Social Networking and The United States Unity

So, as you all know, early Monday May 2nd our country was informed that Osama bin Laden was killed by US military. What I found so interesting about this, is that Sohaib Athar, an IT consultant was Tweeting live about it! And he didn't even know what was going on! He began tweeting about the noises he was hearing, the helicopter he saw, and how scared he was. Then, after realizing what was going on, his tweets read:

"Uh oh, now I'm the guy who liveblogged the Osama raid without knowing it."

"I am JUST a tweeter, awake at the time of the crash. Not many Twitter users in Abbottabad, these guys are more into Facebook. That's all."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Twitter-user-reported-live-about-raid-that-killed-Osama/articleshow/8141860.cms

Social networking has truly taken over the way we get our news. I thought this was so amazing that someone was tweeting as this raid was occurring. It's so interesting that we are able to witness first hand what it was like over there, via someone's thoughts on Twitter.

Second, I'd like to discuss the people and their reaction to this news. Everyone in the U.S. is going crazy over this! We are rejoicing, and so happy because most feel like this is revenge from what happened on 9/11. While it certainly is not okay to rejoice over someone's death, in my opinion I feel that we as citizens are entitled to be happy about this. We have been looking for him for about a decade now! On the news this morning, I heard that a huge group of Americans joined in front of the White House to sing The Star Spangled Banner, and chant "USA!".

While our country is going through war and turmoil with the economy, raising gas prices, and differing opinions in the government, it's so amazing to have this sense of unity. Today, is a VERY proud day to be an American.

More Changes in Airfare

Traveling via air is ALWAYS a tedious hassle. I saw this article today about new rules pertaining to passengers who get "bumped" from their flight. This means that someone has to give up their seat, and are usually compensated. Now, passengers who are bumped will be receiving more money than they used to. . Now, if you arrive within two hours, you'll get double the value of your ticket, up to $650. If it's more than two hours, you'll get four times the value, up to $1,300. While this may seem like a wonderful idea to most, let me tell you from experience- it IS NOT.

I was traveling with my family a few years back and got stuck in Dallas, TX due to our seats being bumped from the flight. I remember my father doing everything he could to prevent this from happening but the airline just would not budge. We had to stay overnight in Dallas, and our entire itinerary was affected because of it. While there are always volunteers, the people usually getting bumped are not by choice.

While reading this article, Brett Snyder talks about how airlines overbook their flights based off of statistics that show how many people do not wind up coming. This seems so beyond ridiculous to me! Why would you schedule 150 seats, when a plane only has 130? Yes, it reduces airfare, but at the end of the day, doesn't this seem like a bigger hassle than it's worth?? Trying to find volunteers to give up their seats, and then having to bump unwilling passengers off the flight delays the take-off process. Everyone has somewhere they must be, and now all the passengers are agitated. Hmmm, I think I'd rather pay a higher fare in order to avoid the annoyance. This makes me wonder, why are airlines not thinking in these terms? The aggravated customers who have a delayed flight because the airline has to get rid of passengers, may not return to this same airline next time they fly. In essence, airlines are making this an unpleasant experience for their customers. I have seen this happen almost every time I've gone to the airport, and luckily I've only gotten bumped one time. I really believe that airlines should reconsider their booking policies. While it keeps the airfare cheap, is it worth the risk of angry customers?


http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/04/25/airlines.bumping.gets.lucrative/index.html?hpt=T2

New Plans for I-84 Has Connecticut Talking

This is the new proposed bus way between New Britain and Hartford.

Gov. Dannel Malloy will soon be announcing his decision on a new bus route costing $567 million and running 9.4 miles long. He met with citizens supporting the decision and opposing it. The new construction will run Connecticut around $110 million, and already $15 million has been spent on design and property rights. The congestion of I-84 would hopefully let up a bit if this bus route were implemented allowing commuters to quickly transport without the traffic. However, Michael Nicastro, president of the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce in Bristol believes that this project is too expensive, and perhaps inefficient.

