Bellringer 5/9

I think it's a good idea to have a movie in a town like this. It's best that they do it somewhere where they don't think it's going to happen, instead of a bigger city like we see in movies...

Bellringer 5/8

I don't think that she should be taking it this far for them denying her freedom of speech. She just wants attention and the whole thing is just stupid.

Bellringer 5/6

I don't care that cemeteries refused to bury the bomb suspect. If people won't let it happen then it shouldn't happen and I'm sure that there is a reason for that. They need to take him back where he came from and bury him.

5/2/13 Assignment

Three boys were charged with obstruction of justice because of the items they have that were Tsaanaev. They were withholding evidence that could have made a stronger case.

I think the boys are being charged with the right crime because they were hiding laptops and things from a bombing.

They should have done the right thing and thought about what they were doing a little more and maybe this wouldn't be happening. They were close friends with the suspect.

Yes, inaction is a crime as long as there is an ability and opportunity to act towards the situation.
I would have turned the boy in before I even thought about it. I would've been really scared. It would be the right thing to do.

4/29 Assignment

On September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the ailines into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York. It killed everyone on board, along with many others in the building. Both of the towers collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and and damaging others. Another plane crashed into the Pentagon, and the fourth one crashed into a nearby field. There were no survivors from any of the flights.

First iPod was released in December 2001. Everyone was shocked by the product and it was very popular. Everyone wanted one. It was 1,000 songs in your pocket.

Harry Potter was released in November 2001. It was becoming a widely known film and book.

Sandy Hook was a massive school shooting. A guy got into an elementary school and shot and killed 26 students and six adults. It was said to be the deadliest mass shooting. This is what has lead us to what everyone is saying about gun control today. It was a day everyone will remember.

VA Tech shooting was a horrible day when gun shots were being fired. They heard gun shots and the students were just waking up. The shooter killed two people and shot 30 more after going into a building.

Super Storm Sandy happened during the 2012 season and it was rated a 3 hurricane. It killed many and left others without power all over the US. It was the biggest and most dangerous hurricane anyone has ever seen. It happened on the East coast.

Boston bombing just happened in Boston. It was during one of the biggest marathons around the world. There were pressure cookers set to go off and two of them did just about 4 hours after the marathon began. It killed 3 and injured many others.

After hurricane katrina, new orleans is still in effect. It killed over 1800 people and left many others without a home. It was one of the biggest hurricanes in the US and it caused more than 81 million dollars in damage.

Bellringer 4/29

I can't believe that they're just now letting blacks and whites go to the same prom. It's unbelievable that they were making invitations for two different proms because they weren't allowed going to the same one. I really don't see the big deal. I'm glad the students took matters into their own hands.

Bellringer 4/25

I don't think wearing a strapless dress is a big deal, unless a girl is showing more cleavage than she should be. It's kind of crazy that the parents were the ones complaining and the students weren't. I understand that they would be mad if they had already bought the dress, but it says that kids weren't allowed to wear strapless dresses before. I'd just say they didn't care about the rules and thought that they'd get by with their kid wearing a strapless dress to the dinner. A lot of girls like wearing strapless dresses becaauses they are a lot prettier than one with straps, but it's also not hard for them to wear something to cover up their shoulders.

Bellringer 4/18

I can't believe that USA Today would have a picture of the pressure cooker bomb on their website, and not only a picture of it... but I think it's way out of hand to actually show how to make them bomb. It's not acceptable.

Anyone can find out anything about anyone just by using and asking for the simplest things about you. No matter where you are or what you're doing, and now what you're buying. They know your name and where you live, and where you're from, but a zip code allows them to narrow it down. From what people see that you're buying, they know more and more about you. They find out things this way.

I think it's a good idea that background checks should be required before purchasing a gun, regarding how old and the history of the gun. If you bought a gun off someone that commited a murder with it, and you know have the gun, it's going to be on you.

