I was reading an article on the LATimes website that a recent study of bottled water has shown that in many cases the bottled water is no safer than regular tap water. The article did not say what brands of water was tested (and I sure wish it HAD said that) but it indicated that in the ten brands tested there were contaminants such as bacteria and 38 chemicals. The chemicals include caffeine, acetaminophen, fertilizer, solvents, plastic ingredients and strontium (which are radioactive.)

That freaks me out! Bottled water with strontium in it? I’m not sure I’ll ever buy bottled water again! I think I’m better off buying soda if I’m “out and about” and thirsty and without my own refreshment!

I was reading on the Forbes.com news website that the “hottest” job trends are in the “green” market.  The article indicates that Washington DC, Boston MA, Houston TX, San Fransisco, San Diego and Las Angelas are all going to be huge markets for “green” industries.

I sure hope that’s true.  We could use some job growth around here!  Lately it seems to have been all “doom and gloom” news about the economy and people losing jobs.  We sure need more jobs, and better jobs right here in the area!

I was reading an article on the Yahoo News website about a poor woman who was assaulted by her boyfriend, ran away and got into her car and drove across the apartment complex to her grandmother’s apartment, parked the car and fled inside to dial 911 to report the assault to the police.  When she left the apartment she found that her car was being towed away because she had left it with her hazard lights flashing in a “no parking” area.

The tow truck driver is paid a commission to patrol the lot at night and tow away illegally parked cars.  He refused to release the car without being paid his “drop fee” even after the police asked him to release the car for free.  “They” say he is within his rights to demand the drop fee, but I think that under the circumstances he could have seen his way clear to show a little bit of humanity and let the lady have her car back for free.  I am continuously seeing (and reading about) how selfish people are, and I have to say that it really is distressing to see how low the human race is slipping.

I read on the news today from Amnesty International’s website that Iran has announced that it will stop executing children.  That kind of surprised me because I did not realize that Iran executed children the first place!  The article continues to explain that this may not apply to children who are convicted of murder, but that in most cases where a child has already been sentenced to execution their sentences will be commuted to life in prison instead.

I don’t know what other crimes a child would have/could have committed to get a death sentence other than murder!  I have to say that the customs of other countries when it comes to legal issues sometimes really amaze me!

I’ve been hearing on CNN that there has been some controversy in Michigan about a high ranked Republican official who was mis-quoted as saying that he was going to try to prevent people who lost their homes to foreclosure from voting. That has caused quite an uproar, as you can imagine! When I heard the news at first I missed part of the story, so I wasn’t sure where this was happening. But today I heard more of the story and apparently it was in Michigan. After all of the brouhaha had settled down, the gist of the story is that if someone has lost their home to foreclosure and no longer lives in the same precinct as he did when he registered, then he can’t vote. But that really has nothing to do with foreclosure, it has to do with voting in the precinct in which you actually live!

So this is one story that may have been blown out of proportion (imagine that!)