Extra Low Prices: To the Tune of $1 Billion

You read that headline right. The power chain/super-store better known as Wal-Mart is preparing to do something drastic to keep their customers happy. The super-store has announced that it is planning to reduce grocery prices by $1 billion. According to reports the advantage Wal-Mart has over other stores like Kroger and Safeway, "is that it can make up for any losses it takes in the food isles in higher margin departments like apparel." Safeway and its compatriots have struggled meanwhile in this economic downturn to hold onto their customers but Wal-Mart Chief Merchandising Officer Duncan Mac Naughton stated that their super-store had seen an increase in business in the United States. To learn more about Wal-Mart's decision to "roll back the prices" you can go to: http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2012/03/28/wal-mart-plans-to-reduce-grocery-prices-by-1-billion/#ixzz1qWxQ6gZq or www.cnn.com or www.msnbc.com.

Earl Scruggs Dies at 88

For anyone who is a huge bluegrass fan Earl Scruggs name is certainly infamous. The banjo picker is well known for his three finger playing as opposed to the original clawhammer style, and for putting the banjo back on the music scene. He had learned from the early age of 4 how to play the banjo and admitted that while he played the guitar too he preferred the banjo because it was the one sound he most liked to hear. According to reports, "Scruggs profoundly change country music with Bill Monroe in the 1940s and later with guitarist Lester Flatt." His son told the press that his father passed away of natural causes Wednesday morning in Nashville, Tennessee. For this and other news please go to www.foxnews.com, www.cnn.com, www.msnbc.com. Or to read more about Early Scruggs please go to: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/03/28/bluegrass-legend-earl-scruggs-dies-at-age-88/?intcmp=features#ixzz1qVlBclVZ

Korean War Vet 81 Fights off Carjacker

Word to the wise, do not attempt to carjack a Korean Veteran, especially one that is observant enough to notice the carjacker has a knife. Mr. Barney Trusewicz, age 81 and his wife were parked at a Lincoln Park gas station when a would-be carjacker jumped into the car, told his wife that he was taking the car while wielding a knife. Mr. Trusewicz noticed immediately the danger his wife was in and grabbed the knife, turned off the car engine and wrestled with Christopher Bowens, a recently released convict. Bowens surrendered to the 81-year-old Vet and ran off only to be caught by police and being held in the Wayne County Jail. According to reports, " [Bowens] was on parole, as well as probation, both for federal and state charges. He now faces a possible life sentence." For this and other news please go to www.foxnews.com, www.cnn.com or www.msnbc.com. To read more about Mr. Trusewicz: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/27/elderly-veteran-fights-off-would-be-carjacker-in-michigan/?test=latestnews#ixzz1qQOxFh1m

No-bama Care?

This week the Supreme Court is faced with a historical and monumental task. It is up to the court to decide whether or not the Obama healthcare plan is Constitutional; more importantly if the individual mandate within that bill is Constitutional. The individual mandate according to the bill is, "the provision in the law requiring Americans to buy health insurance." There is no question about the significance of the bill, if struck down the measure will unravel one of the President's largest domestic policies during his first term in office. To determine the Constitutionality of the bill the judges will be looking at various laws already in existence in the U.S. such as the the Commerce Clause, the Necessary and Proper Clause and the federal government's taxing power. The argument against the individual mandate is that the federal government may have the authority to regulate commerce within the U.S. but should not have the right to force individuals into the market place to purchase a product(s) they may not want. To learn more about this Supreme Court case please go to the link below or visit www.cnn.com or www.msnbc.com.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/27/individual-mandate-blockbuster-waiting-to-happen/#ixzz1qK2mK0w8

"I OBJECT!!!"

If you are going to skip out on your civic duty, i.e. serving on a jury, it's probably not smart to get on a radio talk show and brag about how you did it. Well unfortunately that is exactly what one radio caller did. According to reports "A Colorado woman was charged with two felonies after allegedly calling into a local radio station and bragging about how she posed as mentally unstable to get excused from jury duty, KDVR reports." The suspect was quickly identified as Susan Cole who had told the judge and those present that she was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after appearing in the courtroom wearing her hair in curlers, bright red lipstick and black eyebrows with a shirt that stated "Ask me about my best seller". Without hestiatation the judge on the case did not object to dismissing Mrs. Cole from the courtroom, excusing her from jury duty. If you would like to read more about this story please go to the link below. For other news please go to www.foxnews.com, www.cnn.com or www.msnbc.com.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/21/radio-caller-faces-2-felonies-after-bragging-how-faked-ptsd-to-avoid-jury-duty/#ixzz1pr0z1MBb

