Current Events Dec. 17th

Iraq

Iraqi troops found a mass grave north outside of Baghdad on Thursday. There were at least 16 bodies in the grave, all of them men. The discovery on Thursday goes along with a car bomb that killed several and wounded more that exploded on the streets on the same day. Eleven people have been detained in Iraq due to coalition raids with al-Qaeda associations. This mass grave is not the only one found in the area.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/12/13/iraq.main/index.html

World

Rashid Rauf, a man suspected of planning to bomb trans-Atlantic airliners, escaped Pakistani custody and is on the loose. Raur, 25, was being accompanied by two guards when he escaped and both are being interrogated. Rauf was on his way to an extradition hearing for the murder of his uncle. He is one of 20 people who are being held for suspiscion of the jet-bomb plan.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/16/pakistan.escape/index.html

U.S.

Three LSU students from India were murdered on the campus last week. The college, however, decided to remain open for the remainder of finals week. The murders were believed by the college to be an individual attack in the home of the students. The pregnant wife of one of the victims discovered the bodies when she arrived home. The police is looking for 3 suspects who were seen leaving the scene.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/15/lsu.killings.ap/index.html

Election

Another Democratic debate took place on Thursday, sponsored by the Des Moines register, and Iowa Public Television. Sen. Hillary Clinton portrayed herself as the best candidate to be an agent of change in the party. Barack Obama, however, is still gaining on Clinton's lead. Obama and Clinton are now tied in New Hampshire say the results of a new poll. at the debate, candidates discussed the issues of economy, global warming, and education.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/13/dem.debate.preview/index.html

Health

A new study shows that college students who rely on all nighters for tests have a slightly lower GPA than students who don't. A survey of 120 students showed that all nighter students have a 2.95 GPA compared to a 3.2 of non all nighters. Most college students don't get enough sleep. Many experts say that these problems could be solved if students would intake less caffeine and manage their time better.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/12/14/all.nighters.ap/index.html

Technology

NASA scientists believe that they have disovered the energy source behind the Northern Lights. They say that the beam of light in the Alaskan and Canadian sky comes from charged particles from the sun. These particles are sent through winding and twisting magnetic fields which give the streaming shape. NASA satellites have the research for particles from space and the magnetic field research. Scientists are confident they have found the solution.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/12/13/northern.lights.ap/index.html

Business

Dallas Mavericks' owner, Mark Cuban, is one step closer to his goal of owning the Chicago Cubs. There are only a handful of bidders allowed to compete for the team and Cuban is one of them. Estimates for the amount of money that the Cubs could bring in are from $750 million to $1 billion. Cuban could bring some character to Major League Baseball if he is selected since he has a reputaion in the NBA of being crazy and has received a list of fines from the league.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/12/13/commentary/sportsbiz/index.htm?postversion=2007121313

Local

The snow storm that hit the Anderson area this past weekend has caused a few minor problems in the city. The grand opening of the New Lapel High School's grand opening has been postponed. Along with some difficulty for citizens to get around town. The storm however, is a disappointment to school children as they don't get a single day off, but several school systems in the area are on a 2 hour delay while heading back to school.

http://www.theheraldbulletin.com/local/local_story_350200510.html

State

None of the tickets sold for the latest Hoosier Lotto game matched all six numbers drawn, so the jackpot grows to an estimated $3.5 million for Wednesday’s drawing. The winning Hoosier Lotto numbers Saturday were 2, 7, 17, 27, 28 and 46.Fourteen tickets matched five of the six numbers and are worth $1,023 each. Meanwhile, none of the tickets sold for the Powerball Game Saturday night matched all six numbers drawn, which were: 22, 37, 47, 48, 50 and Powerball 17. The Power Play was 3.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071216/LOCAL/71216005

Sports

The Miami Dolphins dodged being the first team in NFL history without winning a single game in the regular season on Sunday. The Dolphins, who started 0-13, beat the Baltimore Ravens in overtime to avoid the embarrassment. The final play of the game was a 64 yard touchdown pass to receiver Greg Camarillo. The day of joy for the Dolphins is a day of sorrow for the Ravens. The Ravens started the season 4-2, but have now lost 8 straight games.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=271216015

Current Events December 3rd

Iraq

Turkish military says it attacked 50 to 60 Kurdish rebels inside Iraqi territory. It says the attack inflicted "significant losses." The military would not say whether promised U.S. intelligence aided the attack. The attack occurred in Hakkari province, according to the military.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/12/01/turkey.kurds.ap/index.html

World

Anson Chan, a pro-democracy official, won a seat in the Chinese legislature this election. Chan won the vote of the people of Hong Kong. She won with a 54.6 vote behind her. The election has been closely watched as it has become a sort of gauge for the people of Hong Kong's desire to be democratic. Chan hopes that Hong Kong will be able to elect all of it's lawmakers and its leader by 2012.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/02/hk.elections.ap/index.html

U.S.

