Jordin: Sparks or Burn Out?

Jordin Sparks of American Idol is living out her dream. She is only 17 years old and last year she performed on the hit reality show, American Idol. We all fell in love with her beautiful smile and she had such a sparkle to her, every time she sang she lit up the stage. She is now on a whirlwind tour to launch her new self-titled CD. She says, “Last year at this time, I would have never thought that I’d be making an album and working with amazing people.” She loves being in the studio making music and hearing the finished product. Sparks is definitely igniting glimmer these days.

Sparks did not win on American Idol and she has not made any new appearances since last year. Since she launched her own CD, this is the first time we are hearing about her. She may be living out her dream, but she is sure to fizzle or burn out. She had a lot of self-esteem issues on the show and fluctuated with her weight. Will Jordin Sparks be around next year, the American people will just have to wait and see? Most likely, no one will even know her name this time next year.

My opinion is that Jordin Sparks will soar and shine for many years to come. She was one of my favorite singers on American Idol. She really can sing and she has a beautiful smile. You could tell just by looking at her and hearing her talk when being interviewed that she is just an all around nice person. She is so down to earth, that even if she makes it big, which she will, she will not forget her hometown or where she got her singing career from. I know Jordin will light up any stage she is on because she definitely loves to perform on stage. She could woo the crowds any time. You go girl!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21918021/

Black Friday or Good Friday

The day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday because it begins the period when many retailers, who depend on the holiday season for much of their profits, break “into the black” for the year. The trade association had projected the slowest sales in five years for the weekend that begins with what has come to be known as Black Friday. Nervous retailers have cut their prices earlier than ever this year and opened their doors earlier than ever, 4 a.m. just to lure in the shoppers. Consumers feel their wallets are tighter than last year and are controlling their spending due to the bad economy.

If the retailers make a profit than November 23, 2007 will be called a Good Friday. If the consumers come early to the store, they win and get a free gift with a discount. Retail analysts said that many electronics and computers games will be the hot items this year. They are expected to be the hottest targets for bargain hunters this year. Many customers lined up Friday morning just after midnight at Best Buy stores because the managers started handing out discount vouchers for Wii, Nintendo, Playstation and iPods. Crowds jammed the streets in front of Macy’s in New York, which forced the managers to open even earlier than planned.

I believe this shopping day was a Good Friday, because I was at the best mall in New Jersey, Garden State Mall in Paramus and it was packed. It took me around twenty minutes just to find a parking space. Any store that I was shopping in was crowded and you had to wait in a long line just to purchase anything. I know people are worried about spending a lot of money, but there were so many bargains and price cuts that I think the retailers are hoping to reverse the effects of the economic downturn.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21938918/

Delta and United Airlines: Merger or Risky Business

United Airlines and Delta have been talking about a merger of the two airlines. Both airlines are denying it, but it is all over the media. United and Delta are one of the two largest airlines in the United States. They would keep the United name and drop Delta. Delta is denying these published reports and advising the public that there is no talk about a merger in the near future. On October 12, 2006, the CEO of Delta, Gerald Grinstein that he had possible “feelers” from United about a merger. There is nothing official yet, but we will have to wait and see in the near future.

If these two large airlines merge, they might be taking a risky business. There is a sense of urgency in the most recent talks. Rushing into a merger is not good for either company. United Airlines is the second largest airline and Delta is the third, so why take this risk? There will be a lot of layoffs and relocation of employees. In this economy, we can not risk more people on unemployment.

I am sure the merger will happen. When two big companies even start talking, it usually means there is some truth to the merger. There will be many financial transactions that they would have to clear up, but after that it will be announced. The only thing I do not like about mergers is that employees do suffer, whether it be relocating to keep their job with the airline or involuntary fired. Though there is one good thing about this merger if it happens, the airfares will probably go down and more people will be able to go on vacation.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21791526

Prince Harry: Royal Break-up or Royally Dumped

Prince Harry and his long time girlfriend Chelsy Davy broke up. Did she break up with him or was she dumped? The Britain papers are stating that she broke up with him. Chelsy is from Zimbabwean, South Africa and goes to school in England. She started dating the Prince three years ago. She was tired of his playboy lifestyle and lack of commitment. Prince Harry is always seen having fun without her and she wanted a serious relationship with him. Prince Harry is only 21 years old and does not want to commit to any relationship, so even if this is a break-up, he will get over it.

Did Prince Harry really dump his long time girlfriend? Yes, most of the media is stating, that Prince Harry did the breaking up. Many people believe he was in love with Chelsy Davy and is very upset about the break-up, but he is also very young and he had no choice. Prince Charles and the royal family do not want to comment on their private lives so they will not confirm anything. Prince Harry just graduated from Britain’s elite Sandhust military academy. He is focusing on become an army officer and one day wants to serve on the front line in one of the wars, Iraq or Afghanistan. Prince Harry has so many other things on his mind that he probably needed to dump Chelsy because he has no time for her or does not pay attention to her as much as she wants him to.