Assignment 4/17

On Monday, April 15, two bombs went off at one of the biggest marathons in the world in Boston. 3 were killed and over 140 were injured. There isn't one to blame, but they believe that it was a terrorist attack. The Patriot Act is actively being used to target American citizens. Section 802 is aimed specifically at U.S. citizens and announces crimes as "domestic terrorism". Citizens can be held without trial as "Enemy Combatants". Non citizens will get into the same type of consequences, and sent to jail.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/16/us/boston-marathon-explosions/index.html

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/04/17/fbi-boston-police-say-range-suspects-motives-remains-wide-open/

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/04/17/cnn-boston-marathon-bombings-suspect-identified-in-surveillance-video/

http://abcnews.go.com/International/boston-bombing-created-impossible-loss-family-china/story?id=18987094

Between all the different news sites, they explain everything pretty much the same. It really depends on where the news is located, for instance, local, international, etc. It's always a great thing that we have the news, because that's how we figure out everything so quickly. Depending on how close you live to Boston, how fast you know to what's going on.

Bellringer 4/16

This explosion was out of hand. I can't believe that it happened. I do believe that it was set up with the same incident from Sandy Hook.

Bellringer 4/15

I think that people should be allowed to carry guns. If you have a permit, you shold be allowed to carry one around with you. They should always do background checks, and figure out what that person has done in the past. I think they should take them seriously, and know everything about that person. But if you're eligible to carry a gun, then you should. You'd feel safe.

Assignment 4/10

jerk in the box: this cartoon is about north korea and he's popping up out of the box with a missile. they've been planning to blow us up, but i don't think it's going to happen.
B


passenger weight: this is about the airline charging people to fly by their weight. while they're on vacation, they eat a whole bunch of food laying on the beach. he asks if they budget their money.
A

kim jong un corner: he's sitting in the chair and their is a bomb sitting in the middle of the city. it has already blown up the buildings and they're scattered everywhere. he's facing away from the city and his sign says doesn't play well with others.
B

pope franziskus: he's the new pope and took the name francis.
C

cat laying on the couch: this picture represents lazy people! ;)
D

4/8 Texting and Driving

1. Texting and driving is as dangerous as driving intoxicated. Some don't think it's a problem. 77% of 2. young adults are very or somewhat confident that they can safely text while driving. 55% of young 3. adult drivers claim it's easy to text while they drive. Now it is a probem. Texting while driving
4. causes 1,600,000 accidents per year and 330,000 injuries. Texting while driving has become one of 5. the country's top killers. It's the same as having four beers before you drive, and being blind for
6. five seconds at a time. Drivers assume that they can text while driving and remain safe, but the
7. numbers don't lie. Laws can take care of the problem, but not everyone follows them. 10 states plus 8. plus D.C. prohibit all drivers from using handheld cell phones. 32 states and D.C. prohibit novice 9. drivers from cell phone use. 39 states plus D.C. prohibit all drivers from text messaging. 13% of 10. drivers age 18-20 involved in car wrecks admitted to texting or talkig on their phone at the same 11. time of the crash. There are only 5 states that have no ban on textin. 6 states have partial and the
12. rest is for all drivers in those states. In my opinion, I don't think anyone should be texting and
13. driving. It's not as important as your life, or someone else's. Any text message can wait. Texting 14. is just as bad as talking on your cell phone. It causes distractions too. I've seen people run mutiple 15. red lights and stop signs from talking on their phone. If you don't think that you can't get caught 16. texting and driving, you can, even if you crash your car and try to say you weren't texting. You 17. can tell what time you sent the last text message and when the crash happened. It wouldn't be a 18. problem if people weren't so addicted to texting and using their phones. Some people think that 19. their phone is their life and everything is on it. We use to never even have cell phones, and it's
20. only going to get worse.

Bellringer 4/8

Texting while driving is very dangerous. Not only for yourself, but for everyone around you. Adults are texting and driving more than what teenagers do and I think that it should be took more seriously than what it is now.

Bellringer 2/28

I believe if you've commited murder than you deserve to be in jail. I don't think that it's fair that she's having a retrial. She should still be in jail. She shouldn't be in the italian criminal justice system. She should be released into the american court system.

Bellringer 3/27

I don't care who says it should be man and woman, you should be able to marry whoever you want.

Bellringer 3/13

The US Constitution is very important. It was signed by the founding father in 1787. It gives us freedom and out rights. It is very important and we should be thankful for it.

