Google Chrome

According to an Internet monitor, StatCounter, last weekend more people used Google Chrome than Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Before then, Explorer had the spot of being the highest-used browser in the world. While StatCounter found that more people used Chrome, other Internet trackers show that Internet Explorer is still in the lead. On Sunday, Google Chrome received about 32.8 percent of Web page requests, while, Internet Explorer fielded 31.9 percent. Another company that tracks Internet traffic, ComScore, did not come up with comparable numbers to StatCounter, but Andrew Lipsman, spokesman, said that StatCounter's numbers are "consistent with what I've seen." The numbers show that times are changing and maybe Chrome will become the more popular web browser for good.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/21/tech/web/chrome-explorer-browser-wars/index.html?hpt=hp_bn11

Technology Helping Children with Autism

Sharia was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. Because of her autism, she had difficulty communicating other than crying until the iPad was released. Apps such as Proloquo2Go, First Words, and ABC’s and me helped her learn to form short sentences. Proloquo2Go was the first real augmented communication app released for iPhones. Augmentative and alternative communication, or AAC, is used to help children who have disorders communicate.  Proloquo2Go founder, David Niemeijer, said that 90 percent of AAC users use an iPad, and more than 25 percent use an iPhone or iPod Touch, and about half have improved in their communication skills. There are now 764 autism apps for the iPad and 142 of them were released just this year. Equipment that was previously used for this therapy cost between 9,000 to 15,000 dollars. The apps for children with autism can cost up to $299.99, but compared to the price of the old equipment, it is cheap. "Steve Jobs did not realize he was giving a voice to the voiceless," Phoebe Tucker, a speech language pathologist, said. Sharia is now able to speak in broken sentences and is more aware of what is going on around her. Siddiqui said, "I often tell my wife I think of it as Sharia before the iPad and Sharia after the iPad. It was that significant." The family is even thinking about taking Sharia to Pakistan to visit their extended family, because she is doing so well and the therapists think she might be able to handle that big of a change in environment.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/14/tech/gaming-gadgets/ipad-autism/index.html?hpt=hp_bn11

Dumisani Rebombo

Dumisani Rebombo, a man who once raped a girl, is now an advocate for women’s rights in Africa. He committed the act at age 15 because his friends said that he should prove his manhood by raping someone. Rebombo and two of his friends raped her one after the other. Now, he looks back and feels very guilty for what he has done and has asked for forgiveness from his victim. He found out how much he had affect her life and that since then she had been raped two more times. In South Africa it is more likely for a woman to be raped than learn to read; it happens to a woman every 26 seconds in South Africa alone. There were 66,166 cases of rape reported last year, and it is believed that there were many more that just weren’t reported. In attempt to stop the violence and to start creating healthier relationships between men and women, Rebombo now works as the manager of “One Man Can.”

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/05/world/africa/south-africa-rape/index.html?hpt=hp_bn2

Baby with SMA dies

Avery Lynn Canahuati was born with type 1 spinal muscular dystrophy in November. The doctors said that she would not make it past 2 years old, yet she died at 6 months on Monday. Her death was caused by one of her lungs collapsing because of her genetic disorder. "I immediately performed CPR on her and was able to bring her back to life, but only for a brief period of time before she passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital,” said Mike Canahuati. 3 days prior, Avery had a doctor’s appointment and was looking good so her death “came as a complete shock.” The Canahuatis wrote a blog which contained a bucket list for Avery as if she would live past 2. At first the blog was to keep the family updated, but now it has 2.4 million views. Some things Avery’s parents wanted her to experience before passing on included waking up smiling and playing with Play-Dough. Now two things can be checked off of her list, which was written in first person as if she actually wrote it: not letting SMA take her smile away and taking one last breath, then taking one more before going to live with her Uncle Bryant, Nana Carolyn, Papa George and all her great-grandparents.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/01/us/texas-baby-bucket-list/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1

