Cross-eyed opossum capturs the hearts of Germans

Middle-aged, gray-haired, stays up late, Heidi the cross-eyed opossum in a big sensation in Germany, and she hasn't made her debut at the Leipzig Zoo yet. Heidi appears to be the next animal celebrity. Heidi is 2-1/2-years old and has a growing Facebook group, sparked a song on YouTube, and will soon be a plush toy. People will get their first glimpse of Heidi in July when the zoo opens. Heidi first appeared last month in Germany's mass-circulation newspaper Bild. Heidi is the most recent example of animal celebrities which include Knut the polar bear in Berlin and the deceased Paul the octopus in Oberhausen. The zoo has dedicated a portion of its website to answering Heidi-related questions.

Zoo officials think that Heidi's crossed eyes could have come from poor diet when she was young. Vision is not much of a problem for Heidi, the zoo said. Opossum's rely heavily on their sense of smell instead of their sight.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110111/lf_nm_life/us_germany_opossum

I think that this is really cool. Heidi the cross-eyed opossum is getting people and kids interested in animals and how they could become cross-eyed like Heidi and other questions as well. She is opening up kids and people to our world and everything that is on our planet.

I think that it is crazy how poplar she has become in just a month. It is pretty cool.

I am glad that she is going to be properly cared for at the zoo in Germany.

Employers Post Fewer Jobs in November

Job openings dipped in November, latest evidence that employers are cautious about adding new workers. They advertised 3.25 million jobs that month, a drop of 80,000 form October says the Labor Department. Openings have risen 39 percent since the end of the recession in June 2009. Although they are still below the 4.4 million openings advertised in December 2007. Report show that there were 4.6 unemployed workers competing for jobs. Heavy competition put employers in the drivers' seat and hold down wages. The Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey counts the number of jobs advertised on the last business day of the month. Economists say that the report of November provides an indication of hiring patterns because it can take three months to fill jobs. In December only 103,000 jobs were added. Some economists had forecast twice that number. Unemployment rate fell to 9.4 percent, about half of that drop was due to people giving up on job search.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41019738/ns/business-eye_on_the_economy/

It is true that employer post fewer jobs in November (I remember reading an article about it in December). I didn't know that it took about three months to fill a job. I start to wonder why it would take that long. I mean a lot of unemployed people are applying for the job and people who are looking to move up in their profession are applying for the job. Why can't the employer just interview those they think will best fill the position and make a decision so that another person will become employed or another position at the person's previous work can employ another person.

It is a good thing that the unemployment rate dropped .4 percent. I think that that means that some people are either becoming okay with not working or they have a reason as to why they can't work. I hope that they aren't just giving up. Because if you give up, you won't get anywhere in life. Even though it has taking a while for them to find a job, it doesn't mean that they aren't meant to work, it just means that the job that is destined for them is waiting for the person to find it.

Wall Street Kicks off 2011 with a Rally

Thanks to better new on the economy, stocks started 2011 with a lift. Manufacturing activity and construction spending rose more than predicted. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped .81 percent, according to preliminary calculations. The Standard and Poor's 500 index gained 1.13 percent and Nasdaq rose 1.46 percent. Financial companies led with a 2.2 percent jump. After settling a dispute with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Bank of America Corp. shot up 5.1 percent being the best performance among 30 stocks that make the Dow Jones. The largest fall of 0.1 percent was Intel Corp. Small companies, considered a riskier investment, surged. Shares also rose throughout Europe, the Euro Stoxx 50 index rose 0.6 percent. The dollar rose 0.1 percent. On the last day of trading in 2010, the U.S. ended mixed, investors think that it turned out better than expected. In the U.S., every major stock market index increased by double digits. Stocks ended 2010 strong.



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40886637/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/



I think that it is great that the stock market is kicking off the year at a good start. In class we are playing the virtual stock market game and I am looking for stocks to buy, short sell, or the stocks that I currently have that need to be sold.

Seeing that the stock market is doing well and that the major stock indexes are increasing, shows a good sign for the future. Maybe if the stocks keep doing well, our economy will get better.

I think that it is great that some of the risky investments surged. It means that they are doing better and are able to accommodate their consumers.

START moves a step closser to approval

With 67 senators voting, they stepped closer to approving the START treaty on Tuesday. The bill needed 60 votes to move forward, a procedural vote for the GOP. The final ratification will require 2/3 of the senators present. Many Republicans announced their intention to ratify the treaty who were in question of which side they were going to vote. Present for the vote was Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden. Around Tuesday or Wednesday, the final vote is expected.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/21/5690778-start-moves-a-step-closer-to-approval-

The START treaty is a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia. The treaty builds on a previous agreement that expired in December. It cuts nuclear weapons held by both countries by a third. (Source)

I think that it is a good idea to build on the previous agreements from the other treaty, START I. If we have already had an agreement in order and it worked out very well, it just makes sense to create another one after it expires. I hope that they get closer to ratifying the treaty.

Image Source

Dem. leader says Senate could finish Saturday

Senate Democratic leader says that lawmakers could complete, by Saturday, an agenda of a nuclear arms treaty, a spending bill and a repeal of the ban on gays in the military. Senate Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said on the Senate floor that the path is clear to finishing. Ried needs Republicans to sign on to wrapping up pieces of legislation. He scuttled a $1.3 trillion catch all spending bill in favor of a smaller measure to keep the government running into next year. He also set votes for Saturday on the repeal of the "don't ask - don't tell" policy. he vowed to finish a arms control treaty with Russia. The Senate needs to deal with a bill to aid people who were sick after exposure to dust from the Sept. 11 collapse of the World Trade Center.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40717468/ns/politics/

I think that it is great that the government is trying to complete these bills. I haven't really gained an opinion on the treaty with Russia. I guess I need to get a little bit more information on the subject. As for the "don't ask - don't tell" policy and gays being allowed into the military, I think that if it is something that that particular person want to do they should be able to go into the military. I also think that we should come up will a bill that will aid the people who were near the World Trade Center because if they had known that the World Trade Center was going to be attacked, I am pretty sure that they wouldn't go anywhere near there. So I believe that they should create a bill to aid people who were sick.

Jobless rate jumps to a seven-month high

Hiring slowed sharply as unemployment rate climbed to 9.8% in November. Retailers, factories, construction companies, financial firms and the government all cut jobs. Paul Dales, U.S. economist for Capital Economies, said that they economy is going nowhere when companies are not willing to boost hiring. This marks the 19th straight month that they jobless rate has been above 9%. Mark Zandi expects the nation's unemployment rate to move above 10%. Analysts say that the economy would need to add 200,000 to 300,000 a month to make a dent in the unemployment rate. Economists say the the economy is flashing signs of stronger growth in the final months of the year.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40489052/ns/business-eye_on_the_economy/

In the article it said that there were some 15.1 million people that were unemployed last month. I find that to be crazy. They were talking about the jobs that were created this month were lower then last month. They talked of how that was crazy. I don't see how it can be. If they added a lot of jobs in October, not as many jobs in the factories and companies are available to create more jobs for those that don't have work. I agree with Zandi in the fact that unemployment rate will continue to rise in the next few months. I think that we need to start small and work our way up to adding around 250,000 jobs a month. If we try to do it all at once, I think that it will really hurt our economy.

School bus-driving mayor hurt in LA wreck

A tractor-trailer hit a school bus that had its lights flashing and stop signs extended, critically injuring 3 kids and hurting the other 18 and both drivers. The bus driver, also the town mayor, and the trucker have minor injures. Most of the kids had minor to moderate injuries. The crash happened in the morning on a straight, clear stretch between Port Barre and Opelousas. Eric Thibodeaux, supervisor for Acadian Ambulance Service, said that the back bumper was pushed in almost to the rear wheels of the bus. A seat had to be cut to free a trapped child. The Port Barre Mayor Gil Savoy was working as a substitute driving the bus. David Cox, the truck driver, said that bus was starting to leave the stop with its warning lights flashing and stop signs extended. The Mayor told the children to brace themselves when he saw the truck coming. The truck stopped and Mayor Savoy stopped the bus a few hundred feet down the highway. The kids ages range from 5 to 17. The medics worked swiftly and patients were quickly routed to hospitals.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40493932/ns/us_news/

The article said that they road was clear and straight. From that I guess that there was no ice on the road and that the weather was clear. So I don't understand why an incident like this would happen. My dad is a bus driver and I have been driving on the roads for a couple of years, so I know not to move my car until the lights have stopped flashing and the stop sign is no longer out. I don't see why the truck driver didn't just stop his truck. Also how would the truck get so close to the bus when the bus was just stopped and it takes a second or two to start going again. It is hard to understand what all happened in this situation. I hope that everyone involved in the accident are doing well and back to their version of normal very soon.