Standoff with a Killer

French police found themselves in a standoff with the gunman, and possible Al-Queda suspect, who barricaded himself in an apartment building after reportedly shooting seven children that were attending a school in Toulous. The suspect is claiming to be Mohammad Merah, an escapee from a prison in the Kandhair province back in 2008. Merah shot seven students attending a French school. According to foxnews.com "Hundreds of riot police poured in to surround the building in the southwestern city of Toulous after three police officers were wounded in the failed initial attempt to arrest the 24-year-old Frenchman of Algerian descent. After hours of trying to persuade him to surrender, police evacuated the five-story building, escorting residents out using the roof and fire truck ladders." President Nicolas Sarkozy remains adamant that the French will not allow terrorism to divide their country. To read more about the incidient please go to the following link below or to www.cnn.com or www.msnbc.com.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/03/21/french-police-investigating-school-shooting-raid-house-2-officers-injured/?test=latestnews#ixzz1pkyDdffB

Earhart Mystery Takes a Dive

To American women everywhere Amelia Earhart was the daredevil of her time. Now a search for her by a team of scientists and historians will coincide with the 75th anniversary of her disappearance. Many believe Earhart survived her final flight and managed to land her plane on an island with her navigator Fred Noonan. According to reports the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has decided to dive into the mystery. "Clinton will meet Tuesday with historians and scientists from The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, which is launching a new search in June for the wreckage of Earhart's Lockheed Electra plane off the remote island of Nikumaroro, in what is now the Pacific nation of Kiribati." For this and other news on the research and mystery of Amelia Earhart you can go to the following link: http://news.yahoo.com/clinton-wades-amelia-earhart-mystery-052516853.html or visit www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com.

Message from Beyond

In June of 2011 Jack Froese passed away at the age of 32 due to heart complications. Jack's friends and family have since reported having received e-mails beginning in November of the same year from Jack. One account told by Jack's best friend Tim Hart was that the e-mail read he was watching and that his friend should really clean his attic. Hart says this brings a type of closure to him, making him feel better knowing that Jack is in some way still present in his life. Family members such as Jack's cousin Jimmy McGraw also claims to have heard from Froese who reportedly warned Jimmy about an ankle injury that took place after his death. McGraw stated, "I'd like to say Jack sent it, just because I look at it as he's gone, but he's still trying to connect with me. Trying to tell me to move along, to feel better." There are special websites dedicated to sending out e-mails 30-60 days after someone's passing. If you would like to read more about the messages from beyond and how to create your own go to: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/emails-dead-man-account-helping-family-friends-closure-193306965.html.

Santorum Sweeps South

Rick Santorum was looking for victory this past week in both the Alabama and Mississippi primaries, and victory is exactly what he got. However, Santorum's competition former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney pulled in a lead winning Hawaii's primary creating for himself a slight lead in the race. So is this the sweeping victory the GOP had hoped for, the victory that would ultimately in some way define the race and finally give us a front runner for the general election? As it has been with the former primaries and caucus' of the past few months the answer is still "no". There is no clear front runner in the GOP, so it appears that it is once again up to Florida and the delegates to decide. When speaking of his wins in the two southern states Santorum told reporters, ""We will compete everywhere. The time is now for conservatives to pull together." As for the third candidate, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, he has decided yet again to remain despite his campaigns loses in both states this Tuesday. For this and other news please go to www.foxnews.com, www.cnn.com or www.msnbc.com.

Sign of the Times-Part 2

Yesterday I posted a story about a young boy residing in Miami, Florida who's parents had decided to punish him for his bad grades by making him hold up a sign on the side of a road saying that he was a class clown and that's why he received 'F's for the term.

I need to be clear that I have a background in education and it appears to me that time provided to the child at home, or at the school, with a tutor/practice material in the subjects that he is failing over the break would be more beneficial than having him to stand on a street corner all day with a sign and having strangers to honk at him.

No one is perfect, no one has ever made straight A's all through school, including myself. Yes, that's right, I will admit to the occasional bad grade especially in elementary. And often there is a reason for a child to goof-off in class. Either they find the material boring and need to be challenged, or they are having some difficulty within their personal lives and seek attention regardless if it be negative or positive.

Granted that an 'F' is the last thing any parents wishes to see a child come home with. I believe there was a lack of communication between the parents and the school. Which begs the questions of why did the teachers not speak to the parents about their concerns in regards to this particular student and his grades before the report cards were issued? Why did they not provide the parents with different strategies they could implement to assist him in raising his grades before the break, or at least by the end of the year? These are things we should be asking ourselves when it comes to our children's education but the most important thing is to stay involved as parents, as well as educators.

For this and more news on education please go to www.ed.gov.

Southern Showdown

With any luck the next round of primaries in Alabama and Mississippi, will help to thin the herd of GOP candidates seeking office and the ability to push forward to the general election. While Romney exudes the confidence he needs not to win the Southern states stating that John McCain did not win either of them in the 2008 primaries, Santorum and Gingrich both need to show a strong footing in the states to remain serious contenders and to gain the delegates needed. Santorum contends that Romney needs to win over the Evangelical voters in order to succeed in the southern states.

According to reports: "Evangelical voters play an outsized role in both state primaries. Four years ago, 77 percent of GOP primary voters in Alabama and 69 percent in Mississippi said they were born again or evangelicals, a group that Romney has struggled to bring to his side in the primaries. His best showing in a contested primary was 38 percent in Florida."

