Man charged again for knowingly spreading HIV
The first person ever convicted in Idaho of knowingly spreading the HIV virus is facing new charges for the same offense.
In Idaho the grad jury returned an indictment charging Kerry Thomas with seven counts of knowingly transfering HIV. Thomas is now 45 years old and in 1990 was charged with four counts of HIV transmission and two counts of rape. He pleaded guilty only to the rape charges.
Thomas received a 12-year sentence and had to serve three years before being eligiblw for parole. He was later granted a early release.
Then in 1996 he was charged again with one count of HIV transmission, and a jury convicted him. This time he received a 15-year sentence with a seven-year minimum. He was later released on parole. Now on parole, he faces possible life in prison on the new charges because prosecutors are seeking his designation as a "persistent violator."
Asked why Thomas would continue to spread the virus, which causes AIDS, Jean Fisher, deputy prospector, said, "That's the $64,000 question, for a person who has been to prison twice."
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Current Event 03/05/2009
Cheap Gas is History, again
by: Aaron Smith
Gas prices are now beginning to cheap up to 2.00 dollars a gallon. Last year in the summer the price of gas was nearing $4.11, and now the gas prices are half that, but they continue to go up each week. On December 30th the gas prices slummped to $1.61, however, they have jumped more than 20%. At their current rate they could easily reach over two dollars. This is occuring with crude oil prices being $40 dollar per barrel.
"I think what you're seeing now is a backlash of a period, from the end of the summer until the end of the year, when refiners were selling gas into the consumer market at a discount to crude oil," said Ben Brockwell, director of data pricing for OPUS. Brockwell said refineries lost money last year, despite the surge in gas prices. The refineries in the latter half of 2008 were paying top dollar for oil, and then producing gasoline in a low-demand economy, he said. Now, refineries are producing less, driving up prices in even this low-demand economy, while stockpiling discount oil, he said.
People in the United States have cut down on their driving ever since the downturn of the economy to save ever little penny that they can. Gas prices will probably keep going up, as they often do in late winter and early spring, when refineries traditionally conduct annual maintenance on their facilities, said Peter Beutel of energy risk firm Cameron Hanover.
However, because of the low demand prices should not go as sky high as they went last year.
by: Aaron Smith
Gas prices are now beginning to cheap up to 2.00 dollars a gallon. Last year in the summer the price of gas was nearing $4.11, and now the gas prices are half that, but they continue to go up each week. On December 30th the gas prices slummped to $1.61, however, they have jumped more than 20%. At their current rate they could easily reach over two dollars. This is occuring with crude oil prices being $40 dollar per barrel.
"I think what you're seeing now is a backlash of a period, from the end of the summer until the end of the year, when refiners were selling gas into the consumer market at a discount to crude oil," said Ben Brockwell, director of data pricing for OPUS. Brockwell said refineries lost money last year, despite the surge in gas prices. The refineries in the latter half of 2008 were paying top dollar for oil, and then producing gasoline in a low-demand economy, he said. Now, refineries are producing less, driving up prices in even this low-demand economy, while stockpiling discount oil, he said.
People in the United States have cut down on their driving ever since the downturn of the economy to save ever little penny that they can. Gas prices will probably keep going up, as they often do in late winter and early spring, when refineries traditionally conduct annual maintenance on their facilities, said Peter Beutel of energy risk firm Cameron Hanover.
However, because of the low demand prices should not go as sky high as they went last year.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Current Event 2/26/09
Guns in Church Bill Dies in Arkansas
A bill that allowed handguns in church was rejected by the state Senate in Arkansas. This bill would have taken churches off of the list of places in Arkansas where people cannot carry handguns. Churches and bars are the only ones on that list.
The House approved the bill eariler this month, but the Senate Judiciary Committee stalled the bill on a voice vote Wednesday. The bill's sponsor Representative Beverly Pyle told the panal that she would be trying again with this proposal. She states, "This is not a gun question, but a question of religious freedom." Govenor Mike Beebe has said that he would sign the bill if it made it to his desk. Nancy Petty, the pastor of a church, said that churched should have the right to decide whether or not handguns should be allowed on their properties. "It's not the role of the state to preserve the sanctity of the church, and it's not the role of the state to impose religious judgment calls on churches," Petty said. However Debra Freeman, another pastor from Little Rock, said that it was not the nature of the church to have guns in it. She said that it would take churched from feeling safe and peaceful to fear and suspicion.