The identity of "Baby Grace," the toddler who was found the West Bay earlier this month has been identified as Riley Anne Sawyer. DNA tests prove that the baby was the daughter of Robert Thomas Sawyers and Kimberly Dawn Trenor. Trenor and her husband Royce Clyde Zeigler II were arrested with charges of injuring a child and tampering with physical evidence.

htp://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/30/child.remains/index.html

Election

Barack Obama made his first visit back to Harlem last week since the beginning of his campaign. His main point of the visit was to convince his audience that he could be counted on to enforce civil rights laws. He explained that it hurt him to see young black men on street corners, and that he couldn't bare to live through another administration that didn't seem to care about them. One thing the senator did not mention was his opponent Hillary Clinton. The only reference to Clinton was made by comedian Chris Rock.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/11/30/obama.harlem.ap/index.html

Health

Patty Hill weighed 280 pounds and was only 5ft. 5in. tall. She had planned on having a gastric bypass surgery at the hospital until her friend who had the surgery had died from it the week prior to her own surgery. She thought that she was going to be obese forever until her doctor suggested Lap-Banding. With more and more people becoming obese, weight loss surgeries are more common. Side effects can be serious, however, and patients have to weigh the consequences. Lap-Banding seemed to be the right fit for Hill. She lost 140 pounds. She still has to cut food into small pieces and has digestive problems but she is entirely happy with the results.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/11/28/weightloss.hill/index.html

Technology

RedOctane's Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is the new talk of the town. The game is the third in the series that is sweeping across the nation. Guitar Hero is one of the biggest crazes to sweep across the nation in decades. The game hasn't changed much from the original formula which had worked so well for the company. People who were expecting lots of new, fun things to play with might be upset. However, if the buyer can look past that, the game is better than ever.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/11/30/guitar.hero.3/index.html

Business

Vivendi SA said Sunday that it plans to acquire a controlling stake in Activision Inc. and combine the company with Vivendi Games in a deal that would create a rival to Electronic Arts Inc. as the world's largest video game publisher. The combination of Santa Monica-based Activision, and Vivendi Games, would create the world's largest pure-play online and console game publisher, the companies said.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/12/02/news/companies/vivendi.ap/index.htm

Local

The stage in the main auditorium at Madison Park Church of God is very large, made to fit choirs, musicians and pastors. So when 16 tiny 1- and 2-year-olds wearing red and green reindeer antlers get up on the stage to sing “When Santa Comes,” it can be quite a striking, and cute, scene. The church celebrated a little bit of Christmas Sunday night at its newly-built 67th Street church with the North Kids Christmas Program, a showcase of holiday music by North Kids. Madison Park’s pastor, the Rev. Jim Lyon, said that the annual holiday revue gives North Star kids a chance to perform.

http://www.theheraldbulletin.com/local/local_story_336195701.html

State

Franklin's Hometown Holiday, a two-day festival and lighting ceremony, continued Saturday with a parade on Jefferson Street. Santa Claus arrived at 3 p.m., the Indiana Masonic Home lights were lit at 6 p.m., and the courthouse lights were turned on at 7 p.m. The holiday activities included a cookie contest, kiddie games, choral performances and costumed historical characters roaming the streets, telling stories of Franklin's history. Area churches hosted holiday concerts, and free trolley rides were offered throughout the downtown area.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071202/LOCAL/712020390

Sports

The Highland Scots were of to a relatively slow start after their first game was a loss, but in the second game of the season, the Scots got back on track. Led by SUPERSTAR, RIDICULOUSLY TALENTED, GOING PRO center Grant Fulton, the Scots mustered up a 71-64 win over Westfield. Unbelivable Fulton scored a team high 26 points, as well as leading the team in rebounds. The Scots are hopeful for a magical season this year, and with a player like Grant Fulton, who can play post or shoot the 3 ball on your team, who wouldn't be optimistic?

http://www.theheraldbulletin.com/archivesearch/local_story_329001820.html