New York, Portland among safest cities for kids

This week I read an article on why New York and Portland are among the safest cities for kids to live in. The main points of the article are:

• Both urban areas scored high marks in a study that assessed 50 of the largest U.S. cities on 25 safety criteria such as proximity of hospitals, bike helmet laws and how quickly local fire departments respond to determine the safest for children.
• New York firefighters were the quickest to respond to emergencies, while Louisville pedestrians were among the least likely to be in a traffic accident
• Columbus, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Seattle and Tampa were also among the safest cities
• One area where there might still be room for improvement is bike helmet laws. Only 39 of the largest urban areas have bike helmet laws on the books
• But 47 out of 50 cities had some non-smoking legislation and an equal number required carbon monoxide alarms. And all the cities insisted on inspections after construction or remodeling projects.

50 of the largest cities in the United States were tested to see how they matched up on safety. Almost all of the cities were found to be very safe, and it was found that New York and Portland were among some of the safest areas for children to live. One safety area that could still use some work is bike helmet laws.

It is a comfort to me to know that these big cities are becoming more and more safe for families to live in. I am more comfortable with the thought of one day living in a large city having read this information, and knowing that it continues to improve.

BP well is dead, but Gulf challenges live on

This week I read an article about the challenges the Gulf is still facing after the BP oil well leak.
The highlights of the article are :

• BP purchased the rights to explore that area for oil in 2008
• named the well Macondo
• April 20th the explosion on the rig killed 11 men instantly and started the disaster
•  in the three months before a temporary cap as much as 172 million gallons of oil and millions of cubic feet of natural gas spewed into Gulf waters. Some 50 million gallons of oil was burned or skimmed
• people of the Gulf area are still dealing with the after affects

The oil well, Macado, was purchased by BP in 2008. April 20th started one of the biggest disasters this country has seen in a while. It took months to kill the well, and much damage has been caused.

I feel bad for all the people still dealing with this spill even after the well has been killed. They will continue to deal with it as a large amount of oil escaped the well. I think that this just goes to show what can happen when people make careless and unthought out choices.

Most U.S. gaslines not inspected with latest technology

This week I read an article about gas line inspections. The main points of the article were:

• 2/3 of America's natural gas lines are susceptible to deadly faults because they can't use the industry's best technology for testing and cleaning
• Last week in San Bruno California a gas main exploded: at least 4 killed, dozens injured, many houses destroyed.
• it was made of steel which is regarded as a safety hazard because it is too rigid and easily corrodible
• robots called "smart pigs" clean pipe interiors, send data on flaws, and even fix leaks

Basically this article was about how a large amount of America's gas lines are in unsafe conditions. The "smart pigs" are unable to enter some pipes because they are too old and "twisty."

I feel very unsettled knowing about 2/3 of gas lines in America are in sketchy condition, and the majority of these are major lines. I really hope there is not a repeat of the incident in San Bruno, California, but if things aren't figured out and taken care of, it looks like that could be a definite possibility.

Obama to take Republicans to task on economy, taxes

This week I read the article about Obama taking his case against Republicans to the American people. The key points of the articles are:

• Democrats are in danger of losing control of the House of Representatives in November elections.
• Obama plans to unveil a tax and spend package this week
• Obama wants to let taxes rise for highest wage earners while Republicans insist on keeping rates low for highest wage earners.

Obama is placing blame on the Republican party for refusing to help turn the economy around, and not supporting his new tax breaks. Democrats are in danger of losing control during the November elections, and there is much disagreement between the two parties on what to do for taxes.

First of all, I do not believe it is fair of Obama to place blame and single out a specific party in front of the American people. It is quite obvious that there is a split between the two parties. They are not accomplishing much by not working together, and refusing any agreement on ideas. The key to running this country successfully is going to be compromise. When they can come together with their ideas and opinions and form new ideas and opinions together is when things will start getting done successfully.