877 Dolphins Dead

In Peru just this year 877 dolphins have washed up on the shore. Environmental authorities are unsure of the reason for the deaths and think that there could have been an outbreak of Morbillivirus or Brucella bacteria. Some of the dead dolphins have been tested for the viruses, but more than 80% we unable to be studied because of how much they had already decomposed. The test results of the other 20% should be ready within the week. It is has been found that the deaths were not caused by a food shortage, fishing, or poisoning. "When you have something this large, my gut would tell me that there's something traumatic that happened," Sue Rocca told CNN, “More investigation needs to be done.”

 http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/22/world/americas/peru-dead-dolphins/index.html?hpt=hp_bn2

Last 5 bodies identified

More bodies have been found from the Costa Concordia ship that crashed January 13^th. Recovery teams have been searching since the crash and they finally found the last 5 bodies. Two of the people were American, two German, and one Italian crew member. Total, at least 30 people didn’t survive the crash. The amount of people on the Costa Concordia was about 4,200 including crew members. Captain, Francesco Schettino, said that he was told to sail near the island and denied that he could have been sailing too quickly. He also claimed that the rock was not visible on his charts. No one has been charged yet, but Schettino, is still being investigated and is being accused of manslaughter, causing the wreck, leaving the ship, not reporting the accident, and hurting a natural habitat.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/17/world/europe/italy-cruise-ship/index.html?hpt=hp_bn2

Mortenson's Lawsuit Settled

On Thursday, a lawsuit against Greg Mortenson was settled allowing Mortenson to stay with the charity, but he has to pay $1 million within the next three years. Over time he has used a lot of the charity’s money to promote and buy his books. The charity spent $4.9 million advertising Mortenson’s books and another $4 million in donations to schools and libraries. The institute is still allowed to build schools, but there will be some changes. Mortenson left his position as executive director but is still an employee, and has paid around half of the funds. Mortenson, author of "Three Cups of Tea" and "Stones into Schools," made best seller lists and toured the country to talk about his books and work. He used the charity’s money to afford the travels. Hopefully with the new changes, donations to the charity will be used the most efficiently.

                                                                              

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2012/04/greg-mortenson-settles-lawsuit-will-stay-with-three-cups-charity.html

Stage Dive

On Monday, April 2^nd Zephyr Ciesar took a tragic fall while rehearsing for an upcoming performance of Anything Goes. She played the role of Reno Sweeny, the female lead in the show that was supposed to open later this month. She was doing her big number on the set, which was a ship that’s top deck was sixteen feet off of the ground. She was tapping the choreographed part of the song, Anything Goes, in heels and lost her balance, falling backward off of the back of the ship. “When she fell she let out ear piercing screams,” said an anonymous cast member. Immediately someone called an ambulance. “I don’t know how we are going to do the performance,” said director Lizbeth Thomas, “but we are just happy that the fall didn’t kill her or injure her anymore than it did.” It has been released that she broke her collar bone and arm, but will be okay.

Ban of too-skinny Models in Ads

In Israel, about 1,500 children and teens are diagnosed with eating disorders annually. Because of the high number of people with eating disorders, a law has been passed that bans the use of underweight models (with a body mass index of 18.5 or less) in advertising. It also bans agencies from altering their pictures to make the models look thinner without telling the audience. While some modeling agencies are not happy, Adi Barkan said, "This is such a happy day for me, and it should be for everyone in the modeling business. All over the world, 20 years ago, we saw girls who were skinny, but today we see girls who are too, too skinny," he said. "They are dying. The business only wants the skinny girls. So the girls, they stop eating. It's terrible. We must be more responsible and say to them that it doesn't have to be that way." There is no consequence for using an underweight model, but parents of children with eating disorders will be able to sue the agency if they feel that the cause of the disorder was from the advertisement. Hopefully the rate of eating disorders will go down because of the new law.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/20/new-israeli-law-bans-use-of-too-skinny-models-in-ads/?hpt=hp_bn5