Assignment 3/11

Being on a jury during a court cases is part of being a US Citizen. You are sworn in and have to deicide the veridct. We have tthe federal court and state court. A federal court is bigger than what a state court is. The federal court deals with bigger issues than the state. The federal court deals more with civil issues and the state keeps it small such as a  traffic citation.

A juror is to listen to cases, and read a lot of evidence. They have to come together to reach the verdict. If they don't reach it, they are a hung jury. The jury then goes back to the court and the Judge will speak for them. It isn't an easy job and they have to pay close attention to everything.


I wouldn't want to be a juror, just because I can't make decisions that rely on what other people do. I guess I could if I had all the evidence and everything was explained well. I couldn't be on a jury that had to decide something about gay rights, privacy, gun rights, murders, rape... just because I'd get to mad and probably throw a fit right there in the middle of it all. I couldn't handle it. I'd have my own opinion and I couldn't agree with anyone else or listen to what anyone has to say.

Bellringer 3/11

I don't think that it's fair that you can take a knife on an airplane, but you can't take toothpaste or shampoo or anything like that. I don't think that shampoo can stab anyone, kill anyone, or put them in any harm... unless they have a huge allergic reaction or something. Like that ever happens. I can't believe that they let this pass. Why would someone need a knife on an airplane?

Assignment 3/7

flilibuster- a tactic for delaying or obstructing legislation by making long speeches
cloture- procedure for ending a debate and taking a vote


The word filibuster comes from the term filibusteros, which is a term used to describe pirates that plundered in the seventeenth century. Filibuster became synonymous in the US with rebels and it was a prefect term to descirbe a technique used by rebellious senators looking for ways to hold up legislation. Filibusters also give a tremendous amount of power to individual Senators. Senators have used the filibuster, or the threat to filibuster in order to maximize their leverage with the President or other Senators. Filibuster has become much more common in the recent years. Roughly two-theirds of all filibusters in the Senat'e history have taken place in the last thirty years. They were used to stop civil rights legislation from passing in the 50s and 60s. Filibusters have been employed to stall bills of all types. A filibuster can be stopped when the Senate invokes cloture. There are many steps to invoke cloture.


Did you know that Rand Paul had the 9th longest filibuster?
Did you know that the longest filibuster was 24 hours and 18 minuts long?
Did you know that Storm Thurmond held the longest filibuster record?
Did you know that the Senate Democrats failed to get enough votes to stop a filibuster?
Did you know that the cloture is can overcome a filibuster?

Bellringer 3/7

Rand Paul spent 13 hours on the Senate floor yesterday. He was talking against John Brennan of the CIA. He spent so long talking to get his point across. Nobody knew about what John Brennan was saying until Rand Paul spent that long trying to get his point across. He found what Brennan answered to a question very disturbing.

Rand Paul knew that storm was coming, so he hashtagged on twitter #filiblizzard... according to the filibuster. He just wants to know if the government believes that there should be an attack against American citizens on US soil.

Bellringer 3/5

If the South Korea begins working with the US to stop the North Korea's nuclear tests, then North Korea is going to end their treaty with South Korea. North Korea is becoming an enemy to the US. None of this is good news.

Bellringer 3/4

I think they need to figure out a new solution for taxes. I think it's only fair for the rich to pay more than the average middle class American. It's ridiculous that when we make money, almost half of it goes out for taxes. They need to figure something else out.
Obama needs another plan. We're so far in debt and they need to cut things that don't really matter and that just take money away. Hopefully something will happen soon.

Bellringer 3/1

I'm pretty sure that Dennis Rodman did that for attention. He sat down by two men and told them that they were going to be life long friends. Usually people don't do that. They'll at least have a conversation.

Bellringer 2/28

I don't think the kids should've been suspended that long for doing a dance that's nationwide. The Harlem Shake... I think it's pretty ridiculous. They said it looked sugggestive. It doesn't make much since to me and it really isn't even a dance.

1 in 3 teens are sexting. I don't see what they don't understand about sending a picture in a bathing suit or nude. Those pictures are out there somewhere, and it doesn't matter if you're in a relationship or not. Usually that won't last and then the person won't be loyal enough to delete that picture when it's over. It could be sent everywhere.

I think that guns are a good way of connecting with each other in WV. It's about like Mountaineer football. Everyone loves it and everyone goes to see them play. People connect with eachother by going to the shooting range and target practice. People do those types of things together.

