Franki Benavidez

National Summary:
According to newly released National Journal ratings, Barack Obama is ranked as the most liberal senator of 2007. In 2006, Obama went from being the 10th most liberal senator to the front of the line, while Hilary went from being the 32nd most liberal senator to the 16th. The National Journal wrote that both senators have about the same support in taking troops out of Iraq and comprehensive immigration reform. They also voted in similarity when it came to energy, health care, education, and etc. Here: http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/01/31/obama-ranked-most-liberal-senator-in-2007/

Opinion: This ranking of Obama kind of worries me. What I'm a little interested in now is how you determine if a senator is the most liberal. I would think that Hilary would be ranked higher than Obama. I'm still trying to figure out what these both candidates' differences are towards each other when they have a majority of similarities together.

International Summary:
In Stockholm, Sweden, two Muslim women were blocked from a Goteborg swimming pool for not changing into fewer garments. Theywon more than $3,100 each in damages on Tuesday.
The Court of Appeal in Western Sweden ordered Goteborg to pay each woman 20,000 kronor and legal costs for discriminating against them. Both women were bringing their kids to a public swimming pool and the women came dressed in headscarves, sweatpants, and long sleeved t-shirts. The women were then told by the lifeguards that they are not welcome if they don't change their clothes. Here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22901170/

Opinion: I think it is ridiculous in telling someone to leave a pool because they wore "too many" clothes. Why does it matter if you wore a lot of clothes at a pool anyways? It's certainly unnecessary to wear so many clothes at a pool but it was in their religion to cover themselves completely. I think the lifeguards were just being jerks to the women just to ruin their day.

Summary: In Istanbul, Turkey, an explosion had happened in a unlicensed fireworks factory that killed 20 people and injured 117 others on Thursday. Muammer Guler, the city's governor, blamed fireworks manufactured illegally in the multi story building. A chain of explosions destroyed the top two floors of the five-story building. The building had been shut down by authorities twice before but continued its work illicitly. Here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22928526/

Opinion: The people that managed the unlicensed fireworks factory must be really dumb! Did they not think something this terrible would happen? Especially in an unlicensed factory, they're bound for something like this to happen to them. I'm not sure what else I can say about this incident. I think it's horrible what happened to the killed and injured but the ones that ran this factory illegally should've known that this was going to happen.