India Plans to Give Poor Money, Not Programs

India is preparing a new plan which would give up to forty thousand rupees a year to poor people.

The new plan would eliminate their receiving welfare and scholarships, but instead simply give them money.

Said money would be delivered to the people's personal bank accounts.

Supporters of the program say it will save the government money, by eliminating waste.

Opponents of the plan accuse the government of trying to bribe the citizenry, before the 2014 elections.

They also point out that most of the poor do not have bank accounts, and some villages do not even have a bank.

Others point out that it just makes the people more dependent on the government, rather than helping them make better lives for themselves.

Explosion Kills 2 in Karachi

A motorcycle bomb killed two and wounded fifty, in Karachi, Pakistan, Tuesday night.

Two of the wounded are listed in serious condition.

The explosion struck a crowded area, near where a political rally was being held.

It is unclear the rally was the target of the bomb.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

7 Killed After Teaching Girls in Pakistan

Seven people were killed when gunmen attacked their bus, in Swabi, Pakistan, on Tuesday.

Five of the seven were female teachers, the other two were health workers.

Their driver was wounded in the attack.

Four gunmen, on motorcycles, swarmed the bus after it left the community center, where a primary school for girls had been taking place.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attacked happened in Peshawar, the same province in which Malala Yousufzai was attacked, in October.

Taliban forces have regularly attacked anyone trying to teach girls, especially if the teachers were women.

Fire Bomb Attack in Bethlehem

Bethlehem

According to the IDF, a fire bomb was hurled at an Israeli vehicle, Tuesday night.

The attack happened around 21:00 IST, southwest of Bethlehem.

There is no word on injuries or whether the terrorists were apprehended.

Just three days ago, an IDF patrol was attacked by a fire bomb south of Shechem.

No one was injured in that attack, and two suspects were later arrested.

Nine in Littleton Poisoned With Carbon Monoxide

Nine people in Littleton, Colorado were sent to the hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning, on Tuesday.

It happened at 9531 West Hialeah Place, near South Kipling Parkway and West Belleview Avenue.

Just after 11:00 MST, ambulances were called to the home.

Once there they realized they were dealing with carbon monoxide poisoning and rushed five adults and four children to St. Anthony's.

Investigators are trying to determine where the poisonous gas came from.

No carbon monoxide detectors were in the home, making those present very lucky that it happened during the day, not over night.

61 Killed in Ivory Coast Stampede

Sixty-one people were killed in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Tuesday, and another forty-eight were injured.

Thousands of people were leaving a New Years firework show, when a stampede occurred about 01:00 local.

Most of the dead were trampled to death, when the crowd panicked.

About half of the victims were children.

It is not clear what sparked the stampede.

Farewell 2012, Greetings 2013

It's been quite a year for us here at the site. From our beginning as a blog on January 15, 2011 to the start of our transformation to news site, at the beginning of 2012, we had one writer, a total of eighty articles, and 21,415 views.

Now, at the close of  2012, we sit on 2,184 articles and 127,563 views. Since February 19, there has not been a day without a post. During 2012, a total of sixteen people wrote for us, some of them only once, but several many times. Those are some amazing increases. We also gained our first short term sponsor. There were even a few times in which we managed to beat all of the world's leading news sources, to major stories.

Not everything we hoped for occurred in 2012. We faced unexpected struggles that needed to be overcome, and they either have been, or will yet be. The goals which we didn't accomplish, we will at some point, in the future. Hopefully 2013 will see many of them fulfilled. If not there's always 2014.

Over the next year we truly hope to see our site designed. Part of that will include a move to a different name, which has been bought and paid for, and is just waiting for the building to occur. We hope to be making money, as a site, enough to pay our writers. Towards which we will be looking for more sponsors, and longer term ones. More time and effort will be spent on recruiting, for the site. Expansions into radio and youtube are definite goals, as well.

We are very grateful to all of you who have supported and spread us throughout our first two years of adventures. Special thanks to those who wrote for us and spread word of our site. We hope you will continue to bear with us through our continued growing pains, and that you are as excited as us to see what the next year (and the many beyond that) will bring. You the readers have made this all possible. Thank you!

Review: Les Miserables (2012)

The latest musical movie masterpiece arrived last week. A brand new version of the classic French novel Les Miserables hit theaters on December 25.

This version was different from most musicals in that the performers sang on stage, instead of being rerecorded in studio, afterwards. Some have complained about it, but it brought a realism to it that now seems lacking in other musicals.

For those not familiar with the tale, it is set in 19th century France and while has several main characters it definitely focuses on Jean Valjean. He is released from prison, in 1815, but breaks his parole in order to create a new life for himself. Inspector Javert, who had released him, takes a personal vendetta against Valjean, which climaxes during the June Rebellion of 1832.

In this latest version, Hugh Jackman gives as great portrayal as Jean Valjean. Russel Crowe seemed a bit week in the rold of Javert. Anne Hathaway is already hearing Oscar talk for her brilliant playing of Fantine. But for me it was Samantha Barks who really stood out as Eponine.

The movie also starred Amanda Seyfried, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, Daniel Huttlestone, Colm Wilkinson, and Isabella Allen.

2012 Declared Most Expensive Year For Gasoline

AAA has confirmed that 2012 was the most expensive year, for gas, ever.

During 2012 the national average was $3.60 a gallon, beating out 2011 which had an average of $3.51.

Two hundred and forty-eight days of 2012 set new daily records, including one hundred and thirty-four consecutive days.

April 5 and 6 showed the highest average, with both of them at $3.94.

Hawaii had the highest average, at $4.31 a gallon, and South Carolina had the lowest with $3.35.

Deadly Explosions End 2012 in Iraq

Multiple bombs exploded throughout Iraq on Monday.

Twenty-three people were killed and eighty-seven were injured in the various explosions as well as shootings.

Attacks have only increased as tensions rise between the Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds.

No one claimed responsibility for any of the bombings.

The attacks were aimed at Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis, including government officials, police, and civilians.

Protests follow the attacks, raising fears that unrest could open the doors for Al Qaeda to make larger footholds in the country.