The total number of deaths in teen drivers are on the rise. It has rose 19% since the first of last year. There were 240 highway fatilities and 16 and 17 year old drivers. 25 states death rates have increased and 17 had drops.

People Who Made a Difference 2/26

Martin Luther King Jr. He made his speech in 1963. He was a civil rights activist. He was buried on April 1968 from being shot.

Harvey Milk. Gay rights activist. Worked in a convienant store. He was in the navy.

Dorothy Hodgekins. Working deep in chemistry and biology. Working with crystallography, which is like taking an X-ray. She used this to find the structure to find penicillin. She physically saw it and structured it.

Gandhi. Born in British India. Born at 14. Moved to London to study Law. Famous for civil rights of Indians. Arranged a 240 mile march to protest the Salt Act.

Winston Churchill. Best known politicians in British History. Well known for his leadership. Refused to surrender in Germany.

Harriet Tubman. She was born in Maryland. She suffered violent as a kid. Her father was freed from slavery when he was 45. She escaped slavery and went to Philadelphia. Worked as a cook and nurse.

Florence Nightingale. Born in Italy in 1820. Youngest child of two. Ministered to the poor and ill in her neighborhood. At 16 she wanted to be a nurse. Known for Red Cross. Queen Elizabeth gave her 250,000 and founded a hospital and created a school for nurses.

Jane Goodall. Born in London on 1934. Went to study chimps. She's still alive and never had a pet till 47 and then got a cat. Awarded over 47 different awards. Went to Oxford University.

Bill Gates. Computer programmer at the age of 13 and made a tic tac toe game. He dropped out of school and then went on to follow his dreams. He made Microsoft and Windows. Most computer companies use Windows. He makes around 250 a second and could spend 7 million dollars a day until he's 90 and couldn't run out of money.

Bellringer 2/26

I don't think that I've ever sleep-texted. I've fell asleep talking to someone and woke back up to reply and then deleted the conversation. After that I have a hard time remembering what I sent to them. I've never accidently sent to the wrong person, because I don't text anymore than two or three people a day.
The person isn't "fully awake" and they get into their phone and they begin doing things with it without realizing it. They say your brain is on autopilot.

Bellringer 2/25

The pro-gun bill was passed with a 97-0 vote on Friday. Some say that they don't want something like Hurricane Katrina to happen again. They don't want it happening in West Virginia. It would prohibit the use of firearms during state of emergency. Guns were taken away from people, but a lot of them were found in abonded in homes or stolen.

Bellringer 2/22

1) They're wanting less ethanol because they're having troubles in the oil and food industry. It's raising the prices that they have to pay for feed and raw materials. So use less ethanol.

2) I don't think WV is a depressing state. Nowadays, people just don't know what to do with themselves because it is today's society. They don't realize what's naturally around them. Don't live here if you don't know what to expect. I think WV is a safe place for anyone. Nothing bad happens around here, and people still freak out. People take advantage of our state because not much is around and they don't do anything for themselves. Get out and quit sitting around to make yourself come depressed. Enjoy the beauty is has to offer. People like to sit around anymore and have others work for them and they live on welfare, when one day they're just going to die sad and alone. But they didn't get up and get a job, or go see a doctor. Its they're own fault. I understand that you can't control depression when it triggers, but you can still go see someone about it. Even if that means you have to get off your lazy bum and drive! It's ridiculous to me.

Bellringer 2/20

In Mississippi after the voting rights were passed, the KKK still attacked. There were three young civil rights workers murdered in 1964 and it still haunts the town today. I think that it would be the most dangerous time.

Bellringer 2/21

I think that it's pretty ridiculous that a man put up posters for his child to NOT be delivered by any African American doctor or nurse. The hospital even let it slide and I don't think it's right. I wouldn't care who was delivering my baby, as long as it was healthy and everything went well.

Bellringer 2/19

I don't think that you should have to go to war. I know that you have to enlist when you're at the age of 18 if you're a man. I don't think it's fair that you have to, and it should be your choice.

Bellringer 2/14

They're all worried about the birth rate drop in the U.S. Many women aren't having babies and it's been the lowest since 1920. I don't think the birth rate drop is a big deal, because no matter what people are going to keep having kids!