I think that having guns in church is completely wrong. Yes, it brings fourth a question of religious freedom, but what is religious about bringing a gun with you the church. Nothing. I go to church because I enjoy the singing and love praising God. Do I feel like I need a gun to protect me when I have the ultimate protecter on my side? nope. I believe that people should start having more faith in God and trust in him rather than really on guns and knifes. If people feel the need to be protected while attending church then what kind of society do we live in? Church is a place of peacefulness and safety not violence and fear.
A bill that allowed handguns in church was rejected by the state Senate in Arkansas. This bill would have taken churches off of the list of places in Arkansas where people cannot carry handguns. Churches and bars are the only ones on that list.
The House approved the bill eariler this month, but the Senate Judiciary Committee stalled the bill on a voice vote Wednesday. The bill's sponsor Representative Beverly Pyle told the panal that she would be trying again with this proposal. She states, "This is not a gun question, but a question of religious freedom." Govenor Mike Beebe has said that he would sign the bill if it made it to his desk. Nancy Petty, the pastor of a church, said that churched should have the right to decide whether or not handguns should be allowed on their properties. "It's not the role of the state to preserve the sanctity of the church, and it's not the role of the state to impose religious judgment calls on churches," Petty said. However Debra Freeman, another pastor from Little Rock, said that it was not the nature of the church to have guns in it. She said that it would take churched from feeling safe and peaceful to fear and suspicion.
I think that having guns in church is completely wrong. Yes, it brings fourth a question of religious freedom, but what is religious about bringing a gun with you the church. Nothing. I go to church because I enjoy the singing and love praising God. Do I feel like I need a gun to protect me when I have the ultimate protecter on my side? nope. I believe that people should start having more faith in God and trust in him rather than really on guns and knifes. If people feel the need to be protected while attending church then what kind of society do we live in? Church is a place of peacefulness and safety not violence and fear.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Current Event-Friday the 13th
Police in South Carolina, where Michael Phelps was photographed smoking from a marijuana pipe, have been making arrests as they hope to progress in making a case against the Olympic gold medalist. While arrests have been made near the University of South Carolina, where Phelps attended a party back in November, Lieutenant Chris Cowan is trying to find information that can forward the police in this case. He said, "As soon as we're ready to release information on this case we will and we're still in the middle of this investigation." The photo was published on February 1st, and Phelps has issued a public apology, acknowledging his regrettable and "bad judgement" behavior. The police have arrested two boys for the University of South Carolina, who they believe that they had something to do with the same party that Phelps attended. However the boys attorneys think different. One of the lawyers said, "Our clients answered questions but I don't know that their information would be helpful to law enforcement. It seems to me the Richland County has a host of its own crime problems much more serious than a kid featured in a photograph with a bong in his hand." So far their have been about eight arrests related to this case.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Current Events
General Motors plans to cut 10,000 paying jobs, blaming the need to restructure the company and continue with the descending prices of automobiles. This will cause the current salaried workers pay of 73,000 dollars to decrease to 63,000 dollars this year. Most of these cuts are planned to occur May 1st. GM's plan to restructure the company was submitted late last year. Also, GM plans to cut the pay of it's remaining employees starting May 1st continue to at least the end of the year.
I chose this article because it shows how bad America needs help. Because the economy is slowly deteriorating, businesses and companies have been forced to take action for the better of their businesses. They have had to lay off employees, cut pay, and even shut down branches of companies.
