Alexandra Perron's News Blog

Riots in Athens and other cities happened overnight after an elite police corps shot dead a teen in the Greek capital, reports CNN.

The officer who shot the teen has been charged with murder with malicious intent and suspended from duty, police said.

A police statement said that incident started when six youths pelted a police car with stones. The teen was shot as he tried to throw a fuel-filled bomb at the officers.

Demonstrators barricaded streets and threw petrol bombs. Storefronts were smashed and businesses were burned. More violence is feared.

The Greek government has condemned the shooting and is calling for a calm in the rioting.

Posted by perr0338 at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A woman walking through the woods near Cape Cod, Mass. discovered a piano in good working condition, set up as if someone was about to play, CNN reports.

Police are trying to figure out how and why this piano was in the middle of the woods.

Sgt. Adam Hutton of the Harwich Police Department said information has been broadcast to all other departments in the Cape Cod area in hopes of drumming up a clue, however minor it may be.

The piano was at the end of a dirt road near a walking path in the middle of conservation land near the Cape.

It took a few police to move the piano into a vehicle to storage, so it is thought that more than one person was involved in placing the piano in the woods.

Posted by perr0338 at 9:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Over a million fake copies of the New York Times with the headling "Iraq War Ends" were handed out Wednesday in New York and Los Angeles, reports the BBC.

The free special edition also included a story about Americans getting free health care.

The fake paper was dated July 4, 2009 and played with the Times' motto "all the news we hope to print."

A liberal group called Yes Men has claimed responsibility for the hoax, with the help of thousands of volunteers.

"In an elaborate operation six months in the planning, 1.2 million papers were printed at six different presses and driven to pre-arranged pick-up locations," according to a statement from Yes Men.

New York Magazine's Daily Intel blog also reported on the story, saying that many media professionals worked on the story including some members of the Times staff.

"There were a few people from the Times — we can't tell you who they are," said Steve Lambert, an artist who worked on the fake paper. "They're respectable journalists."

Posted by perr0338 at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Strict new state nutrition standards for public schools in California are regulating the types of foods that can be sold to students, reports the New York Times.

The guidelines were passed in 2005 and took effect July 2007. They require that snacks sold during the school day have no more than 35 percent sugar by weight and no more than 35 percent of their calories from fat with no more than 10 percent from saturated fat.

California's regulations are not the strongest. 500 to 600 school districts nationwide have polices that limit fat, trans fat, sodium and sugars in food. The strictest rules are at elementary schools.

In California, bake sales are waning because ingredients cannot be regulated. Sales are banned during school hours, but may be held a half-hour before or after school.

In California, sports drinks are still allowed in middle schools and high schools even though they have has much sugar as sodas. Sodas, including diet sodas will be banned from all schools next year.

The focus on school nutrition has been gaining ground nationwide in recent years, amid concerns over childhood obesity and a lack of access to healthful food.

Posted by perr0338 at 9:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MPR is reporting that Xcel Energy will invest close to $1 billion in wind farms over the next three years.

Xcel will build its first North Dakota facility and a new wind farm in southwest Minnesota.

Mark Stoering, of the Xcel, says that the projects will generate enough electricity to power 110,000 homes.

Xcel is currently the nations largest wind power provider and the new project will boost output by 10 percent.

The wind farms are part of the effort to meet renewable energy requirements in Minnesota. By 2020 the state has mandated that 25 percent of Xcel's Minnesota energy must be from wind power.

Posted by perr0338 at 1:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CNN reports that gas prices have dropped 53 cents over the last two weeks, and it is predicted that prices will continue to drop, but at a slower pace.

The average price of unleaded gas in the United States on Friday was $2.78, on October 10 it was $3.31, said Trilby Lundberg, publisher of the nationwide Lundberg Survey.

According to the survey, the all-time average high was $4.11 on July 11, and prices have dropped ever since.

The drop has been attributed to crude prices and demand.

"It is those same two factors that will decide what gasoline prices do from here. I think they will probably keep falling, but more slowly," Lundberg said.

Oil prices have fall more than half from $147 a barrel in July to $64.15 a barrel on Friday.

The Lundberg Survey is based on responses from 5,000 service stations nationwide.