Will this be the southern showdown members of the GOP are hoping for? Or will it just cause more confusion and chaos amongst the party causing us to lose sight of what is really on the line? Our country. For this and other news please go to www.cnn.com, www.msnbc.com or to read further about the primaries go to the following link provided at foxnews.com:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/12/republican-candidates-court-southern-support-before-primaries/#ixzz1p0TCULvp

'Sign' of the Times

March is often the time for school children and even college students across the nation to be thinking about 'Spring Break' and not about 'grades'. Well, at least, that is probably not what 7th grader Michael Bell Jr. had intended to be thinking about any way. The 7th grader from Miami, Florida has been prescribed a punishment by his parents that truly is a sign of the times.

Michael Bell Jr. is currently spending his Spring Break not at the pool or playing video games with friends but instead he is holding a sign on a street corner detailing his failures in school. Bell's report card not only obtained failing grades but according to his teachers he was the class cut-up. According to reports the sign reads: the front of Michael's sign reads: "Hey, I want to be a class clown. Is it wrong?" The back of the sign says: "I'm in the 7th grade and got 3 F's. Blow your horn if there's something wrong with that."

Both of Michael's parents are with him and help him through the day, this is the only way his father and mother feel they are going to reach him about the seriousness of his studies and how they impact his future.


For this and other news please go to www.foxnews.com, www.cnn.com or www.msnbc.com. Or to Read more about this story click on the following link: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/12/florida-parents-force-son-to-stand-on-corner-with-sign-as-punishment-for-bad/#ixzz1ovQWyZxK

Take a Bow

After Tuesday's big state showdown in the Republican primary former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich declared his intention on staying in the GOP race despite having won only his home state of Georgia. In fact it is because Gingrich won the Peach State that he decided to keep his eye on the prize. But is it a lose-lose situation for Newt? Some analysts seem to think so.

According to Fox News, "Newt Gingrich could be facing a win-or-walk-away situation in the Deep South on Tuesday -- and the early numbers are not promising for the trailing presidential candidate, with two new polls showing him behind in Alabama. The new polls each showed a different leader in the state, neither of them Gingrich."

Perhaps it is time for the former speaker to take a bow and appreciate the good campaign he has run thus far and that he has ended his political career on a high note, at least accomplishing his goal of winning Georgia's primary. For this and other news please go to www.foxnews.com, www.cnn.com or www.msnbc.com.

Super Split

As predicted last night's Super Tuesday primaries were just as confusing as those prior to them. For those who thought it would give a clear and concise picture of the race and who would represent the Republican Party in the 2012 Presidential Election it became even more muddled by Santorum's wins in N.D., O.K., and T.N. Newt Gingrich even showed some progress in the polls in Georgia's primary. Overall though one can certainly argue that it was Mitt Romney's night. The former Governor of Mass. walked away with Alaska, Idaho, and yes Massachusetts to name a few. But what does this mean for the rest of the primaries? What will it mean for the Republican Party nomination? Will Romney hold firm or will his delegate count get snatched up last second by another candidate? For this and more on Super Tuesday please go to www.foxnews.com, www.cnn.com or www.msnbc.com.

Super Tuesday Success

With Super Tuesday here it is easy to understand why candidates for the Republican Party are scrambling to get in air time on some of the 24 hour news networks, shaking hands at public events and delivering messages that outline their platforms and ultimate goal of being elected as President of the United States.

But will Super Tuesday be a big win for candidates like Mitt Romney or Rick Santorum or will it prove to be an upset and actually leave Republicans scratching their heads? Many feel this will be the decisive moment of the two-month-old campaign, siting that ten states in total are taking to the polls.

Many others feel that Ohio will be the ultimate decision maker. Reports from foxnews.com stated that both Romney and Santorum are going all out in Ohio trying to get in the last minute votes. Romney told foxnews.com, "I hope that I get the support of people here in Ohio tomorrow, and in other states across the country. I believe if I do, I'll get the nomination." For this and more news on Super Tuesday please go to www.foxnews.com, www.cnn.com, or www.msnbc.com.

Lincoln's Day Too

President's Day has always been reserved for February 21st, but that could soon change. Some lawmakers are pushing for the day to be moved to February 22nd. The push has historians and educators alike crying out for the 16th President of our nation to have his own day in the spotlight. Is there something wrong with that?

Being a Lincoln buff and having read most books on our nation's Civil War leader I say absolutely not. Usually my opinion's do not enter into my blogs but the truth is I see nothing wrong with Lincoln having a day just as Washington does or Martin Luther King Jr.

David Blanchette a spokesman for the Lincoln Presidential Library stated, "If Washington is going to be singled out, we certainly think Lincoln should have his own day as well, the two presidents who have most shaped the country as we know it today are George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, so we think it's certainly appropriate to honor both individuals on their specific birthdays equally." Maybe someday....if we're patient....Lincoln will have his day too.

If you would like to read more about the issue please go to www.foxnews.com, www.cnn.com or www.msnbc.com.