Bellringer 2/13

Obama used several words in his speech last night at the State of the Union. There was 150 words that he used the most in his address. The words "energy" "job" and "tax" were focused upon the most.

Bellringer 2/12

US and China assailed North Korea on Tuesday for conducting a nuclear test. North Korea said the test was merely a threat. Obama thought the nuclear test was unecessary.

Bellringer 2/11

Obama is talking about gun control, climate change, and jobs for the middle class. We as a nation need to reduce the debt by 16 trillion.

Bellringer 2/7

West Virginians do take gun control seriously. In my opinion, I think we have a lot of guns because we collect them, use them to hunt, and some people just like to buy them and spend money! We all threw a big fit about them taking away guns, because some of us like to think that Obama is going to show up on our front door step and take our guns right out of our cabinet!

Bellringer 2/6

I'm glad that we get to use computers in our classrooms, and I'm thankful for that in our school. Having them in our school is very useful, but I think that information in a textbooks gives you more information. Having them for power points, and research is a very good thing, but in some classes I'd rather have a textbook.

Bellringer 1/31

Democrats and Republicans actually seem to have one thing in common. Guns. Gun control. Guns kill people? Not by theirselves. I thought people killed people? Maybe I'm wrong..... Guns are so fed up their with immigration and taxes now, and everyone is making such a big deal about nothing. I don't undrestand why they're turning everything around after a shooting happening that killed kids...

Bellringer 1/30

I think it's useless for someone to spend their years in college and waste their money if they aren't going to use their degree by getting a job that has to deal with it. It's taking a way jobs that people really need that don't get the chance to go to college.

Bellringer 1/29

For the past two years, they haven't let any gays be a leader of a boy scout group. They wouldn't even let someone who is gay to join boy scouts. I don't think that it's fair to those kids or the leaders, because they haven't said anything about any women being gay in girl scouts or their leader. And how can they prove that they really are gay? It SHOULDN'T matter! WE should all be treated equally.

Bellringer 1/16

Washington D.C. uses "Taxation of Representation" lisence plates as Obama travels to the unauguration on Monday. Millions watched his presidential car ride in the limo. Presidential vehicles will began using them.

Bellringer 1/15

44 states now have laws limiting or preventing local gun control laws. All these states stand differently on guns and violence. Especially after all the shootings and mass killings. The impact on each state varies.

Bellringer 1/14

After the shooting in Connecticut, guns seem to be an issue now. Now matter how strict the gun law, people are still going to have guns. The president isn't going to show up on your door step and remove them from your house. The NRA says that Congress would like prevent a new assault weapons ban.

Bellringer 1/28

I think that Hilary Clinton would be good as our President. They've never gave a woman the chance. I wish they would just to see how different the world would be. She seems to know a lot and has a lot of knowledge about running. Men think that they can control the world, but if it wasn't for a woman, also, they wouldn't be here. She's sat back to see how all these other President's have ran the US, and she's just waiting for her turn.

Assignment 1/22/13

President Obama gave his second inauguration to the public on Sunday, the 21st, but it wasn't aired until the 22nd. He recited everything that took place over the past four years and what's going to happen in the next four, we hope. He talked about gun control, and gay rights. It was the first time a President championed gay marriage in inaugural address. Gun control was mostly his main point. Beyonce sang the National Anthem at the ball for everyone who attended. Over a million people attended the inauguration in 2008 but only 800,000 previously. Republicans weren't pleased with Obama's speech and said that he didn't outreach to everyone enough. Many festivities took place througout the week, such as a ball and a parade. It was the 57th Inauguration Ceremony. It usually lasts all day and all night. He says the White House looks forward to continuing to work with both the House and the Senate to increase certainty and stability for the economy. More specifically, they targeted the defense of the programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Bellringer 1/3

It would be a terrible thing to see from an airplane. You're stuck in the air watching someone steal things from your trailer. What would you do? You can't really jump from the plane to save your stuff.

