Go Diego!

A Washington man who was late for work decided to drive with his daughter's in the passenger seat. He wanted to drive in the high occupancy lane so he could get to work quicker. Officers were pulling over cars who had single occupants in the vehicle. Officers said the non-blinking stare of the doll made them question the car and pull the driver over. The man was cited for an HOV lane violation. This story made me laugh because the guy was really clever to use to the doll as an “imposter” passenger. It's too bad the man got caught, but it still makes for a funny story. 

http://lacrossetribune.com/news/weird-news/article_6bc041c6-0143-5e19-bbea-e30d213c7cf2.html

Stealing from the Salvation Army

A bell ringer in Eagen, Minnesota was caught trying to steal money out of a Salvation Army red kettle. An employee at the Cub Foods grocery store saw the man use tweezers to pull the money from the slot. The store's video cameras confirmed the theft of $40. This story sickens me because people thought this man was doing a good deed by volunteering at the Salvation Army. All this man was trying to do was make some money for himself. There is so many unfortunate people who need the money. And if this guy really was that poor, he could have gotten help from the S.A himself. People who are greedy like him disappoint me. I am glad to know that there is good people out there who volunteer for the right reasons. I'm glad this thief got caught. 

http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/state-and-regional/article_1f3f2904-0911-11e0-a220-001cc4c002e0.html

Tainted Eggs

An estimated 380 million eggs have been recalled last week because of concerns that they were tainted with salmonella. Hundreds of Americans have gotten sick from the tainted eggs. The FDA stated that some of the eggs were not pasteurized. This outbreak of tainted eggs could have been prevented. Thoroughly cooking eggs usually kills the bacteria. But cross contamination usually is the biggest problem. Undercooked food also leaves the consumer at risk for infection. This article grosses me out because I already don't like eggs. I got food poisoning when I was younger and the thought of it still makes me sick. This is another thing that could have been prevented. 380 million eggs is a large number. 

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/19/eggs.recall.salmonella/index.html

Nursing Home Accident Blamed on Inadequate Training

A nursing home in St. Paul Minnesota is being blamed for the death of a resident. A woman had slipped out of a medical chair and hit her head on the floor. She died a few days later. It was found out that the two nurses had no training on how to use the lift. It was also stated that the nursing home did not have proper supervision and didn't require that their staff knew the proper techniques with the machines. If this was my family member I would be outraged at the nursing home. It it totally irresponsible and pathetic that this woman could still be alive. All nurses and nursing homes should have the proper training and supervision. This is yet another life that was taken too soon. Because of the negligence of the nurses, someone died. Although I am sure the nurses who were working with this lady feel terrible, it is the nursing home's fault that they did not have the proper training. 

http://lacrossetribune.com/news/state-and-regional/mn/article_a65c9c1a-08ac-11e0-987d-001cc4c03286.html

Marijuana Use More Common Than Tobacco Use in Teens

This article stated that more children and teens smoke Marijuana than cigarettes. Over 20% of seniors in high school smoke pot, 19% of seniors smoke cigarettes. They stated the reason that many teens believe that smoking marijuana is safer than tobacco. Pot doesn't have any of the bad chemicals and additives as cigarettes. Marijuana usage rates significantly rose in 2010. More than 6% of teens smoke pot on a daily basis. They believe the rates got higher because now that it has been legalized in some areas of the country, teens believe that it is safer to smoke than cigarettes. On the other hand, drugs like cocaine and crystal meth have been on the decline. I guess I wouldn't know why smoking has been on the rise. But I think that smoking cigarettes is worse than smoking pot.

Woman Sues McDonald's over Happy Meal

A woman in California is suing the McDonald's Happy Meals because she claims that the toys are making her children only want McDonald's. She said that the Happy Meals mess with her children and actually make them change their minds on food. She believes that the toys are a form of bribery to get her children to eat the unhealthy food. I think that this story is outrageous that she wants to sue McDonald's. I feel like people these days will look for any little thing that they can make money off of. I hardly ever ate fast food when I was younger. And if I did happen to eat a kid's meal; it wasn't because I was going to get a cool toy. This mother should already have instilled healthy eating habits in her children. Then she wouldn't have the problem with her kids always wanting McDonald's and she wouldn't have embarrassed herself trying to sue the company. 

http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/15/woman-sues-mcdonalds-over-happy-meals/

Another Life Taken Too Soon

My friend and classmate, Brandi Lynn Allen was killed in a car accident this Monday afternoon. I am still in denial. It scares me to know that people's lives can be taken away so easily. The town of Holmen where I grew up has last five students just in the past year. That fact absolutely devastates me. So many young people have died before they even had a chance to grow up and live their lives. Brandi was an outgoing girl who was friendly with everyone. I honestly believe that nobody ever once disliked Brandi. Brandi and I had talked a lot because we had gone to the same school together since kindergarten and because of our love for horses. This is a second student from the class of 2010 who had been killed. The deaths of so many of my friends really make me want to live my life to the fullest. I try not to complain as much either, because my friends are no longer here. No matter what, I could always be in a worse situation. So many of my classmates from Holmen have died. I want to better my life for them. It's true that you should never take anything for granted, and always be thankful for who and what you have in your life.