As a Connecticut citizen, this somewhat irks me because of the cost. It certainly seems costly, and not really worth it. I think the construction would also take a long time, and would further the problem of traffic. I do think it is a good idea, but is it really worth it? As I scrolled the user comments, it seemed that most people were not in favor of the proposed bus route. Many of them agreed that Connecticut should not be spending so much in times of economic downfall. The part of this article that really irritated me, was the fact that we have already spend FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS on obtaining property rights and designing the new route. If Malloy doesn't even pass this proposal, we will have wasted $15 million. Hopefully an agreement can be made that lowers cost, and is time efficient.

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/politics/malloy-i84-busway-project-decision

Looks Like Trouble

So, an Egyptian cobra went missing from the Bronx Zoo this weekend. This snake is extremely deadly and is said to be able to kill an elephant in 3 hours, and a human in 15 minutes. Clearly, this is a VERY dangerous situation! The zoo closed down the reptile exhibit and said that they are pretty confident that the snake is still somewhere in the reptile house since the Egyptian cobra likes closed-in spaces. This all went down on Saturday. My question is, okay, it's now Monday- two days later, and no snake.... Red flags are certainly presenting themselves! This snake is highly deadly, and the venom is some of the deadliest of all snakes. So why is no one freaking out yet!? This story creeps me out, especially thinking about where that snake could be! If they don't find it mid-week, I'd say it's necessary to put the zoo on high alert. I think it's a bit ridiculous that they are even allowing customers to still visit the zoo! That seems very dangerous to me.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/27/new.york.missing.cobra/index.html?hpt=P1&iref=NS1

How Could A Mother Do This?

Julie Carr, 33, received a 20-year sentence after being convicted of child pornography charges and sexually abusing her 2-year-old daughter. She was streaming videos of the child pornography overseas to Nicholas Wilde, who at the time was only 19. But the most disturbing part of this scenario- she was performing the sexual abuse on her daughter.

This story really disgusted me and made me really angry with the mother. How could anyone do this to their child!? U.S. District Judge John Woodcock, who imposed one of Carr's sentences says: "When I see child-pornography, I ask myself: Where are the parents? Where are the people who are supposed to be protecting the child?  Well, Ms. Carr, in your case, we know where the mother was."

Carr has four children, all of whom got taken away from her. Wilde was sentenced in England to five years in prison and had to register as a sex offender. I just can't believe that people can actually be capable of committing such an inhumane act- especially to their own family! Both of these people deserve prison time and shouldn't even be allowed near children.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/03/23/maine.sex.crime.sentence/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Gas Still Rising

As I'm sure EVERYONE reading this is quite aware, gas prices have skyrocketed lately. Prices have risen 37 cents since Feb. 22. Experts are projecting the prices to rise to $4 in the near future. So the question everyone is asking, is why? Why are the prices rising so high? The civil war in Libya and discontent with the Saudi Arabian monarchy are the main causes. The demonstrations to take place in Saudi Arabia will have a huge influence on the prices of gasoline in the United States. Tom Kloza, the chief oil analyst for Oil Price Information Service projects that prices will peak to a nationwide average of $3.75 a gallon. But hey, it could be worse- this article states that Norway is paying around $9.60 a gallon right now!

I don't know about everyone else, but I have been tremendously impacted by this sudden rise. I work in Norwalk, CT Monday-Friday, live in Bethel,CT, and go to school in Danbury, CT! That's a whole lot of driving! I am praying every day that these prices start to decline, or I just don't know how I will be able to drive anymore! My car is pretty good on gas (Honda civic) but what about the poor folks with the SUV's?? I can't even imagine! Thoughts on the gas prices??


http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/11/news/economy/gas_prices/index.htm

Blazing Fire

Sunday afternoon a fire broke out in Texas that took a whole lot of work to stop. The fire was believed to have been started by high winds that knocked down power lines. Interstate 20 was closed for hours as firefighters attempted to clean up the mess.More than 120,000 acres have been burned in 15 Texas counties and 60 homes have been destroyed. A five-year old child was also killed in midst of the fire. No more injuries have been reported, but many families are left without a home. Strong winds made it difficult for firefighters to control the fire, but now that winds have calmed down it may help firefighters. A fire weather watch is still in effect.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/28/texas.wildfires/index.html?hpt=T2

Stories like this truly break my heart and my prayers go out to the families that are struggling. When fires blaze on like this, it's devastating to not only the habitat, but to the people affected as well. Hopefully people will make efforts to collect donations or help those in need. I sincerely wish those Texas counties the best and hope they get the help they need.