Assignment 1/2

1. Hurrricane Sandy
On October 19, Hurricane Sandy began as a tropical wave in the Carribean. It quickly developed into a tropical storm in just six hours. Tropical Storm Sandy was the 18th named storm of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. It was updated to a hurricane on October 24th when it's maximum sustained winds reached 74 mph. On that same day, it tore through Jamaica and after leaving the island, it reached a category 2. The storm hit several islands and then gained strength again turning into a category 1 right before hitting the U.S. coast. Sandy made landfall on October 29, around 8pm. Streets were flooded, trees and power lines knocked down and the city's famed boardwalk was ripped apart. Along the Jersey shore, people were left stranded in their homes and waited for rescue teams in boats to rescue them. More than 80 homes were destroyed in one fire in Queens. Several other fires were started throughout the New York metro area. By Nov. 1, Sandy had dissipated.

2. 2012 Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics began on July 27, and ended on August 12, 2012. The Olympic Games are one of the biggest and most complex events in the world, as highlighted by some of these mind-boggling facts and figures. 8.8 million tickets were availiable for the games. The summer Olympic Games revolve around many different sporting events, including archery, badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, kayak, cycling, diving, equestrian, fencing, field hockey, gymnastics, handball, judo, modern pentathlon, mountain biking, rowing, sailing, shooting, soccer, swimming, synchronized swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, track and field, triathlon, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting and wrestling. A pentathlon is a competition of five sporting events: shooting, fencing, swimming, show jumping and running. A triathlon is a competition that includes a swimming, running and biking portion.

3. Presidential Debate
November 6, 2012 was the presidential election. It was between Obama, former president, and his running mate Romney. Many say that it was a close race between the two throughout the entire election. It had it's ups and downs and I'm sure people were changing their minds every debate. Therefore, there couldn't be a winning prediction. It was a close race, even though Obama did win the election for his second time in the running. People still say today that it was a mistake, but America voted. Now we have Obama for a president for another 4 years...

4. Stratosphere Jump
Felix Baumgartner of Austria jumps out of the capsule during the final Red Bull Stratos flight on Sunday, October 14. Baumgartner ascended steadily in a capsule hanging from a helium balloon before jumping from 128,000 feet, 24 miles up, with nothing but a space suit, helmet and parachute. Baumgartner free-falls after stepping off the 24-mile high platform. He reached speeds of more than 830 mph, breaking the sound barrier. Baumgartner parachutes to Earth after his record-breaking skydive on Sunday and safely lands in southeastern New Mexico. Baumgartner celebrates after successfully completing the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos mission. People at the mission control center in Roswell, New Mexico, watch Baumgartner during his ascent on Sunday.

5. Connecticut Shooting
Dec. 14, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. On Friday, a gunman allegedly killed his mother at their home and then opened fire inside the school, killing 26 people, including 20 children, where his mother taught. At the very start of their lives, the schoolchildren are remembered for their love of horses, or for the games they couldn't get enough of, or for always saying grace at dinner. The adult victims found their life's work in sheltering little ones, teaching them, caring for them, treating them as their own. The gunfire Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School left a toll both unbearable and incalculable. These families didn't plan Christmas, they planned funerals for their children that were no older than 8 years old. Teachers were hereos this day, they weren't teachers. They cared for their students and all they wanted to do was protect them.

6. Penn State Scandal
Former Penn State defensive coordinator Gerald "Jerry" Sandusky was found guilty of sexual abuse, convicted of 45 out of 48 counts on Friday, June 22. He was accused of sexually abusing 10 boys over a 15-year period in a scandal that has rocked the university's community. Several alleged victims have testified in the trial, which began on June 11. The NCAA imposed landmark sanctions against Penn State over the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal in a cynical ploy to weaken the university and enhance its own dismal reputation, Pennsylvania's governor claims in an unprecedented federal antitrust lawsuit against college sports' governing body. Gov. Tom Corbett said the NCAA veered dramatically from its own disciplinary rules and procedures when it decreed last summer that Penn State would pay a $60 million fine, and the football team would suffer a four-year postseason ban and a dramatic reduction in the number of athletic scholarships it could offer.

7. Gay Marriage

November 6, 2012, in Maine, question 1 on the ballot in Maine legalizes gay marriage, reversing a 2009 referendum that lost narrowly. Maryland, question 6 allows voters to decide whether to approve a state law passed earlier this year legalizing same-sex marriages. Minnesota voters decide whether to change their constitution to deny same-sex couples the right to marry with Amendment 1. Washington, the Evergreen State voters decide whether to approve a law passed earlier in 2012 allowing gay marriages.

