Websites embrace cyberbullying software

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/business&id=8004426

Bullying has moved from the schoolyard to the Internet, and sometimes with tragic consequences. However, new behind-the-scenes technology is gaining a foothold to protect children from cyberbullying.

It is unsettling to hear experts say half of all teenagers encounter bullying online, and it drives 20 percent of them to think about suicide. A British company has a one-of-a-kind solution online sites in the United States are starting to embrace.
On a small but growing number of sites, software is starting to track conversations in search of bullying. Language -- certain words we can't use on TV -- are the primary triggers. But other clues include spelling, punctuation and the speed of keystrokes. The result is a psychograph.

 

 

I think this is important because there are so many young people who take what others say to heart and will actaully consider killing themselves. For those who actually go through with it we can only imagine what that does to their families. I feel really bad for kids who experience bullying and i think this is a good start to putting a stop to it.

 

this has to do with government beucase they are the ones embracing these new websites to try and put a stop to cyberbulling. I just watched on the news that Obama and his wife have taken an intersest in putting a stop to bullying which i think sends a good message.

Oil slips under $104 despite battles in Libya

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_bi_ge/oil_prices

Oil prices slipped below $104 a barrel on Thursday but still remain very expensive because of the intense battles around Libya's crude and gas facilities. Investors are keeping a close watch on developments in the country, especially as its crude production has fallen more than previously estimated as the fighting near key oil installations has intensified.Sentiment in the oil markets over the past few weeks has been driven by developments in North Africa, where Libya produces, in normal times, a little under 2 percent of the world's global oil needs. Though oil prices have dipped modestly over the past couple of days they remain at historically high levels.

We have been paying ridiculous amounts when we fill up our cars. I think that we need to tap into other sources of oil because the national average is at an all time high for the time of year. Gas prices always rise towards the start of summer so you can only imagine what they will be when that time comes. Americans already cannot afford the stuff that they need so i think the last thing that they need is to not be able to pay to put gas in their cars.

this has to do with government becuase the rising gas prices are affecting the improvement in our economy. People just started buying more and more goods but now it's dropped again becuase they don't want to pay for the gas to get to the stores. we need to consider getting our oil from somewhere else to inventing some other way to make our cars run.

Same-sex couples lead to marriage licenses doubling

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/08/AR2011030802724.html?wprss=rss_metro/dc

At least as many same-sex couples as heterosexual couples - and possibly more - appear to have applied for marriage licenses since gay marriage was legalized in the DC last March.
Although the court does not differentiate between same-sex and heterosexual couples in its record-keeping, in previous years the number of applications varied by only 100 or less. So virtually all the increase is due to same-sex couples.Not everyone who got a marriage license lived in the District. Many couples came from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware and other states farther afield.
The court doesn't keep track of how many couples actually wed. The licenses have no expiration date, and the only requirement is that the marriage be performed within District boundaries.

I don't think that it's good to allow people of the same sex to get "married." We've had only heterosexual marriages for so long and that's always worked out for us so i don;t know why it needs to be changed. i don't think it's fair that people from all over can travel their to get married. If they want the rules to apply to them i think that they should have to live there. With the increase or same sex marriage license it just goes to show you how many same sex couples there acutally are.

this has to do with government because DC just recently started allowing same sex marriages. it may persuade other states to do the same and they may have a conflict with the people of other states traveling to the district to get married and they must decide if the other states will reconize it as a legit marriage.

Rebels fight Gadhafi with heavy weapons, diplomacy

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_re_af/af_libya

On thursday Libya's opposition battled for military and diplomatic advantage against Moammar Gadhafi.
France became the first country to formally recognize the rebels' newly created Interim Governing Council.
Germany said it froze billions in assets of the Libyan Central Bank and other state-run agencies. The U.S., UK, Switzerland, Austria and other countries have also frozen Gadhafi's assets. "The brutal suppression of the Libyan freedom movement can now no longer be financed from funds that are in German banks," Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle said. Both sides in Libya are lobbying for support from Western countries as their leaders debate whether to protect the rebels from Gadhafi's air force by putting a no-fly zone over some or all of the country. Britain and France have backed the rebels' calls for a no-fly zone, but the Obama adminstration has expressed deep reservations about involvement in another conflict in the greater Middle East.

