Why do people like going to the zoo again?

Apparently the elephants at the Detroit zoo were sold. I did not know this. And kept wondering where the heck the elephants were. Isn't weird? How can you have a zoo without elephants?

I highly doubt people go to the zoo for the animals anymore though.

I went to get away from the school. My kids went to eat their lunch. When we first got there, one would assume that they would list off the animals they wanted to see first. Nope. All the kids wanted to eat. Other kids went to buy souvernirs. Some went to see a 3-D movie. No one was too excited about the animals. While walking around the zoo, they were excited to see water fountains that sprayed misty water and sprinklers that they could run through. There was a playground inside of the zoo, all the kids kept asking if they could go there.

We had 77 students. 15 adults. And one zoo.

There were five kids per adult.I purposefully put other students with other adults so I could keep them away from me. I intentionally put two students with me, because I wanted to keep a close eye on them.


There was a kid, in my group, who kept complaing about everything. All five of my kids complained. I understand that. Heck, I complained. It was a long day and we were tired and hot and hungry. But this kid, he takes the cake. Every. single. comment from him was a complaint. "Why do we have to go here?" "Why is it so hot?" "When are we going to eat?" "Can we eat now?" "Can we eat now?" "How about now?" And just like most of the kids from our school, it didnt seem like he came to the zoo to see animals.

I put him in my group specifically because he frequently misbehaves. Before the field trip, there were stipulations that each child had to meet. I was rooting for this kid. All of the administration team was rooting for this kid. There were days when I wanted to take the field trip away from him. But I truly did want him to go because he has never been on a field trip before. He has had so many behavior issues last year in Kindergarten and apparently he is not as bad this year as he was last. It made me sad that some of my kids have never gone on a field trip, so I tried really hard for him to go. And he did! He went to the zoo. Complained. But was still able to go. I'll take it.

There was another girl in my group who really frustrated me. She's one of my sweet and quiet students. During our time at the zoo, though, she kept focusing and fixating herself on the randomest stuff. She saw my black and white printed shoes, towards the middle of the day, and commented on them over and over and over. And then she became fixated on this strawberry red frog that she really wanted to see. I didnt know where exactly to find it, I'm assuming it was in the amphibian area but we had already gone there and I didnt want to go back. And then she commented on my purse for about five minutes. Then tried to catch every single pollen she saw and tell me about it. And lastly, out of all the animals, bugs, insects, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals there was at the zoo, she was not interested in any of them. Instead she found a teeny tiny green bug, the size of a period (.) and continuously commented on it.

One other thing, all the animals were hiding. I dont know if it was because of the excruciatingly hot temperatures or if they just couldn't be bothered with entertaining humans, but a lot of them were MIA. At one point, my group and I were searching for the gorillas in the gorilla area. One girl stood on the fence to get a better look. She began shouting, "I see them! I see them! I see the gorillas!!!.................Oh wait....umm.....those are....just....people. Never mind." Lol.

Anyways, I told the kids in my group that if they went the whole day without complaining, I would buy them cotton candy.

Because I ended up complaining too, I decided to buy them cotton candy because they were good sports throughout the day.

And just like everything else that day, they were more excited about the cotton candy then the zoo.

I like fish.

I've been on a fish kick lately. White fish. I'm not a fan of Salmon or those other meaty fish, except Tuna. But then again that was canned. I've never tried a Tuna steak or anything. This one in the photo below is called Swai. 

It's becoming popular because it's super cheap? We got ten filets for ten dollars at our local grocery store. And each filet is pretty big and is only 170 calories. I tried looking up recipes for this particular fish but I couldn't find any specific ones. It doesn't need much to give it flavor, though. My mom cooked this by sprinkling salt, pepper and parsley on the fish and then fried it in a tiny amount of butter. Yum.

Oh and I also recently started mixing my salads up with fruit: Strawberries, apples, pears, dried cranberries. Anything goes, really. It's a nice upgrade from my standard garden salad; especially because I don't use dressing. Try it??

