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.