April Fools' Storm?

Forecasters have predicted a major storm that is supposed to come just in time for April Fools' Day. The storm is supposedly going to develop Thursday by Virginia and get stronger by Friday in New Jersey and Southern England. It is predicted to produce 6-12 inches of snow. New York, Boston, and Philadelphia should be getting a lot of rain also. Because of the jet stream being farther south than usual, lower temperatures are expected. There have now been winter storm watches issued in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The winds and snow produced by the storm will most likely lead to power outages and low visibility.

Weather always seems to be unpredictable. It's not only odd that there is a winter storm predicted but the storm is supposed to produce 6-12 inches of snow. I really hope these predictions aren't true. The weather has been improving lately and I want it to keep doing so. I'm sure most people living in the places under the winter storm watch are ready for spring and don't want the snow. This storm could possible shut down the Northeast side the the United States.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42338263/ns/weather/

Japan's Nuclear Safety Standards

Japan's government is promising to change its nuclear safety standards. They admitted that their safeguards were not good enough to protect the plant from the tsunami. Two workers at the plant walked through radioactive water not knowing how strong it was. Cabinet members said they were not adequately prepared for the tsunami. The total death pole in Japan is expected to be about 18,000. The destruction could amount to $310 billion, which would be the most expensive natural disaster the world has seen. The plant in Japan has been leaking radiation into many things including vegetables, milk, and water. People within a 12 mile radius from the plant have been forced to leave, while some countries are banning imports from Fukushima.   

The devastation has been so vast to the entire country.  It is so sad that the country was so ill-prepared.  It seems no country is ready for the catastrophies that have been happening.  I can't believe there were not better precautions put in to place protecting nuclear plants.  There should be the same amount of money used to develop safety for nuclear energy as there is to develop it.         

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42324795/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

Renewed Housing Drop

It's been four years since the U.S. housing market collapsed. We've had recovery but it seems to be breaking down again. From December to January it was reported that  home prices fell a whole percentage point. Recently another report has come out saying that in the last month home sales have fallen 9.6. These prices are the lowest they've been in the last 50 years. Last week the gross domestic product expanded, which helped create about 192,000 new jobs in February. Friday's report is expected to show another 185,000 jobs that were produced in March. Even though there's been many new jobs available, the unemployment rate is still at 8.9%. An increase in gas and food prices has also caused issues in the U.S. economy. All the foreclosures lately have lead to markets being full of unsold inventory, which is being sold at lower prices. Those sales are a big reason why home prices are decreasing. The low prices are also cutting into peoples' spending power, making them less confident.
I think if this information is correct, the housing market may collapse again soon and cause even more problems for our economy. At least there are new jobs being created and the gross domestic product has been increasing but if the housing market collapses, I don't see how we are going to be able to keep creating more jobs. People are becoming less confident with their money and homeowners' spending power is going down. If these reports are true, our economy could take a turn for the worse.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42323042/ns/business-eye_on_the_economy/

Trying to Save a Neighborhood

Windy Ridge is a neighborhood in North Carolina that has been called a "Neighborhood built to fail". Windy Ridge has been hit with foreclosures in the past years and has been struggling ever since. Most of the lots were bought by Barber Builders. They built houses there for families with modest paychecks. The neighborhood seemed to have good potential, but that didn't last. Houses were soon broken into and went into foreclosure. Streetlights were going dark, there were quite a few break-ins, yards were covered with trash, and mortgages were the neighborhood's foundation. In 2007, there were 38 break-ins and 32 more in 2008. In 2009, Habitat for Humanity bought 10 houses in the subdivision. The city then made sure that people were taking care of the houses. There were only 6 break-ins in 2009. With a grant from the city, they got residents together and got students from University of North Carolina Charlotte to do field work in the neighborhood. Volunteers have also been picking up trash in the yards of the houses. Tirado, a woman who lives there, is now the neighborhood's first property inspector, and the neighborhood is now nicer to live in, but it's not great yet.

It's really sad that this is happening in some neighborhoods. It would be really hard to live in a neighborhood I didn't feel safe in. I think it's really cool what the volunteers and students at UNCC are doing to make the neighborhood a better place to live in. It takes a lot of courage to keep working to make Windy Ridge a better community. Doing all that work takes a lot of determination and persistance. I admire the people of Windy Ridge for that.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42253202/ns/business-us_business/ 

Labor Market Showing Improvement but can it continue with global unrest?

The economy seemed to be headed in the right direction before the Japanese earthquake and an increase in food and energy prices.  Between the Japanes earthquake, the Mideast and Africa conflict and Portugal's debt, global unrest has increased and it usually has something to do with oil.   What seems to matter most is how consumers react to the unrest. The labor market is the only part of the economy showing signs of improvement.   If people continue to spend because they feel their income has stabalized somewhat, the economy will continue to improve.

I think it's interesting that economy rests so heavily on not so much what has happened globabally, but how people react to conflict.  As the article stated at the the end that it's a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem, meaning the job market is improving because people are spending and people are spending because they feel more confident about their paycheck.  Businesses keep hiring because the consumers are still coming through the door to buy so hopefully the labor market will continue to improve.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42296065/ns/business-eye_on_the_economy/

Deaths in Syria's Seaside City

In Latakia Syria, gangs have been roaming the streets of Latakia on Sunday. The violence was an example of anarchy in the country that was the Mideast's most tightly controlled. Syria has been overtaken by displays of violence and protest which started in Daraa and spread nationwide Friday. Security forces have killed dozens of people in more than six places. Their government has tried to control the situation. President Assad is supposedly going to lift a 50-year state of emergency and get rid of strict restrictions on civil liberties and political freedoms. This plan did not stop the protests in Syria the next day. The most violence has taken place in Latakia. Crowds in Latakia tried to express sympathy for the protestors in Daraa and wanted greater civil liberties and political freedoms. They also wanted to end corruption. A total of 12 people have died in Latakia, while 90 had been wounded and treated at one of the hospitals in the city.

It's hard to think about what is going on in Syria right now because we rarely see protesting quite like that in the United States. I think that President Assad is doing everything he can to stop these protests. I don't think that officials should be getting involved and making the protestors stop through violence though. I think the people of Syria deserve more political freedoms and civil liberties. The protestors do need to know when to stop though. I think Assad is going to give them the freedoms and liberties. If they keep displaying violence and anarchy, they won't get what they want.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42292156/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/

Should Japan Rebuild?

With an estimated number of 18,000 people dead, thousands who are homeless, and villages and towns destroyed, Japan is deciding whether or not to rebuild. Kesennuma is an example of a town that had been struggling economically for so long and now has been battered by the tsunami. The population has rapidly aged in the last few years. The future of the communities like Kesennuma are pretty grim because of all the older people. Japan's population is one of the world's that is aging the most. Birth rates are going down because young Japanese are waiting to get married and having less children. This challenge has been increasing due to the tsunami. The survivors in Kesennuma have been struggling to find places to stay, but many of them are staying in a gymnasium. It will be hard for the community to keep its young people because of the destruction and scarcity of businesses. People of the community have to decide if they want to rebuild or move and live somewhere else.
I can't believe how many people in Japan died because of the earthquake and tsunami. I think the survivors in Kesennuma should rebuild. It's where they have lived their entire life and it would seem weird for them to live anywhere else. I think leaving the place where they grew up would be much too hard and I don't know where else they would go to live anyway. They would have to leave behind all their friends, family, and memories. Even though it would cost more money, I think they should rebuild, start their life over, and try to slow down the aging of the population.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42292837/ns/world_news-asiapacific/