SNOW DAY

This morning, Gibraltar Area Schools students woke up either excited or disappointed school closed down due to the weather conditions. This is the 5th school closing or delay in a two week period. Students are getting quite flustered with all the school cancellations because because after all, finals week IS next week and there is a lot of work to be done. However an estimated 80% of kids were pumped because of the extra day that was given to them to procrastinate and hold off on their homework one more night. In other words, keep doing what you're doing Gibraltar!

Marijuana Daily

A recent study shows that 60% of 12th grade students in the United States don't think marijuana usage is harmful. This number has gone up from previous studies. 6.5% of seniors say they smoke daily a number that has tripled from 1993. And 23% of students said they had smoked in the past month. Within the past 2 decades, THC levels in weed have gone up significantly from 3.75 to 15% in today's marijuana cigarettes. What is most concerning is that 12% of 13-15 year olds are using the hallucinogenic drug. But the good news is that cigarette smoking and harder drug use including heroin and cocaine continued on a steady decline among high school students. 
http://washington.cbslocal.com/2013/12/18/study-60-percent-of-hs-seniors-dont-view-regular-marijuana-use-as-harmful/

Salem Murder Trials

LAST WEEK****

A 14-year old boy pleaded not guilty to murder and rape charges in Salem, Massachusetts. The boys name was Phillip Chism, who has already had a past with violence and depression. A teacher from his school was found dead in the forrest with her through cut open and a note that read, "I hate you all". Her name was Colleen Ritzer and she was a math teacher. He pleaded guilty to murder, aggravated rape, and armed robbery charges today. He will remain bailed without bail. He is most likely a witch and it's the Salem With Trail all over again. 

http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Mass-boy-denies-raping-killing-his-math-teacher-5033263.php

Violent Crash in Ohio

On the day of Thanksgiving, a runaway car collided with another vehicle, going at a speed around 120 mph. Not until this week, did police release more information and the actual video clip. Patrol officers had been chasing the runaway for a little while before the incident but the car was going too fast.The collision killed two people on Thanksgiving, a couple from Toledo. Andrew Gans, a 24-year old from Kent is charged with vehicular manslaughter after the violent crime on the Ohio Turnpike. He was also probably charged with a speeding ticket...Gans left the scene of the accident without a scratch on his body.
http://www.examiner.com/article/ohio-crash-violent-aftermath-on-ohio-turnpike-runaway-car-going-150-mph

PS4

Sony's PlayStation 4 went on sale last Friday and 1 million of the game consoles were sold within the first 24 hours in North America. The fastest start for a PlayStation system so far. The retail price of these play systems start at $399. The feedback from consumers is overall positive, yet there were complaints of some duds. Sony will release the PlayStation 4 in Europe and Latin America on Nov. 29 and in Japan on Feb. 22, 2014. The high price and highly publicized release of the gaming system attracted some thieves.
Yahoo News reports Two men that were arrested in California for robbing a customer of a Ps4 outside a store.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/gaming/2013/11/17/sony-sells-1-million-playstation-4s/3618217/

Cotton Ball Diet

The new breakthrough diet called the Cotton Ball Diet is as dangerous as it sounds. This diet consists of dipping cotton balls and eating them to feel full with a goal of loosing weight. This extreme form of dieting is popular in the modeling industry. It may lead to even bigger eating disorders or possible death. The cotton balls could get stuck in the stomach and intestines causing blockage and damage. Looking like superstar Victoria's Secret models is highly unattainable so stop eating cotton balls because it's not going to happen. Sorry. :)

Global Warming Breaks Records

           According to the World Meteorological Organization, concentration levels of CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere grew more than the average in the past decade. The increase is about one third since 1990. Of the gases, CO2 is the most important one tracked with 50% of the Co2 emitted by human activities remains in the atmosphere. According to the World Meteorological Organization there were 393.1ppm of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in 2012, an increase of 2.2ppm over 2011.This was above the yearly average of 2.02ppm. These concentration levels are no good news and they will continue to increase for years to come. 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24833148