A Royal Engagement

       


       The most anticipated wedding since the marriage of the late Princess Diana and Prince Charles 30 years ago is underway.  Britain's Prince William, who is second in line to the British throne, popped the question to the beautiful Kate Middleton, his long time girlfriend, during a vacation in Kenya last month.  William and Kate, both 28, have been dating since 2003.
       The couple first met 2002 when they were both students at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland where William studied geography and Kate studied history of art.
      They briefly split in 2007 but the pair remained close and by July of that same year, Middleton sat in the royal box at Wembley Stadium in London for the Concert for Diana, a massive charity concert to remember Prince William's mother, Princess Diana, 10 years after her death in a car crash.  Soon by the end of the year the couple were dating again.
       What makes the engagement so special is Prince William gave Kate his mother's engagement ring, a huge, stunning sapphire surrounded by diamonds.  

       "It's my mother's engagement ring, so of course it's very special to me," Prince William explained, "and Kate's now very special to me, so it was only right to put the two together."
       The wedding will take place in London in either the spring or summer of 2011.  After the wedding the newlyweds will reside in north Wales where Prince William will continue to serve in the Royal Air Force. 

      When it came to the royal family's thoughts of the engagement, everyone was thrilled.
     
      Prince Charles, William's father said, "We're obviously thrilled."
      Michael and Carole Middleton, Kate's parents said, "They make a lovely couple, they're great fun to be with and we've had a lot of laughs together. We've got to know William really well. We all think he's wonderful and we're extremely fond of him."  
      William's grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, are "absolutely delighted for them both," Buckingham Palace said.
      His brother Prince Harry said he was "delighted that my brother has popped the question! It means I get a sister, which I have always wanted."




References:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/11/16/kate.middleton.bio/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/search/?query=royal%20engagement&sortBy=date
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/11/19/middleton.royal.engagement.ring/index.html?iref=allsearch
       

2010 American Music Awards

       The 38th annual American Music Awards 2010 aired live on ABC from Los Angeles on Sunday, November 21.  The show was packed full with some of the biggest celebs of today with big winners and even bigger performances.  For those of you who missed out, I have it covered for you!

       Teen heartthrob Justin Bieber swept the awards as the night biggest winner, winning all 4 awards he was nominated for; Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Pop/Rock Male Artist, Pop/Rock Album of the Year, and Artist of the Year.  The 16 year old teen idol became the young winner ever to take home the Artist of the Year trophy.

       During his acceptance speech Bieber called up his proclaimed "big brother" and "best friend," Usher who has help Bieber get to where he is today.  Bieber said, "I really was embraced by a man named Usher Raymond," he said. "It would be only right if I invited him up here to share it with me."

   

Other winners of the night included:

Eminem

Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Male Artist

Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Album for "Recovery"

Lady Antebellum

Favorite Country Band/Duo/Group

Lady Gaga

Female Pop/Rock Female Artist

Usher 

Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist

Favorite Soul/R&B Album for "Raymond vs. Raymond"

Carrie Underwood

Favorite Country Album for "Play On"

Rihanna

Favorite Soul/Rhythm/Blues Music Artist

Michael Buble

Favorite Adult Contemporary Music Artist

Glee

Favorite Soundtrack for 

"The Music, vol 3 The Showstoppers"

Taylor Swift

Favorite Female Country Artist

Black Eyed Peas

Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group

Shakira

Favorite Latin Music Artist

Brad Paisely

Favorite Male Country Artist

Muse

Favorite Alternative Rock Artist

       The show was also jam packed with many memorable performances with some of the biggest names in the industry.  Rihanna opened the show as she belted out a medley of her new songs, "What's my Name," "Love the Way You Lie," and "Only Girl in the World," all from her new album Loud.  She gave her performance island flavor with tribal dancers and drummers.

       Pink gave a signature goofy performance, not only showing off her new single "Raise Your Glass," but her new baby bump.

       

Usher busted out his famous dance moves while performing his hit "DJ Got Us Falling in Love."

       

Black Eyed Peas performed "The Time (The Dirty Bit)" with a futuristic theme.

Ne-yo sang a mash up of his 3 popular songs "Champagne Life," "One in a Million," and "Beautiful Monster."

Christina Aguilera performed "Express" from her film debut soundtrack of Burlesque which hits theaters Thanksgiving.