It's all about me

These days, people are obsessed with themselves. I think we owe much of it to all those social networking sites. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc has created millions of mini self-obsessed monsters. Don't you think so? It's all about me, right? I'm guilty of it, too. Of course I'm not speaking for everyone out there, but I noticed it has become more and more the norm. At the gym? In class? Out with your Boo? Update your status or send out tweets and let the world know. Everyone's a celebrity. I do use facebook and used to have Twitter, but I'm too lazy for self-promotion. I don't know how I'd be if I wasn't such a lump slouching on the couch all day. Who knows? Maybe I'd be a self-proclaimed celebrity, too.

I'm not hating on them, promise. But I do think it's a bit silly. But more importantly: is it a good thing or a bad thing? You post a picture up, you know the kind I'm talking about. The I'm-fishing-for-compliments one. And everyone oohs and ahhs over it regardless of whether they think it's great or not. Oh, and you KNOW it's for compliments because then I hear people complaining about how no one commented on their picture. *sigh*

Compliments are great, but I like them better when they come from people I actually interact with and hang out with. Not people I don't know very well and see once every two years. People who I see everyday. My friends  or sisters who aren't afraid to tell me I look ugly when appropriate.  Maybe these compliments help lift one's self esteem but does it too much? I think there needs to be a balance between low self esteem and thinking you're the hottest thing alive.

I was a little chubby in my preteens and got teased by it. That affected me a lot. and crushed my self-esteem. I have a kid sister and I'd rather her think herself beautiful than insecure of herself. How do I do that without it getting to her head? My mother never showered us with compliments when we were younger. I recently asked her why and she said we're pretty enough and she "didn't want it to get to my head. " Wait, was that a compliment in itself?

So if you had to choose, which would you prefer and why? {A} people crying over how ugly they are or {B} people who think their God's gift to the world? I know that these are two extremes, but if you had to, which would you pick? It's a tough decision. But I think I'd rather be option B. Because at least I'd have a little confidence. But there are major pros and cons for both. I'd rather be B, but I wouldn't like myself if I met me.

Actually I wouldn't like myself if I were A either. They're just really extreme, but I thin there are more A's and B's cmoing up and not enough of a mixture of both.

Writing this post reminded me of Zoolander:

• Derek Zoolander: I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. And I plan on finding out what that is.
• Derek Zoolander: Well I guess it all started the first time I went through the second grade. I caught my reflection in a spoon while I was eating my cereal, and I remember thinking "wow, you're ridiculously good looking, maybe you could do that for a career."
  Matilda: Do what for a career?
  Derek Zoolander: Be professionally good looking.  
• Derek Zoolander: Why do you hate models, Matilda?
  Matilda: Honestly?
  Hansel: Yes.
  Matilda: I think they're vain, stupid, and incredibly self-centered.
  Hansel: I totally agree with you. But how do you feel about male models?  
• Derek Zoolander: I'm sorry that good-looking people like us made you throw up and feel bad about yourself. 
• Derek Zoolander: So join now, 'cause at the Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Can't Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too, we teach you that there's more to life than just being really, really, really good looking. Right kids?

Float or Clique, Clique or Float

Hate is a strong word.

A very strong word that evokes a lot of emotion.

That being said, I hate those two words.

Float and click.

Loathe them more than anyone could ever know.

According to me, they are defined as:

Cliquey.adj.- Belonging to a click

Clique. n. -A person or group of individuals always associated with one another; Clingy; Exclusive; People who, intentionally, leave others out of their social circle.

Floater. adj. An individual who floats; one who is not associated with a group;instead this individual floats from group to group, from person to person; frankly, an individual who has a new BFF every other day.

In my opinion, they both have negative connotations. And each person can easily labeled as being one or the other. (These are both on opposite sides of the spectrum. And I'm sure there is something in the middle.)

I don't know which is worse to be, but do know when your labeled as one, you would rather be the other. That's how I've been feeling.

More recently than so, I've been labeled as being cliquey. No one has directly said it to my face, indirectly so. I apparently dont come off as cliquey, per se, but my actions may come off as such. And I dont like to delve into such personal issues and dilemmas of my life, but this one has been bothering me for quite some time. And obviously it's still bothering me. After talking in detail with a friend about this issue, she made me realize certain things that I may do that may come off as being exclusive.It has never been, in my intention, to be exclusive or leave anyone out of a "group" or be particularly associated as constantly being with one specific individual or individuals. I dont know whether or not I should go and apologize to those that may assume that I am, and say "Hey, I'm sorry if I came off as cliquey." Or whether I should just leave it because it really is not what I was trying to come off as. Either way, talking to my friend did help put things into perspective. Nor will it ever be in my intention, to become a person who hops from being "close" and having a set of close knit friends to being close with everyone and their mama. While at the same time, not revealing much about myself. I could go on and on and try to prove to others that I am not clicky (which I constantly feel like I'm doing) or I could just leave it and stop worrying about it so much. Which is easier? I dont know. Do I really need to prove something about myself to others that I should care less about? Probably not. But I'll still do it. That's the type of person I am. I dont like being associated with a word that everyone automatically hates.