I think that the conflicts in Libya are justified because they need to fix their government and make it more modern. However the way that they are going about it isn't good. They can't fight their battles on their own and since they are our allies it makes us involved. I think that the last thing that America needs right now is to get involved in another war.

This has to do with goverment because America getting involved in another conflict will really hurt us. our economy has already been drained because of the war in iraq and the middle east and we really can't afford anything else.

Stocks mixed in early going; Obama unveils budget

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Stocks-mixed-in-early-going-apf-1914203759.html?x=0

Stocks are mixed in early trading, the same day that President Obama plans to formally unveiled his budget proposal for  next year. Obama is expected to propose a $3.73 trillion budget that includes a five-year freeze on many domestic spending programs. There is little in the way of major economic reports this week. MGM Resorts said before the bell that it lost $139 million last quarter, a little less than analysts had expected.
The Dow Jones industrial average is down 21 points, or 0.2 percent, to 12,253 in early trading. The S&P 500 is flat at 1,329. The Nasdaq composite is up 2 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 2,811.

this has to do with government because the stock market is basically the center of the United states economy and if any thing happens to it when we are all screwed.

I think that it's good that the drop was less than perdicted. It shows that americans are more comfident with the stock market and that they won't just pull their money out because of bad news. i think it shows that are economy is actaully improving somewhat.

Clothing prices to rise 10 pct starting in spring

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Clothing-prices-to-rise-10-apf-3665134256.html?x=0

Clothing prices have dropped for a decade since inflation has stopped and cheap overseas labor helped keep down costs. Retailers and clothing makers cut frills and experimented with fabric blends to cut prices during the recession. But as the economy recovers and demand for goods rises, a surge in labor and raw materials costs is squeezing retailers and manufacturers who have run out of ways to keep costs lowered.
Cotton has more than doubled in price over the past year, hitting all-time highs. The price of other synthetic fabrics has jumped roughly 50 percent as demand for alternatives and blends has risen. Clothing prices are expected to rise about 10 percent in coming months, with the biggest increases coming in the second half of the year.

This has to do with government because all product prices are going to begin to rise with the improving economy.

I think that this sucks because clothes are already pretty expensive. It;s not like we have a choice to buy them it's necissary to wear them. I don;t think the economy will actaully improve if no one can afford to buy the things that they need or want.

Obama unveils $3.73 trillion budget for 2012

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110214/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_budget

President Barack Obama is sending Congress a $3.73 trillion spending blueprint that pledges $1.1 trillion in deficit savings over the next decade through cuts in spending and tax increases. Obama's new budget projects that the deficit for the current year will surge to an all-time high of $1.65 trillion. That reflects a sizable tax-cut agreement. For 2012, the administration sees the imbalance declining to $1.1 trillion, giving the country a record four straight years of $1 trillion-plus deficits.

This relates to government becauses the deficit is something that the united states has been dealing with for many years now.

I think that it's good that President Obama's new spending plan will improve The United States debt but if he increases taxes a lot then Americans will suffer because we already can't pay our bills and taxes so if they are increased i would imagine that wouldn't help the situation.

Egypt investigates 3 ex-ministers for corruption

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ml_egypt

Egypt's television reports say it has launched a formal corruption investigation against 3 former government ministers and a former ruling party leader. The report said the investigation is targeting former Commerce Minister Rachid Mohammed Rachid, former Tourism Minister Zuhair Garana, and former Housing Minister Ahmed Maghrabi. Ahmed Ezz,  former senior figure in the ruling party, is also under investigation. Ezz, a parliment member is a close confidant of President Hosni Mubarak's son Gamal. The three ministers were part of the Cabinet Mubarak sacked early on in the protests against his rule that began on Jan. 25. Ezz has resigned from the ruling party. Everyone gathered on Thursday as labor unrest across the country gave powerful momentum to Egypt's wave of anti-government protests. With its efforts to manage the crisis failing, the government threatened the army could crack down by imposing martial law. The protests in their 17th day — which have focused on demanding President Hosni Mubarak's to step down from presidency have tapped into the even deeper well of anger over economic woes, including inflation, unemployment, corruption, low wages and wide economic disparities between rich and poor.

This has to do with government because Egypts economy and conflicts have a direct effect on the united states economy.

I think that Eygpt needs to figure out their issues because they are not only hurting there economy they are hurting ours too. Eygpts termoil is effecting out gas prices for the month of feburary they are at an all time high. America needs to become less dependent on other countries because when they have a problem it makes us involved too.

Obama hosts Hu as world powers seek common ground

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110119/ap_on_re_us/us_us_china

President Barack Obama welcomed Chinese President Hu Jintao to the White House on Wednesday with full honors, a red carpet and a color guard. But the two leaders wasted no time in delivering pointed messages to each other at the start of daylong meetings to address trade, security and human rights issues that have been the cause of past strain between the two powers. Obama said each country had an enormous stake in the other's future, and he then referenced human rights.For his part, Hu said the relationship between the two powers should be based on "mutual respect," with each country respecting the other's core interests and choices of development paths — suggesting limits to how far the U.S. can push China on issues from currency to human rights.

I think the United States needs to keep a stong relationship with China. China is huge compition to the United States because it's so powerful. But we need them because they have cheap labor and produce i ton of products for America.

This has to do with government because if our relationship with China ended our economy would be in trouble and the government is responsible for the outcome of this meeting.

New Alabama governor Just Christians are his family

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley told a church crowd just moments into his new administration that those who have not accepted Jeses as their savior are not his brothers and sisters, shocking some critics who now question whether he can be fair to non-Christians. After his speech, Bentley said he did not mean to insult anyone."The governor clearly stated that he will be the governor of all Alabamians including Democrats, Republicans and Independents, young, old, black and white, rich and poor.

I think that Governor Robert Bentley's comment is very inappropriate. When you become a public figure you need to appeal to most everyone your representing. I bet this comment insulted a lot of people and now they cant really trust that their governor is going to take what they said into consideration because he made them sound beneath him.

This has to do with government because the governor is a new addition to our government and it also ties into the way some people feel about president Obama not being a Christian and their feelings towards that.

Gilbert focusing on illegal immigration

http://www.nvdaily.com/news/2011/01/gilbert-focusing-on-illegal-immigration.php

Delegate Todd Gilbert has introduced three bills to the Virginia General Assembly to address illegal immigration, including one designed to determine the cost taxpayers incur for every illegal child enrolled in public schools. The 3 bills will range from law enforcement to gangs and public assistance.
Gilbert's House Bill 1775 would require someone registering a child in a public school to provide documentation of the immigration status or citizenship of that child. He said it's not meant to keep a list of illegal students or keep people from enrolling in school but to find a cost associated with educating them.

I think that it's very unfair for tax payers to be stuck with paying for illegal immigrants. They are given the opportunity to become a real citizen and they should take that opportunity. It's not fair that they dont have to pay taxes or anything like that if the want to live like an American they should be treated like one too.

This has to do with goverment because our country really has a problem with illegal immigrants. We need to figure out some way to prevent it or atleast reduce it.

Pro-gun group plans meeting

http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/554682.html


Local resident Art Thomm is no stranger to the gun debate, especially since the shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona, which left six people dead and 13 wounded. The wounded included Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Thomm has long been active locally and at the state level in promoting gun owners' rights and responsibilities. He currently serves as Eastern Panhandle representative of the West Virginia Citizens Defense League, and he wants to share his message during a meeting this weekend. He will host an open-carry membership meeting and public forum to discuss a proposed bill as well as pending local litigation, Thomm said. "We aren't just looking to get more guns for more people, but law-abiding citizens should have the rights provided to them under the Constitution. And we're willing to have a stiffer law with stiffer penalties," Thomm said.

I think that law-abiding citizens should be allowed to own guns and have gun permits because they have been responsible and done everything right while they've been a citizen. If they do mess up and do something wrong i think that there should be a harsh penality. and depending on what the crime was they should either get their privlages suspended or taken away permenantly.

This has to do with government because their was just a tragidy in Tucson, Arizona. It has brought up a lot of questions about how affective our gun laws are. Its hard to regulate everyone because right now pretty much anyone can get their hands on a gun legal or not.