My opinion is that he is a Prince and that it was a mutual break up , it is not what all the Britain tabloids are making you believe. She is lucky to have dated him and should realize that as a Royal Prince he has many obligations that he has to attend to. She should have more patience with him. After all he is only 21 years old and just graduated military school; so of course he is going to want to spread his wings and expand his knowledge. Chelsy should have just sat back and let him have his fun and she could have continued her education. When the time is right, he would have asked her to marry him. She is a fool and hopefully one day soon she will realize that she made the biggest mistake of her life by letting him get away.

Broadway: Showstopper or a No Show

Broadway was shut down Saturday, November 10, 2007. There were many showstopper plays that went on strike. “Wicked”, “Phantom of the Opera”, “Mamma Mia” and many more musicals and plays were among the most popular shows that were shut down. These amazing showstoppers were very disappointed by not performing, but they had no choice but to strike since they have been working without a contract for awhile now. There has been no agreement met in the last three months or no new negotiations set up between the union and the companies. Their goal is to get a fair contract and to pay the workers what they deserve for their great performances.

It is very disappointing that Broadway has to suffer and no shows are being performed due to a contract that should have been negotiated many months ago. It is a shame that there has to be a walkout this time of year. Most people like to visit the city in November and December for the holidays. Besides affecting the tourists, the economy will suffer too. New York will have to step up and hopefully the union and producers will be able to work this strike out rather quickly.

This strike affected me personally because I had tickets to see “The Phantom of the Opera” through St. John’s University. My father has been really looking forward to seeing this play for several years now and ever since I said that my college is offering a discounted ticket through the Parents Associations, we jumped on this opportunity and got the tickets. Now that Broadway’s lights are dim, so are mine. I am very upset and hope that they resume negotiations soon so my family and I could go see the play, but not just for me and my family, I really do hope the strike does not last long because there are a lot of people that are disappointed and want to see showstopper performances on Broadway.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21717187/

Was Katie Holmes entrance to the Marathon Fair or Unfair?

Katie Holmes was admitted to race in the New York Marathon on November 4, 2007. Was this unfair to others that were not selected? Yes, most of public feel that she only got a spot in the marathon because she is a star and this is preferential treatment. There were over 60,000 hopefuls that were denied. She was not given a spot through the lottery system, she got VIP treatment. She does not even have competitive running time. This was definitely unfair and should not have happened.

On the other hand, there were many stars before that were admitted to race in the NY marathon so why not Katie? She does bring a crowd especially since her husband is Tom Cruise. Celebrities and people with name recognition are good for any sport and it adds a little glamour and Hollywood to New York. This is good for public relations and it brought a crowd to the race. She completed the marathon in 5 hours and 29 minutes which is not too bad.

I feel if a celebrity wants to run in a marathon and goes about it the right way, then why not. She did not pull any extra strings and she did draw a crowd, so the media should just stop looking for trouble. She finished the race and she was a serious contender. Her husband and daughter were waiting on the sidelines for her and greeted her with a smile after she finished the marathon. I think it was a great thing for the city and more people showed up to watch the race because of Katie Holmes.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21713401/

NOEL: Tropical Storm or Hurricane??

Noel, tropical storm hit the Caribbean Islands pretty hard this past week. It caused mudslides and widespread flooding. There were many deaths, in Haiti, Jamaica, Bahamas and the Dominic Republic suffered the most. Noel dumped inches of water at a time and devastated all the areas with flooding anywhere it landed. There were even rough surf warnings in southern Florida. The waves were so high, they were pounded the beaches in Miami. The Dominican President, Leonel Fernandez, declared a state of emergency for the next 30 days. He asked for help and as many volunteers that could get to the Island. This storm caused an estimated 30 million in damages to the Dominican plantations.

Noel was called a tropical storm, but it was more like a hurricane. It has been one of the deadliest storms in the Caribbean’s since 2004. For the Atlantic region, Noel is the second deadliest of the 2007 season. Hurricane Felix, category 5, was the worst. Noel’s center point was about 110 miles southwest of Nassau, Bahamas and about 175 miles southeast of Miami. It had winds of 60 mph and even stronger gusts of wind then that. If this was labeled only a tropical storm, then I would not want to be in the Caribbean when a hurricane hits.

My opinion was that this was more than just a tropical storm. To devastate all of these islands and kill many people, this should have been called a hurricane. There are many volunteers needed to help these people and the islands to get back into shape. It will take along time for them to even get their plantations, which is where they make most of their money, back to a monetary state. Refugees had to be evacuated and go into schools for shelter. The storm killed at least 66 people in the Dominican Republic and 40 in Haiti and one in Jamaica. For me, I feel this storm was worse than Hurricane Felix, which killed 101 people in September.