NBA Finals

Jason Kidd, a 38 year old point guard who plays for Dallas has been playing well in the play offs. He's been one of the biggest leaders. He has averaged about 9.9 points per game and 7.7 assists. He has been passing the ball to all the right people. Tyson Chandler on the way to the basket, and Jason Terry from picks. He has been good on defense against Kobe Bryant and Russell Westbrook. Kidd has had a good season as a veteran.

I don't watch basketball all that much but it seems like Jason Kidd is a good player. He started to love the game when he was young and stuck with it. A lot of people are probably betting on him to get his team to the championship. I'm sure he feels a lot of pressure going into the play offs, as many are watching him in anticipation.

http://www.nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/43161308

E. Coli Outbreak

Two people recently have been infected by food poisoning from traveling in northern Germany. There have been 16 people who have died and more than 1,150 people sick from it in Europe since May. The victims have been hospitalized from the outbreak which was caused by a strain of bacteria that was rare. People have been told to report any travelers to Germany who have had HUS or bloody diarrhea. It only takes a few days for the poisoning to set into your system. HUS, which is often contracted from the poisoning can lead to kidney failure and acute anemia. About 373 people have HUS and another 796 people have the less serious infection. Hamburg, Germany has the most people who are infected. In most years, Germany only has about 60 cases of HUS.
I was shocked when I read this article. There are so many people dying and getting sick from the outbreak. I'm really glad it didn't start in the United States. It seems like officials are taking precautions so nobody else in the United States gets sick from it. It would be pretty hard to keep the outbreak from spreading. They must be doing a pretty good job though, since only two Americans have been infected.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43227702/ns/health-infectious_diseases/

Joplin Victims are Offered Homes

People left homeless from the Joplin tornadoes are being rental homes to live in for 18 months. Later, they may be bringing in trailers, as they did for New Orleans victims. There were almost 50,000 residents who lost homes in Joplin because of the tornadoes. Nearly a third of the city was damaged and 130 people were killed. Twenty nine people are still missing. Many of the victims are leaving the town. Others who aren't being put into homes are at the Red Cross shelter sleeping on cots.
I feel really bad for the people who live in Joplin, Missouri. I don't know if I would be able to stay in my town if something like this happened. It would be so hard to leave though. Watching your house being destroyed would be so awful. At least they are being offered rental homes and some can go to the Red Cross shelter. People who are in natural disasters receive a lot of love and support from the country but maybe not enough. I think more should be done from communities across the United States and even the World.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43217036/ns/us_news-life/

10 Dangerous Cities

Crime rate has went down 5.5 percent this last year but it isn't all positive news. The Northeast part of the United States has seen an increase in the amount of murders, forcible rapes, and aggravated assaults. Some people think this is because of the high poverty rates in these areas. In 2009 there was evidence that found the link between crime and poverty "inextricable". Detroit, Michigan; New Haven, Connecticut; and Baltimore, Maryland were rated as the most dangerous cities in America recently. Unemployment is improving in these cities but the parts where most crime is committed will probably not improve too much. A lot of the most dangerous cities will most likely have high levels of crime permanently. The list of the top ten dangerous cities in the United States right now are;
10. Stockton, California
9. Rockford, Illinois
8. Baltimore, Maryland
7. Little Rock, Arkansas
6. Oakland, California
5. Memphis Tennessee
4. New Haven, Connecticut
3. St. Louis, Missouri
2. Detroit, Michigan
1. Flint, Michigan
Some of these cities really surprised me as being the top ten dangerous cities. I thought California was a pretty safe state to live in. Michigan looks like it's the most dangerous. I would not recommend living in those areas if you have children or large families. I'm sure it's still nice living in those cities, but it would be hard knowing you aren't very safe. Home is supposed to be where you feel safe. I'm glad I live in Minnesota, even with all the snow.

 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43158398/ns/business-us_business/

Apple is Now the World's Most Valuable Brand

Google has been the world's most valuable brand for the last five years and now it has been announced that Apple is. The Apple brand is now worth $153 billion. Last year it passed Microsoft for world's most valuable technological company. Of the top ten brands reported Monday, six were technology related. McDonalds also rose a couple spots. Fast food seems to be the fastest growing category right now, because of healthy items added. Nineteen of the top one hundred brands came from emerging markets, which has changed from thirteen last year. Toyota is again the world's most valuable car company. The total value of the top one hundred companies went up 17%, $2.4 trillion.

It's not hard to believe that Apple has moved to the number one spot for most valuable companies. Almost everyone has an Ipod, Ipad, or computer made by Apple. It seems like Apple could be the number one company of our generation. If people don't have an Ipod, they usually are wanting one. Technology has definitely taken over our country and is a big part of our culture.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42954640/ns/business-consumer_news/

Issue #2- Boosting the Minimum

The current issue I'm going to blog on is minimum wage. People have been arguing about raising minimum wage for quite some time now. Some think it will help the poverty in our country while others think it won't. People who work for minimum wage have EITC or Earned Income Tax Credit which reduces the amount in taxes they have to pay. There's also something called Medicaid that helps people who have a low income. It gives Americans with this low income free or reduced health care. The people who support raising minimum wage think that by doing so, many Americans will live better lives. Also, by raising the wage, our economy will slowly become better. Others believe that raising minimum wage is not an option because most people working for minimum wage are teenagers. They believe that in raising it, the difference in the poverty level won't be all that helpful. They also think it will lead to higher prices and job cuts. Some have opinions about expanding the EITC instead.

I respect both sides of this issue and I can see why there has been such a big debate because of this over the years, but I think minimum wage should not be raised. I don't think raising minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 really will change the poverty level too much. Only a small portion of the work force would actually be affected by this change and I think our economy is in too bad of shape to be raising pay of individuals. If the EITC was expanded then the low-income workers would get more benefits without affecting the market.

 Issue #1- All Things Being Unequal
http://katieb123456.blogspot.com/2011/05/all-things-being-unequal.html

Issue #3- Putting Welfare to Work
http://leah-bloggityblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/putting-welfare-to-work.html
Jim Saxton is someone who has the same opinion as I do on raising minimum wage.