Animal rehab centers still at work after BP spill

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/la_gulf_oil_spill_stragglers;_ylt=AvrwIXge4UjZE9WEduumHyewhrZ_;_ylu=X3oDMTNhNnU3MDd1BGFzc2V0Ay9zL2FwL2xhX2d1bGZfb2lsX3NwaWxsX3N0cmFnZ2xlcnMEY2NvZGUDbXBfZWNfOF8xMARjcG9zAzMEcG9zAzMEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNhbmltYWxyZWhhYmM


Dozens of animals are still being treated at Gulf Coast rescue centers five months after the capping of the Macondo oil well off the Louisiana coast. The animals include a baby sea turtle that escaped from a shark, only to get stuck in oil spilled from BP's well in the Gulf of Mexico, and a young dolphin that apparently was attacked by his mother and then swam into oil. The animals are among thousands rescued since more than 200 million gallons of oil began gushing from the well. Since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded April 20, rescue officials say 2,079 birds, 456 sea turtles, some terrapins and two dolphins have been plucked from the oil.Another 2,263 birds, 18 turtles and four dolphins were found dead with oil on them. Workers are seeking to determine whether crude from the BP well killed them.

This relates to government because when the oil spill happened the efforts of the government to help stop it were almost nonexistant. They did not take it upon themselves to find a solution to plug it and now five months after the oil well was capped animals and other wild life are stuff suffering the effects.

I think that the government should have down more to help plug the oil well. Even though it wasn't their fault that is exploded it's had a huge impact on the animals and wildlife living in the gulf. Their are organizations still trying to clean up the mess that took so long to plug.

House Democrats are mad over Obama's handling of tax deal

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obama_democrats

The struggle over tax cuts is really straining President Obama's relationship with House Democrats, who have backed him on key issues even when it cost them politically. Democratic lawmakers say Obama ignored them at crucial negotiating moments, misled them about his intentions.The president has responded that he acted honorably and drove the best bargain he could. "Hardly anybody in the Democratic caucus here feels that the president tried hard enough to deliver on his campaign promises," said Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida,
Hurt feelings can mend over time and it's not clear how much political damage Obama will suffer because of disenchantment among House members. His allies note that House Democrats will be in the minority in the new Congress, and it's essential for the president to negotiate with the newly ascendant Republicans to get things done.

This relates to government because it's an issue that our government is dealing with. The tax cuts are causing a huge conflict between republicans and democrats. The President has lost a lot to "friends" over this issue.

I think that is was imporant for the tax cuts to be extended because Americans are already broke and cannot afford to pay their bills. If they were expected to pay even more money towards taxes they obviously couldn't afford it. I don't think it would do the government any good to raise the taxes because their aren't very many people that could actaully afford it so they probably wouldn't make much money.

Metrodome roof collapse

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101214/ap_on_sp_ot/us_winter_storm_metrodome_collapse


      On Monday crews began inspecting the Minnesota stadium's three decades-old roof after it collapsed under the weight of heavy snow and forced the Vikings to move their game to Detroit. Sunday's roof collapse was the fourth since the 29-year-old facility opened, and it has brought back up the debate about whether the broke state should build a new venue using taxpayer money. The Vikings have asked lawmakers for more than 10 years for a new stadium, arguing the Metrodome is outdated and doesn't generate enough revenue. The team's lease runs through the 2011 season and they have said they won't renew it. The stadium's Teflon roof gave out on Sunday after a  storm hit the region, dropping 17 inches of snow.

     This is related to government because it's just the start of the winter season and the snow is already causing millions of dollars worth of damage that our country cannot afford to pay for.

      I think they need to replace the Vikings stadium because it has already collapsed 4 times and the costs to repair it all 4 times will be a ton of money so they should just fix it right so it doesnt continually happen. I also think that the snow this year is going to cause a huge budget deficite for tons of states and our country in general.

Health Care

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_overhaul


           The health care law had its first setback Monday when a federal judge declared that the heart of the legislation is unconstitutional. The decision handed Republicans ammunition for their repeal effort next year.
The ruling was made by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson, who is a Republican appointee in Richmond, Virginia. It's been said that The a requirement for all Americans to carry insurance is unconstitutional and above congress' power. But administration officials and outside analysts agree that important provisions of the legislation could not go forward without the requirement for everyone to be insured. That's because insurers need to have large pools of healthy people, who are cheap to insure, or it is not financially tenable for them to extend coverage to those with pre-existing medical problems

           This relates to government because it's one of the current issues that we are dealing with. If this law is passed and everyone is required to buy health care it will have an impact on our generation. We will be the ones who test it.