It the article, The Depression Hits Las Vegas, the author expresses the fact that the gaming industry is in trouble. Dow Jones reported in December that the Las Vegas strip was down 23%. The gambling industry has gone from people sitting at the black Jack table trying to win back a couple hundred dollars after spending it on alcohol, to people afraid to spend any of their money at all. This is what happens when America is hit with an unexpected economic downturn--the gambling just gets kicked out of them. This is just another result of how bad our economy is and how desperately America needs to get out of its depression. The way things are going it looks like it can only get worse. People are believing that Obama is going to be the one to get us out, but other believe that he is in way over his head. I believe that it is too quick to tell whether or not Obama can do the job, but I hope someone will do something fast.
I chose this article because it shows how bad America needs help. Because the economy is slowly deteriorating, businesses and companies have been forced to take action for the better of their businesses. They have had to lay off employees, cut pay, and even shut down branches of companies.
It the article, The Depression Hits Las Vegas, the author expresses the fact that the gaming industry is in trouble. Dow Jones reported in December that the Las Vegas strip was down 23%. The gambling industry has gone from people sitting at the black Jack table trying to win back a couple hundred dollars after spending it on alcohol, to people afraid to spend any of their money at all. This is what happens when America is hit with an unexpected economic downturn--the gambling just gets kicked out of them. This is just another result of how bad our economy is and how desperately America needs to get out of its depression. The way things are going it looks like it can only get worse. People are believing that Obama is going to be the one to get us out, but other believe that he is in way over his head. I believe that it is too quick to tell whether or not Obama can do the job, but I hope someone will do something fast.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Where You Won't Shop in 2009
According to this article, 2008 is going to be known as the year that some stores came to an end. Beginning in 2009, stores are going away such as: Circuit City, Linens 'N Things and Mervyn's. Because and this one third of U.S. women surveyed by America's Research Group said that they are planning on sending zero money on clothing this year. In years past, this number has only been four percent. This means that the market is too saturated with stores. Expected closing and bankruptcies for lines such as: Lane Bryant, Gap, and Starbucks. Experts say that some of this is caused by consumers' debt loads and credit access. Howard Davidowitz, chairman of New York-based retail consultant and investment bank Davidowitz & Associates, said,"People are so scared they are starting to save." Most stores will be open but closing hundreds of their branches. Davidowitz believes that there will be little help from the government and that Barrack Obama is only going to make it worse. He said,"We got into this by borrowing and stimulating, now he wants to borrow and stimulate more." What can America do to fix this economy problem? With stores closing because consumers are trying to save money and unemployment at an all time low changes need to happen or America could possibly be looking at her second depression. "I don't think we will live the same way for 10 years," says Davidowitz. He feels America will be changing for the worse.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Chapter 2 Summary
In chapter two of Nickel and Dimed the main character and author, Barbara Ehrenreich, has just moved to a new town in Maine. In Maine there are a lot more white people and it would make it easier for her to find a job since she speaks English, where as in Key West the low paying jobs were most likely for Americans who spoke Spanish. On page 52 Barbara says, ”Maybe, I reasoned, when you give white people a whole state to themselves, they treat one another real nice.” She talked about how all of the want ads that she went through mostly promised a “fun, casual” workplace. She was hoping that she would be able to apply for as many jobs as she could and find a home in the next week or so. In the mean time, she was paying $59.00 a night to stay at a Motel 6. After a long day of looking for an apartment, she heads back to Portland in defeat when she notices that the Blue Haven Motel on Route 1 has apartments to rent. She says on page 56, “For $120 a week I can have a bed/Living area with a kitchen growing off of it, linens included, and a TV that will have cable company notices that the former occupant is no longer the bill.” Since she was under pressure and was paying $59 a day she went ahead and took this offer paying the $100 security fee on the spot.
Now that she has found a home the next step is to find a job. From experience in Key West she knows that she must apply for as many jobs as possible since a help-wanted ad doesn’t always indicate that help is really wanted. She also attends a job fair at Walmart, where she fills out a survey and is interviewed for a job. At the hotel she waits to hear back from all the places that she applied to. The first two calls are from the nursing home, who offer her a job on the weekends and the second is The Maids, who want her to start that following Monday. Both of these jobs are paying her around $6-7 an hour. The next day she starts her first job at the nursing home where she is required to serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the residents there. She does the dishes and sweeps the floors once everyone is finished. She relates this job to her father and how he had died of Alzheimer’s disease. This job reminded her of him because he lived in the nursing home and serving the other people made her feel good since some of them could remember her name and even one women who made a joke by calling her “Barbara Bush.” This make her feel welcomed to her new job.
