'Teddy bear' teacher gets 15-day prison term in Sudan

On Thursday the British teacher Gillian Gibbons was sentenced to fifteen days in jail and deportation after having her class of seven year olds name their class teddy bear for a school project and class mascot. The children chose the name Mohammed for the bear. Gibbons also faced charges relating to insulting religion and inciting hatred under article 125 of Sudan’s constitution. Robert Boulos was shocked when he found that the school secretary had issued the complaint and not a parent of a student. Other possible punishments were set at forty lashes, a fine, and jail time up to a year. She was cleared of charges relating to article 125. Other British ambassadors were greatly disappointed in the verdict of the case and were kept away from the court house by Sudanese security guards who even kept one of Gibbons’ lawyers from her during the course of the trial along with several other journalists.

This is so disappointing that these charges would be brought against this teacher. It wasn’t her fault that her students wanted to name their class teddy bear Mohammed. They should be able to name their bear that if they really want to. Then again it is very understandable that the government and school officials would take offense to this. I don’t think I would like it very much if a first grade class at my school decided to name their teddy bear Jesus of God. Such drastic measures could have been avoided though. The teacher should have been confronted about the situation of the issue and then the name of the bear could have easily been changed, instead the teacher was taken to court and is now going be deported from Sudan back to Britain because she was found guilty of insulting religion. If there is one thing I have learned from this, it is to thoroughly research a country’s dominant religion before I visit or live and work there just so I don’t run the risk of disrespecting anyone!

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/11/29/sudan.bears/index.html
http://www.gummylump.com/files/product/a_1289.plush-teddy-bear.jpg

Gas hitting record highs for holiday travel

Gas prices have just reached a new high during this holiday season. Prices have just risen fifteen cents and don’t look like they are falling anytime soon. Prices are expected to rise another ten cents before the end of the year. Since Thanksgiving of last year gas prices have risen and fallen countless times and are currently ninety cents higher than they were at this time last year and have currently capped off at an average of three dollars and eleven cents a gallon. Over thirty-eight million people will be traveling to family this weekend and of those eighty percent of them will be driving and another 4 million will be traveling by plane. Prices of gas and any other mode of transportation for that matter will be very pricey no matter where you turn. Over twenty-five millions passengers will be flown world wide over the next twelve-started November 16) with planes around ninety percent full.

One thing about Americans, they won’t let a little thing like gas prices stop them from going on a holiday. Good in ways but terrible in other. With gas prices rising people are doing little to cut back on their driving, instead they are just cutting other things from their lives, like eating out and expensive clothing. No matter how high gas prices get and how much people complain about them we will still keep buying gas to get around since most of us are too lazy to walk of bike to our destinations. Holidays really bring out the worst in people. Raising gas prices at traveling time is a cheap shot to people’s pocket books. Sure I would want to make a profit as well but why make having a good time more expensive than it has to be?
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/11/15/holiday.travel.ap/index.html

36 million drivers would flunk drivers tests

If drivers in America were to take a driving tests for their license today how many would fail? The answer, roughly thirty-six million drivers would fail the test. GMAC Insurance has been observing drivers throughout the country determining how well Americans can drive. Many of the US citizens seem to have forgotten many of the basic rules. One of those rules dealing with the yellow lights. Of the drivers that were asked what to do when approaching a yellow light 84% did NOT know the answer. Another question that stumped todays drivers was how far behind should you follow some one? Adele Kristiansson, a spokesperson for the National Road Safety Foundation stated that if drivers were sent through another driving program our streets and highways would be much safer. In the year 2007 of the people who took driving safety tests 18% failed them. That is double the failing rate in 2006.

I think it is terrible that so many people don’t know such basic driving rules. Not saying that I am a model driver but I’m better than most. Yellow means slow not go faster. Growing up in Minnesota has taught me how important these rules are to follow especially in the winter when the roads are icy. Drivers have to be more cautious or pay the price. An interesting fact that I learned was that people of 35 years and older are more likely to pass than young adults. There is hope for the younger generation of drivers. Also driving scores on the East coast were the lowest scores. Many of the states, such as NY, Mass, and Penn, all scored less that a 75% on the test, the average being a 77%. Minnesota I am proud to say was ranked 3rd in the nation.

Why bad employees don't get fired

Most people have had the unfortunate event of working with a less than capable employee and have wondered why the management doesn't do anything about it. It turns out that employers actually have what they think to be logical reasons for not firing a terrible employee. 1) They have a relationship with some one higher up. Not a dating relationship but maybe a golf or drinking buddy. 2) The boss relies on the employee for certain things. 3) The employee brings more value to the company than they cost. Meaning the can have great productivity. 4) It could be worse. Employers could be afraid of hiring some one who is an even worse worker than the ones they already have. 5) The boss is afraid of the employee. 6) The boss empathizes for employees that may have families to feed and may not be able to find another job else where. 7) They don’t want to go through the hiring process. 8) The employee may know some embarrassing fact of the employer and could also know how to run equipment no other employee does. 9) The employee could have fooled everyone and they have fallen into their charming ways and let them get by with things because they can sweet talk their way out of it. 10) They really aren’t bad employees. They might not be punctual but they get their work done.

Personally I think these reasons are rather ridiculous. I have worked with terribly lazy people before and it is not fun. They have to be told what to do all the time the most comical of these reasons is the one saying that the boss doesn’t want to go through the hiring process! Seriously, it may be hard work but could definitely pay off in the long run. Just a few minutes each day to look over potential candidates for replacement is really necessary. But most of these I can see why employers put off firing people. Especially if the worker is having financial difficulties and could have a hard time finding another job to support his or her families. But an employer should at least approach the employee and explain to them that more of an effort is needed and that they are endangering their jobs by not pulling their own weight.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/worklife/11/07/not.fired/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Mexican floods strand 300,000; more rain ahead

A week of heavy rain in Mexico has finally proved its worth. All over Mexico cities are being evacuated because the rivers that border them have over flown due to the torrential rainfall. In fifty years this is one of the worst natural disasters that Mexico has seen. Seventy percent of the Gulf state of Tabasco is underwater along with eighty percent of the capital city Villahermosa. Many public services have been shut down including transportation and the cities drinking water. The rain stopped on Thursday but it is predicted that more rainfall is in the future endangering the people even more. Heavy rainfall is not related to the Tropical Storm Noel in the Caribbean. Villahermosa’s river, the Grijalva has risen six and a half feet about its CRTICAL point before it gushed into the city and other rivers are continuing to rise. People have been taken off of rooftops and many such rescue efforts are similar to the rescue efforts of the military when Katrina hit the US. As of Thursday 300,000 people were still in need of rescuing from Villahermosa alone. 100,000 missing in Tabasco. Fellow Mexicans were asked to donate any food that would be useful to the people affected by the floods.

This is so sad that natural disasters have to happen. People are killed purely out of accident but some one will eventually be blamed for not being able to keep citizens safe. Most likely the president of the state. You just can’t stop the river from overflowing its banks. It is just the due process of life. Hopefully the military aid these people are receiving will be substantial enough to rescue a vast majority of those that have been stranded by the floods. The forces have been working hard already to rescue those that are already stationed in the shelters, hopefully they will be able to keep saving lives at a quick pace before the rain hits again and starts the flooding over!

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/11/02/mexico.floods.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview