Herman Cain accused of Sexual Harassment by:Marcella Marquez

             Herman Cain, former CEO of God Father’s Pizza and a republican candidate of the 2012 presidential race; has accepted that he is aware of a payment made to a woman who accused him of sexual harassment in the 1990’s. Although earlier today he denied any knowledge on the case, he has made so many contradictory allegations that it is unclear whether he tells the truth or not.  “My general counsel said this starts out where she and her lawyer were demanding a huge financial settlement… I don’t remember the number… But then he said because there was no basis for this, we ended up settling for what had been a termination settlement” were his words in an interview with Greta van Susteren. But earlier today he had said “If the restaurant association did a settlement, I wasn’t even aware of it and I hope it wasn’t for much.” He also told The National Press Club, “Number one in all of my 40 years of business experience… I have never sexually harassed anyone. Number two, while at the restaurant association I was accused of sexual harassment. Falsely accused, I might add. I was falsely accused of sexual harassment, and when the charges were brought, as the leader of the organization, I recused myself and allowed my general council and human resource officer to handle it.” Still Cain says the stories about him committing sexual harassment are “a witch hunt.”  

sources: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/67233.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/us/politics/cain-confronts-claim-from-90s-of-harassment.html?_r=1&hp

US's most powerful Nuke Dismantled

­­­            The US’s last ultra powerful nuclear bomb has been dismantled. A weapon a hundreds of times stronger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima is being disassembled nearly half a century after it was put into service at the height of the Cold War. The final components of the B53 bomb will be taken apart Tuesday at the Pantex Plant near Amarillo Texas, the nation's only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility. The completion of the dismantling program is a year ahead of schedule, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, and aligns with President Barack Obama's goal of reducing the number of nuclear weapons in the US.

 Thomas D'Agostino, the nuclear administration's chief, called the bomb's elimination a "significant milestone."

Put into service in 1962, when Cold War tensions peaked during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the B53 weighed 10,000 pounds and was the size of a minivan. According to the American Federation of Scientists, it was 600 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, killing as many as 140,000 people and helping end World War II.

Since the B53 was made using older technology by engineers who have since retired or died, developing a disassembly process took time. Engineers had to develop complex tools and new procedures to ensure safety.

"We knew going in that this was going to be a challenging project, and we put together an outstanding team with all of our partners to develop a way to achieve this objective safely and efficiently," said John Woolery, the plant's general manager.

The plant will play a large role in similar projects as older weapons are retired from the U.S.'s nuclear arsenal.

NBA cancels games in November By Cheyenne Mello

The NBA lockout on Friday had failed again to generate an agreement, the league will cancel the rest of November's regular season games, basketball officials said.

"We made a lot of concessions, but this time, unfortunately, it's not enough," said by Executive Director Billy Hunter. He told reporters after a five-hour-plus meeting with NBA officials in New York.

Hunter said he felt "snookered," by Stern, who had promised Thursday to make a financial move Friday.

Hunter said the NBA wanted the players to move to 50% while accepting concessions on the salary cap/luxury tax arrangement that the union deemed prohibitive.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/10/

Obama loosing Hispanic votes

Obama has recently visited some Southern states to regain his hispanic votes. In 2008, Obama won 67% of Hispanics votes. The votes were crucial in the states of Nevada, Colorado and Florida. Bill Whitaker a political science professor in UC Riverside, also a political activist reports that many Hispanics have changed their minds. In 2006, Whitaker organized a massive demonstration demanding a path to citizenships for immigrants. Obama called for comprehensive immigration reform, "I will make it a top priority in my first year as president," stated Obama. This year Obama does not have Whitakers vote, why you may ask. "The issues of war, the issues of the economy. I feel deceived in immigration," says Whitaker. Under the Obama Administration of Massive Deportations, there has been 397,000 deportations as of September 2011. Less than 50% of Hispanics view Obama favorably. Latino's today are the most affected by the recession. Nation Wide Hispanic unemployment is at 11.3% two point higher than the National Average.  "Mr. Obama can't count on Hispanics support in 2012. We still haven't seen a strategy to help the Latino's," says Arturo Vargas. Vargas is the executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials. If many hispanics are disappointed in the president, they must be disgusted by the heated republican fight on immigration yet disgust with the GOP doesn't translate into support for Obama. "I think the greatest danger for the president is that Latino voters will not be as enthusiastic in 2012 as they were in 2008, and they may decide to sit out," says Arturo Vargas. To win Obama needs to inspire the level of support he got in 2008. 
By Adriana Lugo


http://widget.newsinc.com/fullplayerwvars.html? wid=2201&cid=993&spid=23541457&freewheel=90080&sitesection=usnews_pol