8. Carnival Ship Sinks
On January 13, the obvious leadership story in the tragic cruise ship accident that occurred off the coast of Italy on Friday is that of Francesco Schettino, the ship’s captain who has become a national embarrassment. Schettino, who now says he only left the ship because he tripped and fell into a lifeboat, was ordered back to the listing cruise liner by the Italian Coast Guard in no uncertain terms. At least 11 passengers died.  Costa Cruises is owned by Miami-based Carnival, the world’s largest cruise line operator, and not surprisingly, some passengers are now having second thoughts about their floating vacation. But passengers have some cause for concern, particularly when it comes to Costa, says Miami-based maritime lawyer Jim Walker. “In the last two years, Costa has had three significant incidents where crew members have been killed and passengers have been injured,” he says.

9. Trayvon Martin Shooting
On February 26, 2012, he shooting of Trayvon Martin happened. The person who shot him was George Zimmerman, whom was a neighborhood watch person. He called the police because Martin was walking around suspiciously and said he was going in and out between the houses. However the police said that Trayvon Martin was not involved in any criminal activity this night. After the phone call occurred, Zimmerman and Martin got into an encounter that turned out harshly. Zimmerman shot Martin in the chest at close range. When the police got there Zimmerman said that he shot Martin in self defense. He was released because the police didn't have any evidence that proved that he wasn't acting in self defense. In April Zimmerman was charged with murder in the second degree and turned himself in. He is awaiting a trial but still is pleading not guilty.

10. Whitney Houston Dies
Whitney Elizabeth Houston was an American recording artist, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, the Guinness World Records cited her as the most awarded female act of all time. But on February 11, 2012, she was found dead in a hotel room. Subsequent toxicology reports showed that she had accidentally drowned in the bathtub due to the effects of chronic cocaine use and heart disease. later ruled by the coroner to have been an "accidental drowning". Beverly Hills paramedics arrived at approximately 3:30 p.m. and found the singer unresponsive and performed CPR. Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. Local police said there were "no obvious signs of criminal intent.

11. The End Of The World
As we all know, the Mayans had everybody convinced that the world was going to end on December 21, 2012. But it is now 2013. December 21, 2012 was a Friday that was completely different from any other Friday during that year. Their were people preparing for the world to end. Some people were having ceremonies, rituals, and doomsday preppers. While others were living the day like any other. People believe that not even God knows when the world will end and some believe that he does know. But they aren't going to believe a calendar that was made years and years ago. Other people were saying that zombies were even going to attack. How ridiculous.

12. Kate Middleton
Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, had pictures released of her everywhere. Photos were taken of her, from a long distance, with a high zoom camera. Kate, not being in public, was at her own home sunbathing with Prince William when the photos were taken. Therefore, her privacy was being way too invaded. Anyone who has a camera like this a takes pictures of a women and posts them online should be put in jail. Her pictures weren't just pictures. Some of her, her breasts, her swimsuit, and rubbing lotion on her husbands back.

Bellringer 1/2

On December 31, 2012 at midnight, the house approved of a bill that would end last year's temporary payroll tax cuts. At the same time, the spending cuts agreed upon as part of the debt ceiling deal of 2011 will begin to go into effect. The Senate version passed two hours after the deadline, and the House of Representatives approved the deal 21 hours later. The governement techincally went "over the cliff" since the final details weren't established until after January 1st. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that current plan includes $330.3 in new spending during the next ten years, and it will increase the deficit by $3.9 trillion in that time period despite raising taxes on 77.1% of U.S. households. The agreement currently on the table raises tax rates to 39.6% from 35% on individual with income of more than $400,000 and on couples with incomes of more than $450,000. It also lets the 2% payroll tax cut expire and delays spending cuts for another two months. Unfortunately, the fiscal cliff isn't the only problem facing the United States right now. At some point in the first quarter, the country will again hit the "debt ceiling" - the same issue that roiled the markets in the summer of 2011 and prompted the automatic spending cuts that make up a portion of the fiscal cliff.