Katy Perry entered from the ceiling singing her hit "Firework" wearing a red glitter leotard.  She was joined by a choir of kids and added colorful pyrotechnics for a colorful performance.

Ke$ha flaunted her outcast/party girl pride as she performed her new song "We R Who We R" and "Take it Off"

Taylor Swift slowed things down with her apologetic new hit "Back To December" under a winter themed stage, also showing off her new hair do.

Justin Bieber, the man of the night, sang "Pray" along with a gospel choir 

The lengthy line up of performers included Train, Enrigue Ingesias, Kid Rock, Bon Jovi, Miley Cyrus, Diddy, Santana, New Kids on the Block, and Backstreet Boys

References:

http://idolator.com/5696371/2010-american-music-awards-the-performances

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6038126/2010_american_music_awards_winners.html?cat=33

Four Loko is a No No!

      You probably see them everywhere.  College students with the large colorful cans are plastered all over facebook and you can't walk into any party without seeing at least one person drinking it.  "Four Loko," is the new craze that is sweeping college campuses nationwide by storm, but no one really knows how dangerous they are.  I feel it is important for students to know the dangers of these drinks and they way they effect your health and behavior, to the point where law makers want to ban it.


      Four teens in White Plains, Nine Central Washington students, and 23 students in New Jersey have been hospitalized only this month after being sickened, and almost seemed drugged, from the alcoholic beverage.  Some police reports from the hospitalizations have found kids with a blood alcohol level of .3 --- which could kill you!

      For those of you who are unfamiliar with Four Loko, it is a caffeinated malt liquor which as also been nicknamed, "blackout in a can," "cocaine in a can," and "a binge drinker's dream."  Self explanatory? Basically Four Loko gets you very drunk, very fast.  It is 12% alcohol by volume in 24oz can, combining as much alcohol equivalent to a six pack of beer mixed with a couple cups of coffee.  Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna who is calling for federal food regulators to ban the beverages explains, "They're marketed to kids by using fruit flavors that mask the taste of alcohol and they have such high levels of stimulants that people have no idea how inebriated they really are.  They're packaged just like non-alcoholic drinks, but include a dangerous dose of malt liquor."

      Before choosing this drink you should understand that the large amounts of caffiene and other stimulants in Four Loko is extremely dangerous because it keeps you awake allowing you to drink more volumes of alcohal without passing out.  Tiredness and passing are some of Mother Nature's way in which your body defences against consuming amounts of alcohal that will kill you.  Dr. Manny Alvarez, FoxNews senior managing editor of health, said in a news story. "Fatigue is your body's way of telling you it's had enough, so fooling the body with stimulants creates the perfect scenario for acute alcohol poisoning and potentially death."


      Phusion Products, the makers of Four Loko, have defended themselves by stating they are doing "all we can to ensure that our products are consumed safely and responsibly.  When consumed responsibly, (our products) are just as safe as any other alcohalic beverage."  They even added that they shouldn't be critized because they  weren't the ones who invented the concept of caffiene mixed with alcohal.  What about rum & Cokes?  Or vodka Red Bulls?


      What do you think?  After hearing this will you still drink Four Loko?  Will you stay away?  Should it be banned or should kids be held accountable for their own consumption?






Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXgm01r_wBU 
http://cnn.com/video/?/video/health/2010/10/26/nr.alcoholic.energy.drink.cnn 



Reference/Links:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/10/25/washington.students.overdose/index.html?hpt=T2 

http://www.whec.com/news/stories/s1803988.shtml 

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/10/post_297.html

Census Results show Shocking Poverty Rates in America

     You know everyone has that American dream to one day live comfortably in the beautiful white picket fenced in house, have Social Security, and be able to send the children to college.  Well apparently today that American dream is a lot more difficult to achieve with many Americans going to work just to get by.  Last months results from the 2010 Census have given us shocking results due to the recession.

     I feel its important to share with you just to get an idea of where our country is at because I think its actually pretty scary.


     The result is simple--- poverty is rising in America.  We have been given some of the highest levels since the Census even began starting to collect data.  Most shockingly, 2009 has been proven to be one of the worst years in poverty levels in 51 years... that's more than half a century.  The national poverty rate has rose from 13.2% in 2008, to 14.3% in 2009.  With that said, 43.6 million or 1 in 7 American citizens in our country are living in poverty.  Also it has been found that 31 of 50 states have increased poverty levels.  Shocking.