School Shooting in North Carolina by: Marcella Marquez

Last week a student was shoot at Cape Fear High School in North Carolina. The 15 year old victim was shot by two fellow students. The 18-year-old and 15-year-old male suspects wounded Abercrombie on the neck, with a .22 Daisy rifle, but she was in a stable condition after a surgery at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. According to the county sheriff she was standing outside her cafeteria when she was shot. The eldest suspect of the shooting is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, while the younger suspect will go to juvenile court.  The cause of the shooting is still unknown, but it seems that 15-year –old Abercrombie was not the target. The suspects were caught on video, by a surveillance camera while they brought the weapon into the school. There are metal detectors at the high school, but the county sheriff said he did not know if they were used on a regular basis.  What is a fact is that the High school and a neighbor middle school where locked down for hours, after the incident occurred. Additional staff will be present on Tuesday at both schools to help the officers on duty, but the schools are to operate as normal.       


source: http://web.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/oct/24/2-in-custody-in-nc-high-school-shooting/?ap

Perry doesn’t know Obama’s birth certificate is real? By Cheyenne Mello

                                             

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is not sure that President Obama's birth certificate is real.
Last month after dinning with Donald Trump,

The GOP presidential candidate was asked by Parade magazine if he believed that Obama was born in the United States.

"I have no reason to think otherwise," I don’t know”, he said.

Perry also said: "Well, I don't have an answer, because he's never seen my birth certificate.""But you've seen his,"

Obama did released a certificate of live birth during his 2008 campaign, but that did not convince some people, who questioned whether it was real. The White House has released the long-form version of his Hawaii birth certificate earlier this year, except for Donald Trump, who still isn’t convinced.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-perry-obamas-birth-20111024,0,4493311.story

Ohio sheriff: NO regrets on killing 48 exotic animals.

A Zanesville Ohio sheriff doesn’t regret his decision on killing 48 exotic animals that were let lose on last Tuesday by Terry Thompson. Terry, 62 released the animals before killing himself late Tuesday. Sheriff Matt Lutz gave the controversial order.

"When I gave that order, I wasn't thinking about the animals," Lutz said. "I was thinking about the public and their safety. I know I would do nothing different today." Six of the animals were captured and taken to the Columbus Zoo the other 48 were killed. One monkey is presumed dead the other was killed by one of the big cats.

The story went international within a matter of days through the county of 86,000.

Lutz said that he and his dispatchers have received thousands of hate emails and phone calls. "Some people are being very hostile to my dispatchers and even me," Lutz said. "They're using profane language in some cases, but I believe that these people don't have all the facts."

Lutz said in his 23 years as a cop he had to deal with Thompson and had personal experience with the animals.

"I've been out there and walked past the pens and had those cats become aggressive," Lutz said. "I knew if those animals were running loose, they were out of control. If I had to do it over, I'd do the exact same thing.”

"It didn't have to happen, but that was a decision Mr. Thompson made," Lutz said.

By Ryan Bockmier

Pan American Games 2011 by: Marcella Marquez

The world’s second-largest multi sport event has officially begun. Mexican president Felipe Calderon kicked of the Pan American games last Friday October, 14^th. The inauguration ceremony was held in the western city of Guadalajara; which will be hosting the 2 1/2 week long sporting event.  The games opened with the sound of mariachi’s; and women wearing colorful dresses used during traditional Mexican dances. Followed by vaqueros- or cowboys- riding on beautiful horses around the center of the center of the stadium.  “I solemnly declare the 16^th Pan American games to be inaugurated,” were the words of President Calderon to the more than 49,000 spectators that filled the Omnilife Stadium. The parade of the 42 nations that will be present in the competition was lead by Argentina and ended with the hosting nation Mexico. Who received a giant ovation as the athletes wearing giant white sombreros entered.  Without a doubt a highlight of the night was when recording artist Vicente Fernandez sung Mexico’s national anthem and other traditional songs; such as “Guadalajara” and  “Mexico Lindo”. The Pan American games will go until Oct. 30^th with 6,ooo athletes  competing  in 36 sports. 15 of these athletes will have the chance to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics in

London.  

California passes "Dream Act"

On Saturday, September 15th, governor Jerry Brown signed the second half of the two-part California Dream Act. The Dream Act will allow undocumented immigrants eligible for state-funded financial aid from all state universities that are part of the University of California and California State University systems, as well as from 112 California state community colleges. Texas and New Mexico have also passed the Dream Act. This controversial bill was passed in the democrat-dominated state legislature in September. In August, Illinois passed it's own version of the Dream Act which allows illegal students a chance to receive privately funded grants. Opponents of the Dream Act state that the law will not help California's pre-existing budget issues, which caused cuts in the education funding and created higher tuition at universities. "Going to college is a dream that promises intellectual excitement and creative thinking. The Dream Act benefits us all by giving top students a chance to improve their lives and the lives of all of us." Beginning on Jan. 1, 2013, immigrant students in California will be eligible to apply for state-funded financial aid and Cal Grants. The California Department of Finance estimates that 2,500 students will be eligible for Cal Grants, which are funded at $1.4 billion.