Indiana School Bus Crash

A school bus collided with a bridge, killing the bus driver, a student and injuring others, while making its morning rounds Monday morning. The bus crashed at approximately 7:45 a.m. on the way to Indianapolis Lighthouse Charter School. Two male students were critically injured, and one five or six year old was killed. The two male students that were critically injured and eight others were taken to Indianapolis hospitals. One of the injured children was rescued from under the bus’s front wheel, and fire department crews rescued four people from the bus in 45 minutes. The students that were not injured were taken to school which was only two miles away from the accident. One lucky student missed the bus and had to have his grandfather take him to school. On the way, he saw the accident scene. He said the bus driver was a good driver and cared about the safety of the children. There is still no apparent reason why the bus hit the bridge, except that the pavement may have been wet. Beth Bray, a worker at the Indianapolis mayor’s office, said, “We’re trying to help parents and get everybody coordinated.” The school released the students early Monday.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/12/1-kid-driver-die-in-ind-school-bus-crash/?test=latestnews

Indiana Mother Saves Kids from Tornado

Stephanie Decker’s home was pummeled by two tornadoes on Friday in Indiana. She was home with her two kids when her husband texted, warning her about the tornado headed for their three-story house. She took her son and daughter to the basement and shielded them from debris with a blanket. To further protect her kids, she reached around them, holding them, so everything coming at them would hit her instead of her children. After the first tornado went through, she had two steel beams on her legs and was stuck. Then next tornado came through and again she attempted to cover her children as well as she could. Everything was hitting her back, but she was on top of her children keeping them safe from the beams, pillars, and furniture, while they screamed that they did not want to die. When the storm passed, Stephanie Decker saw that her house was gone. Luckily, her neighbors were able to help her and keep the bleeding under control until the ambulance arrived. It was a miracle that Decker and her kids lived. Neither of her kids had a scratch on them, but their mother lost part of both of her legs, and broke seven of her ribs.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/06/indiana-mom-loses-legs-saving-kids-from-tornado/?hpt=hp_bn1

Sophomore Shoots 5, Kills 3

Monday, February 27^th, sophomore T.J. Lane shot five students that attend Chardon High School. Three students, Daniel Parmertor, Russell King Jr., and Demetrius Hewlin, died while the other two were wounded. Lane confessed to bringing his uncle’s .22-caliber gun and a knife to school and firing ten rounds. One student saw a few students get hit by bullets and fall to the ground bleeding, and ran out of the building to tell authorities. Also, the police received a call from a person hiding in a teacher’s lounge that did not lock, causing everyone inside to panic even more than they were before. While this event is tragic, thankfully Frank Hall chased the gunman out of the school, possibly saving lives. Police still cannot figure out Lane’s motive and reasoning for choosing his seemingly random victims. Because he is 17, and the act was so violent, he will mostly likely be tried as an adult. Classes will resume Friday, but parents and students are encouraged to go to counseling on Wednesday and Thursday. The community is still in shock, and is not even close to putting the shooting behind it.

Friend: Alleged gunman had sad 

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/29/justice/ohio-school-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1

More Foreign Films in China

China had a quota of 20 foreign films per year. Most of the films were from the Unites States. Now 14 more IMAX and 3D films will be allowed every year. Also foreign film companies will be allowed to have a 25% cut of the box office, which is only 13%-17% now. This will support thousands of jobs related to the film industry. According to the Motion Picture Association of America, around 2.2 million American jobs are dependent on the film and television industries. IMAX is also going to bring Chinese films to the U.S. This change will increase the amount of opportunities for the film companies of China and America to work together to create more films.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/21/showbiz/china-us-film/index.html?iref=allsearch

Fatal Fire in Honduras Prison

A fire blazed in a minimum-security prison in Comayagua, Honduras late Tuesday, killing more than 300 inmates. Forensic teams found 150 bodies in the building, but many more are unaccounted for and possibly dead. One survivor reported, “Everyone ran for their lives. Prisoners awakened to the screams of fellow inmates and forced themselves out of the prison any way they could.” Authorities do not know yet what could have caused the fire, but most of the prison was affected. The nation’s electric utility is going to check the wiring in all of the prisons as a precaution, and hope it doesn’t happen again. This is the third prison fire since 2003 that caused death.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/15/world/americas/honduras-fire-deaths/index.html?hpt=hp_bn2