Making Life Easier

I found this article on Yahoo!'s home page and thought I'd pass it on, as I found it quite interesting. The article, "11 Innovative Products from the Past Decade", lists all of the products that are believed to make our lives easier.

My favorite is the Tide to Go pen. This has truly been a lifesaver for me on more than a few occasions. Simply dab a stain, and voila! Magic.

Rounding the top 11 list are:
Brooks Brothers no-iron shirts. Certainly seems like a must for any business man- especially a traveling business man!
Next we have Huggies Little Swimmers- diaper and swimsuit all in one. Genius.
Olay Daily Facial Cloths are on the list as well, and I am an avid user of these. When there isn't time to wash your face, these are key.
OXO measuring cups made the list as well. They are adjustable to give the precise measurement needed.
Crest white strips are there too. Quick whitening fix, and surely a VERY profitable product I can imagine.
Dutch Boy Twist and Pour Paint has a removable lid, a spout, and a handle so that consumers can preserve their paint and also ensures less chance of spillage.
Uncle Ben's Ready Rice also made Yahoo!'s list. Just add water and it cooks in 90 seconds- perfect for any busy family!
Tide to Go pen- as mentioned earlier.
Target Pharmacy's clear RX bottle lists drug and dosage info in bold large print, making it easy for consumers to read. They also come with colored rings so that family members can keep track of their medicines.
Wii Fit made the list too- and I can definitely see why. It's an innovative video game that allows users to work out and have fun doing it.
Finally, the Scotch Fur Fighter. I believe this is essential to anyone who owns a pet. These textured pads remove all types of pet hair.

These all seem like lifesaving inventions. I have definitely used more than a few of these items! Can anyone else think of other products that make life easier??

Link to article on Yahoo!

Winter Blues

Most New Englanders would claim that 2011 has brought on one of the harshest winters in decades. But boy am I thankful that this “snow bomb” didn’t drop down on the east coast of the United States. South Korea’s east coast was covered with more than THREE FEET of snow this morning!

A picture is worth a thousand words, and I believe that this picture demands readers’ attention. As soon as I saw this photograph, I was blown away! The snow has caused buildings to collapse and thousands of citizens to be stranded. Soldiers were digging out cars early this morning and searching for trapped victims.

The Yonhap News Agency reported: “Nearly 4.8 billion won (US$4.3 million) worth of property damage was reported as of early Monday” and “the number is expected to increase steeply as public officials have yet to gain access to many homes in the region due to heavy snow accumulation.”

They go on to discuss that this is the biggest snowfall in over 100 years. It seems that it’s not just the Northeast that is having difficulty making it through this winter! I’m sure I’m not the only one highly anticipating spring’s arrival!

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2011/02/14/83/0302000000AEN20110214009100315F.HTML

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/14/3-feet-of-snow-covers-south-koreas-eastern-coast/

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/14/6050735-snow-bomb-hits-south-korea

Working Mothers To Blame For Their Children's High BMI?

New studies suggest that a child's high BMI can be associated with their working mother. On CNN.com, I stumbled across this article that really angered me. "Study: Kids' weight increases when mom works more" by Madison Park explains the study and explanation behind these statistics. The study was in the journal Child Development and showed that when a mother was working, the child showed an increase in weight. The study involved 900 children. Taryn Morrisseyy, a lead author, explains that some factors could include the type of diet that is being provided for the child.

Carol M. Devine, a professor at Cornell University says that when people don't eat together, their diets are worse. Sure, working mothers are certainly pressed for time- but does this mean they go to fast food places regularly? I don't think so. This really upset me because growing up both of my parents worked full time. I also have plenty of friends who had working parents. I still ate great healthy meals and was not taken to places like McDonald’s regularly. I am perfectly healthy, and so are my brothers. Just because a mother is working full time, does not mean she cannot properly provide for her children. There are stay at home mothers that go to fast food restaurants more than working mothers do! I bet there are many working mothers who have obese children, but there are also so many that don't. While the article on CNN does explain that there are other variables contributing to the weight gain, I believe that child obesity has so many contributing factors that this study is inconclusive and somewhat bias.