Memories of Elizabeth Taylor

On Sunday, 400 people came to remember Elizabeth Taylor for her tragic death for heart failure in May 2011, she had died at the age of 79. The memorial was held at Warner Brothers' Steven J. Ross Theater in Burbank, with Colin Farrell serving as host.  Elizabeth's grand kids performed on the trumpet "Amazing Grace," 


By Cheyenne Mello 
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2011/10/elizabeth-taylor-private-tribute.html

Drug Smugglers Tunnel into Arizona parking lots.

Drug smugglers are getting even more creative everyday when it comes to smuggling marijuana, cocaine and other things from Mexico to the United States.  In the latest development, law enforcement found smugglers in the border town of Nogales, Arizona bringing drugs into the U.S. for the cost of a quarter. The parking meters on International Street, which hugs the border fence in Nogales, cost 25 cents. Smugglers in Mexico tunneled under the fence and under the metered parking spaces, and then carefully cut neat rectangles out of the pavement. Then their partners on the U.S. would park false-bottomed cars over the spots where the pavement cut outs were.  When they were done doing the drug transfer the smugglers would plug the “holes” with jacks. Only if you looked really closely could you see the cuts.

            In all the U.S. Border Patrol found a total of 16 tunnels to the 18-metered parking spaces.  The pavement now has little neat square patches in it.

            "It's unbelievable," Nogales mayor Arturo Garino told Tucson, Arizona ABC affiliate KGUN. "Those are the strides these people take to get the drugs across the border."

            Past methods of smuggling have included catapults that launch drugs across the border. "The [smugglers] have tried everything," said Garino, "and this is one of the most ingenious [methods] of them all.

            The city, advised by Homeland Security, has agreed to remove the parking meters. Nogales stands to lose $8,500 annually in parking revenue, plus the cost of tickets.

By Ryan Bockmier

Occupy Wall Street seems more like Occupy the US.

A protest movement formed in New York City to perceive others about big corporate profits, tax breaks for the rich, corporate lobbying in Congress, and bank bailouts in this tough economy, reached the opposite corner of the nation Saturday. This protest movement began about a month ago, and has inspired others around the country to protest as well. “It really speaks to everyone getting fed up and tired of these corporations taking every bit of money we’ve worked so hard for,” says Brandon German, a protest organizer with Right to the City, an alliance of community groups that helped organize an Occupy Wall Street rally in Boston on Friday. Protest have taken place, or have been planned in about 50 cities from San Francisco to Portland. More than 700 people were arrested on Saturday when protestors were marching across the Brooklyn Bridge. In Chicago, about 30 protestors beat drums in the city's financial district on monday October 3rd. The protest arrived in San Diego, on Saturday October 8th, groups of people gathered around the Children's Park in the Marina district then marched to the Civic Center Plaza at City Hall for a demonstration and a sit-on. 

7 rescued in Florida Keys after 20 long hours by: Marcella Marquez

Last Sunday October 9^th, seven of the eight people who were fishing in Florida Keys were found after 20 hours of being stranded. The party of family and friends set off Saturday Morning from Layton in the Middle Keys. The 22 foot boat that later capsized belonged to one of the people in the group. That days forecast predicted heavy rains and powerful winds, but “It could have been beautiful when they got under way and then turned quickly.” said Master Chief Petty Officer Charles Lindsey of the Coast Guard. The party dropped anchor not too far from Long Key Bridge in the Middle Keys. A windstorm then hit with winds up to 40 mph and swells of about 10 feet. The boat flipped on Saturday at around noon. On Sunday morning around 20 hour’s later Seaman Kendra Graves of the Coast Guard “got their first sighting of the missing party: a cluster of heads bobbing in the water, with something box-like floating with them.” (NY Times)  The women and 4 year old child held on to a blue cooler that served as a life saver, luckily 2 of them where wearing life vests. The men held on to a portion of the boat that was not under water, they were close to 8 miles away from the women. “They were very lucky," said a Coast Guard rescuer, referring to the seven that were found. Unluckily an 80 year old woman mother of one of the women’s husbands was lost and is thought to be dead.

Teens off limit from tanning beds

On Sunday, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that teens are off limits from tanning beds unless they have permission from their parents. The age is between 14 through 18. Jerry Brown did this so teens would have Cancer which was from the World Health Organization in 2009. Governments in other countries are doing the same including Brazil banning tanning beds. 

