the time, pleaded guilty of murdering his father and a man who rented a room from his father. The men were found dead with .22 bullet holes in them. The kid pleaded guilty and had a .22 weapon in his possesion. The kid will have therapy until he is 18 under the plea agreement because he is under 18 years old.

If all they are doing is having treatment until he is 18, all he has to do is fake passing that load of bull, and go out and shoot some other poor people. That treatment hardly ever works, and if you are just releasing him afterwards, the person who sentenced him to that better pray to God it works. If it doesnt, he will look terrible.

http://bryceholm.blogspot.com/

A fourteen year old boy was found guilty of kidnapping, molesting, and murder of a witness to prevent testimony. He told a four year old boy that he had something to show him in his apartment. He then sodomized the boy and after the boy cried and said he was going to tell him mother, the elder one drowned the boy in a nearby bathtub.

I agree with Bryce Holm here. This crime is extremely disturbing. The kid obviously has some mental issues that need to be worked out. As well as his life sentence, he should be sentenced to some sort of therapy. To do that to a four year old boy is pathetic.

http://kalan-3blogs.blogspot.com/2009/11/husband-leave-sandra-bullock-out-of.html

Jesse Jaimes' ex-wife was just released from jail for her tax evasion problems. Now that she is out, she wants to spend time with her child who is staying with Jaimes and new wife Sandra Bullock. Jesse wants the case to stay in court, but Lindemulder, the ex, wants to re-kindle the relationship her and her daughter once had.

Kalan has an excellent point where he says that Jaimes should remain to hold custody of the child. With Jaimes and Bullock, there will be no problems. Both are well paid and can affored the child so that issue isnt big. The fact that Lindemulder was in jail, has drug problems, and is married to another felon is a huge issue. Those factors must be included when the court decides who gets to have the child. The kids safety is the biggest issue here.

Search crews still finding survivors of Haiti quake

Five days after the 7.0 scaled earthquake hit Haiti, people are still being found in buildings alive. For example, three people were just pulled out of a collapsed supermarket. They had been living off the stores supplies. When other rescuers learn of people being found alive still, it gives them a sense of urgency that might just be enough to save someones life. The casualties are estimated at 100,000 in the capital alone, and there must be more survivors in there too.

The rescuers have done an excellent job. They are finding people all over. They just need to keep doing what they are doing. Looking for signs of life and then investigating it. The bodies will not stop showing up. All we can do is hope they are alive when the rescue workers get to them.

Drone attack kills 20 in Pakistan

Four drone missiles were launched at an area in Pakistan and killed just over 20 people. With that in mind, the only nation with the ability to launch missiles from drones in that region is the U.S. The government hasnt commented on it yet. This is the third one in the last week. The attack on Thursday reportedly injured the head of the Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud.

If this is the way that we need to deal with the people in the Arabic nations, we need to continue. They have done nothing but fight for hundreds of years. This is the closest we have been to ending terrorism over there. Just keep shooting missiles and bombs at them and we will be fine.