I think these studies are jumping the gun. All families are different whether they're employed or not. Susan Wenner Jackson, a blogger and working mother states: "I don't know how valuable these results are. They're not giving me anything." She also talks about how unreasonable it is to link working mothers with being inadequate parents. I agree with her and I think that other studies should be conducted that are more specific in order to conclude that working mothers are contributing to obesity.


http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/02/04/children.bmi.moms/index.html

JFK- 50 Years Later

Fifty years after his inaugural speech and John F. Kennedy remains one of the most influential figures in American history. As we take the time to remember him, we should also be remembering everything he stood for. John F. Kennedy was a man who believed that American citizens should do whatever they could to better our nation.

I found an article written by Brett Zongker from the Detroit Free Press that covers the anniversary of JFK. On Thursday at the Capitol, JFK's administration, civil rights activists, and members of the Peace Corps all gathered to remember and honor John F. Kennedy. The president and vice president were also in attendance. Zongker reports that Obama referred to our country’s citizens as “heirs to this president who showed us what’s possible.” I loved this reference because he is suggesting that we can all learn from JFK and we all can do whatever we set our minds to- no matter how miniscule or large the task at hand may be. In the article from the Detroit Free Press, Zongker also quotes Caroline Kennedy:

"I think he really expanded and redefined our idea of what it means to be a citizen -- that everybody has something to contribute and everybody has something to give back to this country that's given us so much."

I agree with this quote and find it inspirational. Caroline Kennedy believes that everyone can make a change. She is also reminding us why it is so important to give back to our country because of "what it means to be a citizen." This is what JFK strived for Americans to understand- that we all have the ability to make a difference and better our country.

John F. Kennedy was a man who shared courage and hope with our country. We should reflect upon his beliefs, and never stop asking ourselves "what we can do for our country." (JFK)

http://www.freep.com/article/20110121/NEWS07/101210386/1322/Kennedys-famous-Ask-not-speech-remembered-on-50th-anniversary

All About Me :)

My name is Katharine Kilgore (Katie for short) and I am twenty years old. I’ve lived in Bethel, CT for most of my life and graduated Bethel High School in 2008. I live with my parents and two younger brothers. The older of the two is in high school and the younger one is in middle school. I also have a golden retriever.

Although I love living in New England, I could certainly live without winter. I enjoy the first couple of snowfalls, but after that I can’t wait for warm weather. During warmer months I spend a lot of time outdoors at the beach or on boats with friends. I really like autumn too because there’s nothing like fall foliage in Connecticut.  I like fall too because that’s when football season starts!

Ever since I was a little girl football has been a huge part of my life. The New York Giants are my favorite NFL team and I’d have to say I am a very avid fan. I own so many jerseys, clothes, books, and DVD’s. Once football season ends in January, Sundays hardly have the same meaning to me! I like baseball a lot too, but football is definitely my favorite sport!

Traveling is a big hobby of mine. I love to travel and explore new places. Experiencing unknown cultures is something that fascinates me. I’ve been all over the U.S., Caribbean, and Europe, but one day I really want to vacation to Australia and Thailand. Places that are tropical and warm are my favorite destinations to travel to. I also like Europe because of the ancient history it has to offer. There is so much to learn in Europe and it is truly an unforgettable experience. Another hobby of mine (like most females) is shopping. I love shopping- whether it be clothes, furniture, electronics, etc.

I am going to WCSU to major in accounting/finance. I currently work in a tax accounting office in Norwalk, CT.  Since I began working there, I have acquired a ton of tax knowledge that will certainly assist me in the future. I was not always fond of numbers or anything pertaining to math for that matter, but since I began working at the accounting firm I have found that this area really interests me. My ideal job would consist of reporting/writing about accounting and finance matters. I would love to write for CNN or The Wall Street Journal.