Hurricane Katia: Will It Impact the East Coast?

  Hurricane Katia is now a Category 1 Hurricane and moving into warmer waters. This may cause it to strengthen. It's location is at 19.6 degrees north and 55.8 degrees west. If Katia moves into warmer waters, this may give it the fuel it needs to strengthen into a major hurricane. The wind speeds are at 75 miles per hour. The wind gusts are at 90 miles per hour. This storm is traveling to the northwest at 10 miles per hour. By 2 AM on Wednesday morning., Katia will be above the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The forecast models are showing that Katia will make a turn and go back out into the water. But that turn that Katia will make is beginning to inch closer and closer to the East Coast. The ground here in the east is already saturated from the devastating Hurricane Irene. There is also flooding in these area. This could be very bad news for people on the East Coast. Residents of the Leeward Islands, Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos should keep a close eye out on Katia.  For the latest updates on Hurricane Katia please come back to my blog at www.tmratliff.blogspot.com.

Source: www.accuweather.com

Restaurants Ban Children

    McDain's restaurant in Monroeville, Pennsylvania has decided to ban kids that are ages 6 and under. They decided to do this after receiving multiple noise complaints on crying kids. Mike Vuick,the owner of this establishment says that many times the childrens' noises are uncontrollably loud. In an email to customers, Vuick explained: "We feel that McDain's is not a place for young children. Their volume can't be controlled and many, many times, they have disturbed other customers." Vuick says he has nothing against children in general, but says that their endless screams at public dinner tables is, "the height of being impolite and selfish".
Last year, a restaurant in North Carolina called Olde Salty Restaurant made a similar choice. The owner of the restaurant, Brenda Armes, posted a sign outside of the restaurant saying "Screaming Children Will Not Be Tolerated". Some Monroeville residents say that they are offended that they are being pointed out for not disciplining their children which causes them to be loud when one woman says, " If they have a problem with noise, why aren't they doing anything about the noise at the bars?" Banning children from bas isn't illegal, but it may violate rights given to special needs children. So what do you think? Are children-free restaurants  a good idea or are they discriminatory?

Source: http://www.yahoo.com/

iCloud: A New Era in Technology

  People have constantly been making the computer more advanced since the invention of the first programable computer was invented in 1938 by Konrad Zuse in his parents living room. It was called the Z1. Years passed and Apple was created by Steve Wozniak in 1976. It was called the Apple 1. This computer started the Apple revolution. Apple is an American multinational corporation that designs and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers.Apple has created the iPhones 1,2,3,&4, iPad, iBook, iPod Touch, and has just recently came out with the iPad 2. Reccently, the CEO of the company, Steven Jobs,has announced the iCloud to the public on May 31,2011 at a press conference.The cloud-based system allows users to store music, photos, applications, documents, iBooks and contacts, as well as serving as a platform for Apple's email servers and calendars. According to InfiniteApple, iCloud "simply manages links to uploaded content" hosted in turn by Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services.
   Each account has 5 GB of free storage. If you have purchased music, apps,books ,and the Photo Stream service will not reduce this free space. Any music files purchased by the way of iTunes are automatically downloaded to any registered devices e.g. iPods, iPhones and computers. When a user registers a new device, all iTunes content can be automatically downloaded. This innovation in technology wil be released for the public to purchase in fall of 2011. The estimated cost of the iCloud is about 25 dollars per year.


Sources: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/cloud, http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000984.htm

Tornadoes

   We've all heard the tornado sirens go off this year but why so much? Tornadoes are caused by instability in the atmosphere. The National Weather Service in Memphis has reported more tornado watches and warnings than any other National Weather Service base in the country. Luckily, there were no tornado emergencies issued. A tornado emergency is when multiple or violent tornadoes have been spotted in the area. The last tornado emergency in Memphis,TN was on February 5,2008. This is better known as the Super Tuesday Outbreak. The tornado in Memphis was an EF2 it killed four people and injured many others. Some things you can do to help protect yourself from this devastating storm is to take cover if a tornado warning is issued in your county or the surrounding counties. You should also look closely if severe thunderstorm warnings are issued. Tornadoes often come from supercells or severe thunderstorms. If severe weather threatens your area stay alert. If you aren't alert it could possibly cause you your life. If you live in a trailer home, leave the home immediately and take cover in the nearest building. If there isn't a building go to the nearest ditch and get in tornado position.Always remember don't take tornadoes lightly. These storms can become very dangerous very quickly.  For more tips to stay safe in these terrible natural disasters go to www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/safety.html.

Middle School: The Do's and the Don'ts

 Most of us are starting middle school next year. We most likely are all a little bit nervous. Here's some advice to help you get through middle school. First of all, don't give in to peer pressure. Giving in to peer pressure can get you in to serious trouble sometimes. You can even get expelled or suspended if you end up with the wrong crowd. The next thing is be yourself. If you want to make your first year in middle school memorable you don't want to blend in with the crowd. The third rule is be on time to school and class. If you aren't you can get removed from the optional program, detention, or suspended. If you want to join multiple clubs, you should make sure that they either meet on different days or times. If you have all of your clubs on the same day, this can become stressful and you might have to leave some of the clubs you are a member of. Middle schools may have strict uniform codes but try to develop your owm style but make sure you are following your school's unifrom policies. It's also a good idea to stay organized and write homework assignments and project down in your agenda book. At some schools this is part of your grade. This also helps you to stay organized and remember to do homework assignments. Last but certainly not least, have fun. It may be kind of hard but try to make the best of your first year of middle school. It may sound hard but it's actually pretty easy just have friends who like you, stay out of trouble, make good grades, and say no to peer pressure.

Religious Discrimination at Abercrombie and Fitch Co.?

  20 year old Hani Khan, a former stockroom worker is fired from her job over the telephone because Abercrombie and Fitch wouldn't let her wear hijab, the head cover traditionally worn by Muslim women. Khan says that, " Growing up in a country where a Bill of Rights gurantees freedom of speech and religion makes me feel upset.This case is about principles, the right to be able to express your religion freely and be able to work in this country." It is the latest employment discrimination charge. Most critics say the company has what they like to call a ''looky policy'' which they say has an image of mostly white, young,and athletic people. Abercrombrie compromises with Hani saying that her hijab has to be company colors. Even before this dispute, Abercrombie has had a history of racial discrimination including a federal classed action brought by African-American, Asian, and Hispanic/Latino employees that was settled in 2004 for 40 million dollars.The was forced to make changes to create a more diverse group of employees. The New Albany,Ohio.-based company still says that they don't tolerate discrimination."Abercrombie prides itself on requiring what it calls a natural classic American style. But there's nothing American about discriminating against someone because of their religion," said Araceli Martinez-Olguin, a lawyer with the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center.

As Seen On TV

                                                

 You know how when you see something on TV that you want to order and when your order finally comes you realize what you purchased isn't worth the money you spent? Well, you're not alone. This can happen to thousands of people. Companies may use false advertisement to get you to buy their product. This can be frustrating if you have saved up money trying to buy the product. Here are some tips to keep you and your friends from wasting your money:

• Read the reviews! You can see what people have to say about the product.
• Ask a friend! One of your friends may have already bought the product. Ask them if it works.
• Look carefully at the commercials! Do you notice anything different in the ads? For example one of my friends bought this plastic bug that was supposed to move on its own. When he ordered it he found out you had to pull a string. It may be hard to see these faults but look carefully.
• What you see isn't always what you get! When you see something on TV, you may not get what you ordered. Sometimes it's barely noticeable but sometimes you can easily tell the difference.

 Hopefully this advice helped! Please leave a comment at the bottom of the page!