By Cheyenne Mello

Tropical Storms spin in the pacific and more threaten the East

By Ryan Bockmier

Weather experts say tropical storm Jova is expected to become a hurricane in the next couple of days. The reason this hurricane is so special is because its origin is in the Pacific Ocean. Hurricanes usually appear in the Atlantic Ocean because of its warm waters. Some say the Atlantic is the perfect mix of water and wind for hurricanes.

            Earlier Friday, Irwin strengthened to become the eighth hurricane of the eastern Pacific season. Late Friday both storms appeared to be far off the coast of Mexico

            Irwin was moving west-northwest at about 8 mph, but current Doppler radar models show the storm could take a turn back toward the east and move toward land.

            The same is the case with Jova. Who was moving northwest at about 8-mph. Current Doppler radar Models show it also could take a turn toward the northeast and possibly make landfall sometime next week over Mexico.

            In the Atlantic, Hurricane Philippe was far off the U.S. coast and was not expected to threaten land. Also there is a possibly strong storm named Rina to hit Florida and move up the coast of the flood ravened mid Atlantic. It is expected to make landfall by the middle or end of next week. 

Shooting at San Diego Freeway

At 10:43am in National City, two suspects shot a man in the leg on the 805 freeway. The second shooting was at 10:56 am near Del Mar this involved an ambulance getting shot.

A busy freeway was shut down Monday afternoon after a series of three freeway shooting in San Diego county on Monday. The northbound 805 freeway was closed in San Diego between Interstate 8 and Route 163.

Authorities were searching for two people traveling in a white Chevrolet Malibu, with a possible license plate of 5POM917. The suspects are considered armed and dangerous and motorists were asked to avoid contact

By Cheyenne Mello

Four shooting reported in the San Diego County

Four shootings reported in the San Diego County occurred on Monday, October 3rd. In the first incident, a driver reported shorts fired at his car after a hit-and-run while he was driving northbound I-805 near Plaza Blvd at about 10:30 a.m. The police searched for hours on the northbound I-805 for shell casings and an amber alert was set out for a white Chevy Malibu. "The only description we are getting is that it is either a mexican male possibly in his 30's and two African American men also in there 30's," said a San Diego Police officer.In the second incident, a 26 year old man was shot in the leg while driving also on northbound I-805 just south of Mesa College. He was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital with no non-life threatening injuries. The third possible shooting involving a CHP officer stopped on the right shoulder of northbound I-805 near highway 163. In a fourth report, an ambulance may have also been fired upon while on northbound Interstate 5 near Del Mar Heights. These shootings caused the northbound 805 off-ramp to Mesa College, and the northbound Interstate 5 to close during the investigation. No reports have made since. Edited by Ryan Bockmier.

By: Adriana Lugo

New laws discourage eligible voters By: Marcella Marquez

Last November 2010 Republicans won control of many state houses, and since then more than a dozen states have passed laws that require voters to show photo identification at the voting polls, cut back early voting periods, or establish new restrictions on voter registration drives. With the new presidential elections just around the corner, the question is how all of this is going to affect the 2012 race. Political Parties, state officials, and voting experts agree that the impact could be considerable. A recent study released yesterday by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, attempts to show how many voters will be affected. They concluded that the laws “could make it significantly harder for more than five million eligible voters to cast ballots in 2012.” This has turned into a very controversial topic.  Republicans try justify their actions by saying that these new laws help prevent voter fraud. Democrats oppose stating that “these new laws are a solution in search of problems,” (NY times) for voter fraud is rare. They fear these new laws will discourage, or impede eligible citizens to vote.  Senator Richard J Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, said the new laws “will make it harder for millions of disabled, young, minority, rural, elderly, homeless and low income Americans to vote.” (NY times)   

Cassette tapes may have a short-lived comeback after mp3's .

             Just as the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary thought they could remove the word “cassette tape” from the dictionary the outdated technology might be coming back.  The over twenty-year-old technology is seeing a slight comeback as indie music companies are using it to get their music out quickly and inexpensively according to Rob Mason, the owner of Old Flame Records. The Brooklyn-based record company released the band Total Babes' album "Swimming Through Sunlight" on tape before the full-length album was released Aug. 30 on CD and vinyl. "From a music maker standpoint, I love it because they are very inexpensive to make," Mason said. "I can make 100 for not a very large investment. Especially compared to making vinyl — it's like a tenth of the cost."

            As vinyl made records began to decline in the early 80’s, cassettes began to take over. The peak for cassettes was in 1990 when 442 million were sold. But cassettes were killed off and began the peak of the CD in 2000 before the digital revolution.

            As of mid-August, music-related cassette album sales are up 46% from last year at 22,000 units sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Last year, they said, cassette album sales were at about 15,000. 

By Ryan Bockmier