That night was her last night at the Motel 6. Instead of being locked up in her room all day she wanted to go out. She decided to attend a ten revival that a church was having. This becomes a brief experience. She chats with the women beside her, borrows her Bible, stands, claps with the song, and leaves before the preaching is finished.
Sunday comes and she finally ready to move out of the Motel 6 and into the Blue Haven, She finds the place small, but is still happy with it. On page 69 she says, “Not to worry—I have an address, two jobs, and a Rent-A-Wreck.”
On Monday she reports to her next job at 7:30 knowing nothing about maid service. On her first day she is barely noticed and waits to receive her uniform and instructions for her job. She goes through training where she learns that her job consists of dusting, bathrooms, kitchens, and vacuuming. She enjoys dusting the best. She says “..its undeniable logic and a certain kind of austere beauty.” After a day’s training she is judged fit to work with the team of the maids. She tells how this job is at a fast pace where everyone runs in and out of the houses. She also mentions that in her previous interview for the job she was promised a 30 minute lunch break, but turns out to be a 5 minute pit stop. All that this job running in houses, cleaning them, and then running out with minutes to spare. She describes how some of her co-workers boss her around, but that is the only problem that she is having so far. Later on in the chapter she talks about how one of her teammates said that sometimes the owners of the houses will leave tape recorders on so that they can hear what the workers are saying while they work.
Finishing off the chapter she finishes by saying how she is working her finally day as a maid and how she is going to miss everybody and her nursing home job.
Now that she has found a home the next step is to find a job. From experience in Key West she knows that she must apply for as many jobs as possible since a help-wanted ad doesn’t always indicate that help is really wanted. She also attends a job fair at Walmart, where she fills out a survey and is interviewed for a job. At the hotel she waits to hear back from all the places that she applied to. The first two calls are from the nursing home, who offer her a job on the weekends and the second is The Maids, who want her to start that following Monday. Both of these jobs are paying her around $6-7 an hour. The next day she starts her first job at the nursing home where she is required to serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the residents there. She does the dishes and sweeps the floors once everyone is finished. She relates this job to her father and how he had died of Alzheimer’s disease. This job reminded her of him because he lived in the nursing home and serving the other people made her feel good since some of them could remember her name and even one women who made a joke by calling her “Barbara Bush.” This make her feel welcomed to her new job.
That night was her last night at the Motel 6. Instead of being locked up in her room all day she wanted to go out. She decided to attend a ten revival that a church was having. This becomes a brief experience. She chats with the women beside her, borrows her Bible, stands, claps with the song, and leaves before the preaching is finished.
Sunday comes and she finally ready to move out of the Motel 6 and into the Blue Haven, She finds the place small, but is still happy with it. On page 69 she says, “Not to worry—I have an address, two jobs, and a Rent-A-Wreck.”
On Monday she reports to her next job at 7:30 knowing nothing about maid service. On her first day she is barely noticed and waits to receive her uniform and instructions for her job. She goes through training where she learns that her job consists of dusting, bathrooms, kitchens, and vacuuming. She enjoys dusting the best. She says “..its undeniable logic and a certain kind of austere beauty.” After a day’s training she is judged fit to work with the team of the maids. She tells how this job is at a fast pace where everyone runs in and out of the houses. She also mentions that in her previous interview for the job she was promised a 30 minute lunch break, but turns out to be a 5 minute pit stop. All that this job running in houses, cleaning them, and then running out with minutes to spare. She describes how some of her co-workers boss her around, but that is the only problem that she is having so far. Later on in the chapter she talks about how one of her teammates said that sometimes the owners of the houses will leave tape recorders on so that they can hear what the workers are saying while they work.
Finishing off the chapter she finishes by saying how she is working her finally day as a maid and how she is going to miss everybody and her nursing home job.
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