    Here is a very interesting map chart, from The New York Times that shows specific regional poverty rates in the United States:

     From the map we can see that the hardest hit states are in the south.  The highest was Mississippi where residents living in poverty reached 21.9%.  Another 10 southern states had poverty rates that exceeded 15%.  

     Here are some pictures of poverty stricken areas in the south:

     This is not to say that the south has exceedingly higher rates than the rest of the country. There are only 5 states which have poverty rates below 10%, which are Alaska, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, and New Hampshire at the lowest with 8.5%. 

     Also, although southern suburban areas account for 1/3 of Americas poor, the large popular cities like New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, have seen the effects too.  Residents of these cities have seen some of the biggest drops in personal income within the last year. 

     

Poverty and income deficits are just everywhere, causing a shrinking middle class America.  And because of this, there has been many disturbing effects:

1.  Income levels have been destroyed especially in the housing business.  Therefore it has been assumed that industries, such as the construction business, may never return to their pre recession levels.

2.  Threatened states are cutting out crucial services.  Arianna Huffington, author of "Third World America," says, "According to a report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, at least twenty-nine states have made cuts to public health programs, twenty-four states have cut programs for the elderly and disabled, twenty-nine states have cut aid to K–12 education, and thirty-nine states have cut assistance to public colleges and universities."  

     Those are strong effects that would affect a lot of people.

3.  The amount of layoffs due to the recession, have caused millions to loose their employee-provided health insurance.  

     With that said, 16.7% of Americans live with no health insurance.  Again, Arianna Huffington explains in her book that with a rates as they are now, every 30 seconds, someone in this country files for bankruptcy after a serious illness. 

4.  Infrastructure is crumbling.  The Transportation Construction Coalition has determined that badly maintained roads are responsible for $217 billion worth of car accidents annually, and of the 42,000 car accidents 53% are due to road conditions.  

     Currently we are spending $70 billion a year on improving road conditions when we need to be spending about $186 billion.  We just don't have enough money to pay, and basically people are dying because of it.  Scary.

5.  The education system is in crisis.  The system is failing.  A goal of 100% proficiency in reading and math has been set in the No Child Left Behind law, but we are no where near that goal.  For example, in Alabama only 20% are efficient, in California only 23%, and in New York, only 34%.  

     We just don't have the money to put into our education programs to improve.

Links/sources: 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/29/11-poorest-states-in-the-_n_742967.html#s146769

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/the-poorest-states-of-america/?src=mv
http://news.yahoo.com/s//huffpost/20101019/cm_huffpost/767734_201010190954/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/09/8-surprising-facts-about_n_675545.html#s124108

200th "Oktoberfest" Kicks Off!

     The time of year has come to raise a stein full of "amber nector"- or few to the 200th annual "Oktoberfest," the worlds largest beer festival held in Bavaria, Germany starting September 18th to October 4th.  The German extravaganza kicked off Saturday afternoon when the Mayor, Christian Ude, tapped into the first barrel of about 6.9 million liters of brew that is expected to be downed by an estimated 7.1 million people this year.

     The Oktoberfest tradition began in 1810 as the wedding of Princess Teresa and Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and has continued ever since for 200 years excluding 2 years due to cholera outbreaks, World Wars I and II and other economic and political crisises, actually making this years festival the 177th Oktoberfest.  Interestingly enough, the same exact recipe from the festivals beginning is used as the festivals main traditional beer.  Six of the city's top breweries come together for once and brew jointly to supply the beer fest.

     The amount of people who come join the massive partying it mind blowing.  7.1 million people from all over the world come to experience the sight of women running around in the traditional "Dirndl" dresses, amusement rides that light up the German sky, native music, horse racing, parades, exhibitions, and traditional food of bratwurst and pretzels. There is about 10 huge beer tents where up to about 7,000 people can gather at once! Now that's a party.

No Smoking this Year?

   Something that may disappoint some of the beer drinkers this year is no one will be about to enjoy a smoke with their beer.  For the first time Bavaria has banned smoking in all of the tents.

     In all previous years, smoking has masked the stench of the poorly ventilated beer hall.  So what is there to be done about all the stink of stale beer, rotten food scraps, and body odor?  There is a interesting cure.