           I think that having everyone have health care insurance is a good idea. Those of us who do have it now usually end up paying for the ones who don't anyways so we should just go ahead and provide them with care. and like they said the need healthy people to pay into the system so that insurance companies can afford to provide care for those who are unhealthy.

Impact of midterm elections? Most Americans bet on gridlock

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_exclusive/impact-of-midterm-elections-most-americans-bet-on-gridlock;_ylt=AlEbYXmvZb1k8rLiJkOO9i.s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTU4cnVnYjhoBGFzc2V0A3libG9nX2V4Y2x1c2l2ZS8yMDEwMTEyMi9pbXBhY3Qtb2YtbWlkdGVybS1lbGVjdGlvbnMtbW9zdC1hbWVyaWNhbnMtYmV0LW9uLWdyaWRsb2NrBGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bGFyBGNwb3MDMwRwb3MDMTEEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA2ltcGFjdG9mbWlkdA

If there was one thing American voters made abundantly clear on Nov. 2, it's how unhappy they are with politicians and the way things work in Washington. Surveys have shown that the majority of voters want their elected representatives to do a much better job of coming together to solve the country's problems. News polls state that most say they have little expectation that things will get better as a result of the recent midterms. Respondents were asked if they thought the election was more likely to move the country in the right direction or the wrong direction. The largest chunk of respondents, some 40 percent, said they didn't expect the election to make a difference at all. Only one-third of those polled, 34 percent, thought the results would move the country in the right direction, while another 21 percent said they thought things were headed the wrong way.
 
Americans are not comfident with the government as it stands today. They were very hopeful when the democrats came into office and so far they haven't lived up to the expectations everyone had for them. I think that the government needs to really put some effort into focusing fully on the immediate problems in our country and leaving the minor issues and things that aren't a big deal for later.

North, South Korea exchange fire; 2 marines killed

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101123/ap_on_re_as/as_koreas_clash

North and South Korea exchanged artillery fire Tuesday after the North shot an island near their disputed sea border, killing at least two South Korean marines, setting dozens of buildings ablaze and sending civilians fleeing for shelter. The problem began when Pyongyang warned the South to halt military drills in the area, according to South Korean officials. When Seoul refused, the North bombarded the small South Korean-held island of Yeonpyeong, which houses military installations and a small civilian population.

South Korea returned fire and dispatched fighter jets in response. There are said to be a lot of North Korean casualties as troops unleashed a lot of gun fire.

Hopefully our government will not get involved in the dispute between North and South Korea. The last thing we need to do is get into another war. North and South Korea have had an ongoing dispute for many years and i hope the united states stays out of it.

William, Kate to wed April 29 at Westminster Abbey

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101123/ap_on_en_ot/eu_britain_royal_wedding

In London Prince William and Kate Middleton annonced they will be married on April 29 in Westminster Abbey. That is the historic church where Princess Diana's (Prince Williams mother's) funeral was held. Officials said that the couple chose the venue for its beauty, intimacy and historic royal connections, and the date because they wanted a spring wedding. The government said the day the day of their wedding would be a public holiday. William's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II  and her mother were both married at the abbey.
William and Kate are playing "a very active role" in planning the day.

This relates to the government in London. They will we welcoming a new member to the royal family. Kate and William have been together for 8 years and i think its time they get married. the whole world will be watching and it is even being broadcasted and advertised all through out our news.

Obama acknowledges his message didn't get through

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101105/ap_on_bi_ge/us_obama_election_retrospective


The President is acknowledging that in this weeks previous election rout that he wasn't been able to promote his economic-rescue message successfully. Obama says in an that he "stopped paying attention" to the leadership style he displayed during his run for the presidency. Obama also said he recognizes now that "leadership is not just legislation," and that "it's a matter of persuading people. And giving them confidence and bringing them together. And setting a tone. And making an argument that people can understand."."
Obama's Democrats lost control of the House in Tuesday's midterm elections, as Republicans picked up a net gain of at least 60 seats, setting up a more divided government.

This relates to government because the people who are currently running our government should be reconized and people should be aware of who they are. I'm glad that the Republicans took back some of the seats because now they will be able to balance out the drastic changes that the democrats try to make.