Mom of Toddler Smoker in Indonesia Seeks Help for Him

Summary: Two year old Aldi weighs twice as much as a normal child at his age, reaching just over 44 pounds. But that's not the only difference; this little boy also is a two year old that smokes. He was found in a video on the internet smoking like he had been doing so for about thirty years and instantly became a local celebrity. The mother of Aldi said that smoking has been a part of their culture for so long that it isn't seen as hazerdous, poisonous, or a factor of causing illness. Although his mom is realizing the problem at hand and seeking help for her son, but not becuase she knows it is bad for his health but because his parents don't want to have to spend so much money on his cigarettes. Aldi smokes about 40 cigarettes daily and they can't keep up with the payments. Both parents have quit smoking and Jakarta has cut down. Hopefully this little boy, with the help of his family, can stop smoking soon.

Opinion: I honestly could not belive what I was hearing when I first read through this article!! A two year old smoking, you've got to be kidding me! Truethfully I think it's bad for adults to just be smoking next to children, but to actually let your child smoke at the age of two, what were they thinking. People really need to be better informed about the harmful affects of smoking and second hand smoke. It is disgusting and I bet that anyone who is better informed about the harm they are doing to themselves and others would try to stop on the spot. Also, the fact that they wanted him the stop smoking based on money purposes is sickening as well. I know they don't really realize the harm it is doing to Jakarta, but his health should always com first. I hope that by this article and broadcast many people will see how extreme smoking has become and how harmful it really can be to them and more people will stop. We would have a safer and healthier planet by doing so.

Obama Gets First-hand View of Oil Spill Impact

Summary: President Obama is in Louisiana watching first-hand the impact of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. Now, a month after the spill, BP has had some success by going through a risky procedure known as "top kill." This procedure has never been tried on the oceans surface before but it seems to be working for this tragic situation. "Top Kill" consists of pumping mud into the well at a high pressure and as of now it has stopped the heavy flow of oil into the Gulf. The substance is a water-based mud and almost nontoxic. But better yet, it isn't oil. Another procedure that is being tested on the scene involves shooting debris into the blowout preventer in hopes of clogging it and stopping the leak. This is Obama's second visit to Louisiana scince the oil rig explosion and he says that it is his job to make sure everything possible is done the get the oil flow stopped and under control. After the spill estimates reached over 5,000 barrels per day there became an even bigger urgency. The oil spill has already taken a toll on Louisiana's coasts but are being worked on continuously to be stopped and hopefully the new procedures being used will end up being a success.

Opinion: Since the oil explosion and the leaking of oil into the Gulf, many things have been done in order to try and stop the spill. I think it's very smart for us to be trying new procedures and making as big of an effort as possible to try and get the situation under control. The attempts to pump mud into the well and to try and clog the hole are good ideas that hope to turn out to be helpful. The more ideas we come up with and attempts we make to stop the leak, the better off the situation will be and the quicker we will achieve a better outcome. I also think that it is good for President Obama to be at the scene of the crime and to actually witness first-hand the tragedy in affect. He needs to show the American people his support and efforts for our country and we need to know that as a leader, we can count on him. I hope everything pulls through and the leak is stopped as quickly as possible.

Battle For A Second Chance Leads To A Landmark Ruling

Summary: Mary Graham is the mother of a boy who was sentenced to a life in prison at the age of 17 in 2006 for committing a second armed robbery. There would be no more life in the outside world for her son and she would no longer be able to see him happy doing the things that he enjoyed. But this past Monday, May 17th, the supreme court gave the Grahams a ray of hope. The court decided that the punishment of life in prison without payrole was far to cruel for someone under 18 that had not been convicted of murder. It was researched that no other country punishes this way because it gives them no chance to redeem themselves and to learn from their mistakes. It is likely that Mr. Graham will return to court for resentensing and will probably still be put in prison for some time but at least now there is hope for him in the future. As a child Terrance was a good boy but fell into the wrong crowd in high school. Now even in prison he is trying to turn his life around. He works in the prison library and ended up recieving his high school diploma from prison. This just goes to show that people may make mistakes but that doesn't mean they will be that way forever and won't realize the wrongs that they've done.

Opinion: After reading this article I believe that the sentence of life in prison without the possibility of payrole was definitely too harsh for the crime that Terrance Graham committed. I do think that he deserves prison time but at the age of 17, life in prison seems to be a bit much. With this sentence he isn't even givin the opportunity to change or learn from his mistakes. Some of our greatest world leaders have made mistakes, learned from them, and then made something of themselves, so why souldn't we give Terrance the same chance. Especially after seeing his determination to keep up with his school work and graduate from high school. It just goes to show that he already is trying to change for the better and become the person he wishes he could have been before making those wrong decisions. I hope that his resentence will now be changed to only a certain number of years in prison, therefore giving him the opportunity to be with his family again and to make something of himself. Miracles happen every day.

Consequences of Spills Can Last for Decades

Summary: The oil from the spill in the Gulf of Mexico is beginning to seep closer towards the U.S. and environmental scientists are saying that it could have ecological and biological consequences for years and many years to come. The ocean is a major source of food and a home for hundreds of differents species. The affects of the oil could be devistating for humans as well as other animals that depend on the intricate ecosystem for survival. Scientists say that the oil is likely to persist because the marshes don't form many waves and the soil is oxygen poor. It may not cause a huge problem at first but in twenty years when the oil has seeped into the soil it could create a real chronic effect. After the explosion April 20th in the Gulf, the oil spill was recognized and it is said that about 1.6 million gallons of oil has spilled so far. It's spreading fast and officials are worried about its destruction. The oil will try to be stopped from reaching the coast since that will determine how bad the long term impacts will be.

Opinion: I feel like the environmental specialists should have anticipated the oil spill after the explosion more so than they did. I know they are trying to help now and have determined where and when the spill took place, but I feel bad for all of the animals that are having to live with it and are being affected by it. I also hope that the spill can be stopped from reaching the coast so that there will be less long term affects and no major damage is caused by it. The whole thing was an accident and therefore I really want nothing bad to come from it. I know the environmental specialists will do all they can to save the animals of the area and to stop the spill from getting any worse and spreading further, but they can't do it alone. I'm sure that they need all the help they can so we should all be thinking about them and helping out in any way that we can!