Man is fatally shot after killing a police officer and stealing a patrol car

Authorities released Friday that an Alabama suspect of a robbery killed a police officer and killed another in jail, before escaping in a stolen police vehicle and getting shot. The predicament started early Friday in a Mobile, Alabama store caused by Lawrence Wallace Jr. He demanded money at the front counter of the store, carrying a lighter and lighting fluid. Wallace, on the counter, sprayed lighter fluid starting a fire, as the cashier anxiously attempted to open the register. While this was occurring, an off-duty police officer who was in the store tackled Wallace. Once in Mobile’s metro jail, he stabbed and killed Officer Steven Green before escaping in a police car. During the hunt for Wallace, he left the patrol car and hid under a home. As the police tried to catch him, he shot another officer in the arm. The officer is alright now; police say he went to the hospital and has been released. Wallace was shot and killed by the police, after a stand-off. Mayor Samuel Jones stated that the police officer who was killed was a good man. “The officer was very, very well respected.” Jones said "We are all very saddened, certainly wish the family our deepest sympathy."

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/04/justice/alabama-officer-killed/index.html

Obesity in Pets

Recently, a survey found that over 50 percent of the pet population in American is overweight or obese. A common misconception is that cats and dogs need to eat every day. Do not try to get your pet to eat if it does not want to, because your pet will eat when it wants. Another myth is that spaying or neutering causes obesity. Any pet will gain weight if it is fed more than it needs relative to how much it exercises. The procedure could slow down the pet’s metabolism slightly, but if they eat the right amount, the will not become obese. Many pet owners defend their pets when veterinarians suggest that the pet could benefit from weight loss. They say things like, “But doctor, she hardly eats a thing.” The pet probably eats continuously throughout the day. Even though it nibbles the calorie intake adds up. Another excuse is, "But doctor, this rascal won’t keep quiet unless she gets her treats. And she won’t go to sleep at night until she gets her little dish of ice cream." The pet thinks being fed is a reward for his/her whining. The pet becomes obese as a result. Other pets become obese because food is given to them as a sign of love, or they are given table scraps, because they refuse to eat their food. Pets easily can become obese for overfeeding; only feed them the amount they need.

http://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/evr_dg_identify_overweight_pet#.Tyl6GcX-8o4

The State of the Union Speech: Did America Catch All 6,986 Words?

The night of January 24^th, 2012, Barack Obama gave the State of the Union speech. As expected, the Republicans seemed unresponsive to his ideas, except when Obama praised America’s armed forces and when he promised to move people from welfare to work, and they dashed out quickly after he finished his speech. While the Republicans were expected to act in this manner, the Democrats were not. They followed the speech and clapped at the right times but failed to seem fired up about what he was saying to them. Obama discussed liberal polices such as new financial regulations, investment in clean energy, and education for the workers of the 21^st century, about which they applauded as if they were in a fog. Except two people who seemed to follow Obama’s entire speech, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton, Obama only had the attention of everyone in the room twice - when Gabby Giffords walked in and when he brought up the death of Osama bin Laden. As Obama reached his 6,986^th word, it seemed as if not all of the words spoken would be remembered.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/9037297/Obamas-State-of-the-Union-speech-2012-a-lonely-voice-in-a-divided-House.html 

The Concordia Cruise Ship

44,200 people were on board the Costa Concordia, a cruise ship on January 13, 2012. The 114,500 ton boat hit a reef near the coast of Italy which created a 70-100 meter hole in its hull. Most were rescued safely but 6 were found dead and 29 are still missing. The coast guard is still searching for the bodies. The captain has been questioned and arrested and now he has been charged with manslaughter for causing a shipwreak and abandoning the ship before all of the passengers were off safely. More than 70 of the passengers joined a lawsuit against the owner of the boat. Carlo Rienzi, the head of the Italian consumer rights association said that he is going to try to get every passenger at least $12,773 for what they went through and the possessions they lost.

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/282979/20120117/cruise-ship-sinking-costa-concordia-suit-schettino.htm