     A very intelligent German named Hubert Hackl has composed a weapon to fight the foul odors.  He has come up with a concoction which contains micro bacteria to eat away the smell.  Hackl has said "This is the most natural way of treating organic waste," about his idea.  The potion is basically made up of a "mature compost" mixed with seaweed and molasses and it looks like a brownish liquid with a pleasant, earthly, neutral smell similar to humus.  The liquid will be mopped into the wooden floorboards of the beer halls, keeping the facilities stench free.

     In my opinion, I think this is great.  Prohibiting smoking will prevent health risks of second hand smoke to others.  We all know how bad smoking is these days.  I also think Hackl's invention of the stentch-eating bacteria can be used in many other situations and facilities to keep things less stinky!

Reference/Links:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100918/ts_afp/lifestylegermanymunichfestivaldrinkoktoberfest_20100918214948

http://www.thirdage.com/news/oktoberfest-begins-using-stench-eating-bacteria_9-19-2010

http://www.news.com.au/travel/galleries/gallery-e6frflw0-1225926693013?page=1

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_16115425?source=rss

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/-/entertainment/7974435/germanys-beer-fest-deploys-stencheating-bacteria/

The Cordoba House Debate

     

      In the early month of September, and close to the anniversary of the September 11th terrorists attacks, I feel it is important to discuss the Cordoba House Debate that is taking place today.  There has been a lot written regarding this controversy and many opinions regarding plans to build an Islamic cultural center called the Cordoba House, a 13 story, $100 million mega-mosque, which will be built within a year and is proposed to be built two blocks from the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. Overlooking where a group of  Islamic terrorists killed over 3000 Americans and destroyed one of our famous landmarks 9 years ago. 

Above: A map of where the Cordoba House would be 

built and how close it would be to Ground Zero

     

     Most of the opposition to the proposed Cordoba House has proven to be  fear driven to citizens of the United States.  According to the Washington Post, most Americans object to the planned Islamic center near ground zero. According to an ABC News poll, eighty-two percent of those who oppose the construction say it's because of the location. For example Cyndi Spurlock, 54, of Yoder, CO, said she opposes having the Islamic center near ground zero: "It would hurt so many people because of all the families that were lost there." Another poll respondent, Jim Walsh, 48, of Philadelphia said, "Emotionally, I think it's wiser not to have it there."


     People who are for the construction of the Cordoba House say its a good idea because it will be place where Muslims and other Americans can find common ground.  According to The Huffington Post, a proud New Yorker, Kate, who was there the day of the September 11th attacks says, "I guess I can sum it up like this: I am a Jew, my people have been through the worst of humanity, time and time again because of that fact. For me to deny anyone the right to practice their religion in a peaceful way goes against everything my people stand for. All Muslims are not terrorists, just like all Christians are not religious fanatics, and all Jews are not zealots."


     Maybe Kate is right, by being opposed to the Cordoba house, are we going against religious freedom of America? Something that we have fought for as a foundation of our country?


     All in all in my opinion I believe this debate is a very difficult one.  September 11th was a horrific day that will always be remembered in American history.  There is still anger and sadness that lingers not only in New York City but across the country for the thousands of people lost on that day due to the Islamic terrorists.  However, people need to realize there are many faces of evil and destructive people in this world and we cannot generalize an entire group of people based on the actions of some.


     An interesting point that really got to me and I would like to point out is from what I read on a website called torenewamerica.com.  In this article the writer, Gingrich, explains the meaning of the Muslim use of the name "Cordoba." Apparently it was a famous battle in Spain which the Muslims won and have continually used the name to attach special underlying meanings that indicate to their followers "we won!" My mouth dropped.


Why would they choose to name the mosque this? Especially over looking ground zero? What are they trying to say by this?


     With that said, taking both sides into consideration, I firmly believe the Cordoba House should not be built just two blocks away from ground zero out of respect of the people who lost their lives on that day.  It should be built anywhere else!


What do you think?




References/Links: 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-moss/the-cordoba-house-debate_b_697260.html
                  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2010/09/08/AR2010090806231.html?hpid=topnews

http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/Harassment+hostility+healing+harmony/3498553/story.html

http://www.torenewamerica.com/gingrich-ground-zero-mosque