Posted by perr0338 at 8:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Barack Obama raised a record breaking $150 million in September giving him a wide spending advantage over John McCain, the Star Tribune and New York Times report.

The money is fueling a massive campaign operation in competitive states as well has both national and targeted video advertising.

Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, said in an email to supporters Sunday morning that the campaign added 632,000 new donors in September, for a total of 3.1 million to the campaign so far.

The average donation was $86.

Because Obama opted out of the public financing system for the fall, his numbers are possible. McCain chose to participate in the system which limits him to $84 million for September-October.

Posted by perr0338 at 9:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Michelle Obama will be visiting St. Paul on Monday, according to MPR and the Pioneer Press.

Mrs. Obama will be speaking about the "everyday challenges" facing families and the economy. She will also discuss the clear choice voters have between change and more of the same, as well as Barack Obama and Joe Biden's long records of standing up for women and families, according to the campaign.

Senator Obama was last in Minnesota in early August. Senator McCain visited Lakeville on Friday.

Recent polls are giving the edge to Senator Obama.

Mrs. Obama will also visit Rochester on Monday.

Posted by perr0338 at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As Mexico is dealing with a rise in drug-related violence, sales of bullet proof clothing at a local Mexico City boutique are on the rise, the New York Times reports.

Customers at Miguel Caballero include President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Alvaro Uribe of Columbia, along with other movie stars, officials and royals.

The store carries a very wide range of bullet proof clothing- from leather jackets to white ruffled tuxedo shirts. Prices range from a few hundred dollars to as much as $7,000.

Patrons of the private boutique must pass through a metal detector upon entering.

“What we offer is one more chance at life,� said Javier Di Carlo. “We don’t want people to say to the criminal, ‘Shoot me.’ Nobody should feel like Superman. But if the criminal does shoot, we give our customers a chance to run away.�

Studies are showing that more and more Mexicans are investing in defensive measures. A recent study conducted by the Center for Economic Studies of the Private Sector found that families and businesses in Mexico invest $18 billion into private security measures.

Mr.Caballero has since expanded his store with branches in Guatemala City, Johannesburg and London.

Posted by perr0338 at 6:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Minnesota has already passed the record set in 2004 for voter registrations and is on track to have nine out of 10 possible voters registered by November according to the Star Tribune.

According to the Secretary of State 84 percent of eligible voters are registered in Minnesota.

Secretary of State Mark Ritchie expects the number to be close to 90 percent when same-day voter registrations are figured in. "In our office, we see this as a watershed year," said Ritchie.

The national average for voter registration is 68 percent.

Ritchie says we have 3.145 million registered voters according to MPR.

Posted by perr0338 at 7:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Both MSNBC and New York Times ran an article by Patrick Healy this weekend discussing the new format for the presidential debates.

Both the Obama and McCain campaigns have agreed to an new format for the three presidential debates, the first of which takes place Firday.

The vice-presidential debates will be more structured, as the McCain campaign fought for and won this approach.

The debate between Gov. Sarah Palin and Senator Joe Biden will have shorter question-and-answer segments, which will leave less time for direct exchanges. McCain advisors said they were concerned that a loose debate could leave Ms.Palin at a disadvantage.

The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates said its members wanted a relaxed format that included time for questioning and challenging between the two vice-presidential candidates.

Debates between presidential candidates are usually the focus of the campaigns but this election year greater focus is on the vice-presidential candidates and their debate.

Posted by perr0338 at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The BBC reports the Barack Obama campaign has raised a record $66 million in August, making it his best fundraising month.

The $66 million surpasses the previous record of $55 million set in February. "Donations were lifted by half a million new donors signing up," an Obama aide said. Setting these records shows that a campaign can survive on small donors, since Obama decided not to accept public financing.

In a statement reported by the New York Times, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said, "The 500,000 new donors to the Obama campaign demonstrate just how strongly the American people are looking to kick the special interests out and change Washington." Plouffe added that more than 2.5 million people have contributed to the campaign in the last 19 months.

The BBC also reported that Senator John McCain has accepted public financing which limits his directing spending. McCain is currently only accepting donations to a compliance fund which pays for lawyers, accountants and expenses associated with maintaining compliance with election laws.

Posted by perr0338 at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)