I know everyone has their own opinion and from outsider's perspective, things may look a certain way. But one's assumptions, judgements, and opinions are almost always inaccurate.

Agree?

Disagree?

Indifferent?

Nothing Compares with God's Creation

The world is so messed up, it's scary. One thing that guarantees me peace of mind is reflecting on nature. Everything in Nature is balanced. Perfect. And it all works together beautifully. The weather has been so amazing lately, I couldn't wait to share some happy pictures. Happy Monday :)

Try to spot a strand of the spiders web going across these first two.

Picture Perfect

Remember that one post I wrote? Picture (im)Perfect.

Yea, well I found someone who takes them quite perfectly, unlike myself. He has a really sweet blog where he features Muslims across nation doing really cool and different things. They're all Muslims who are proud of their Islam and who show their Islam by pursuing what they love! It's a great way to show the perfect balance of one's lifestyle and spirituality.

I know him personally and rumor has it that he's about to post up some baller status features soon! Check it out!



Seeking Nearness (dot) com

Aging, less stress and betterment

Yesterday WWJ reported a study, saying older people have less stress. The findings relayed older people realize the "end of time" is coming and the things they once worried over during their younger years, just don't matter so much anymore.

Similarly, in a Developmental Psychology class I took last semester, there are findings that older people get less involved in sticky situations.

They also sleep less, however they need the same food intake to function.

By norm, memory dulls a little. For those who have dementia, and Alzheimer's disease, which cannot be confirmed until a person passes away and an autopsy reveals certain areas of the brain that change during the course of the illness, memory dulls a lot. Parts of life wash away.

So what does this all mean?

God has given elderly people a chance to come to consensus with their whole lives.

A lot of people hit "midlife crisis" in their 40s.

Midlife crisis hasn't been confirmed to exist through psychology. Still many claim to go through it.

Muhammad (sws) had a midlife crisis

The Prophet Muhammad sws, the last Prophet in Islam went through a phase when he was 40 years old.

He was living the life with a wealthy wife and four healthy children. He needed something more. Something spiritual.

During the course of the year he'd often retreat to Mount Hira in Mecca to reflect for days at a time.

He never believed in the idols Arabia worshipped at the time. He was not a pagan. He believed in a central God.

He went to Mount Hira, this time for a month, to really figure himself out. It was his longest retreat yet.

While in the cave, he was visited by Angel Gibrael, the angel that spoke to all Prophets. Angel Gabrael ordered Muhammad to read, three times. Muhammad was illiterate. The Angel squeezed him to prove it was not just a dream.

"Read in the name of your Lord who Created You out of a blood clot (96)," Angel Gibrael said to Muhammad.

Miraculously Muhammad repeated him.

At the time Arabia was 90 percent of an oral culture. Most people didn't know how to read but those who knew poetry were adored. The Quran was beautiful like poetry but divine like only which the Holy books could be.

Gibreal professed Muhammad as a Prophet. He didn't believe it. His life changed, as the last Prophet of Islam.

So what does this all mean?

We do go through some kind of "reflective period" when we are in our 20s, and 40s. Hence, we make smarter choices afterward (or not).

The 40-year mark

In Islam, year 40 marks a couple of things:
a. We are no longer dependent on our parents, our parents are dependent on us.
b. We have fulfilled our youth lives, which we will be questioned about before much of other things on the Day of Judgment.
c. We are closer to the end, as science and psychology suggests, and need to change our lives before the chance is gone.

Tears good-bye

According to Dr. Mehmet Oz from the Dr. Oz Show, older people have fewer tears, which keeps their eyes moisturized. Less sadness?

When your older, dry away those tears and repent. God has given us ample opportunities to better ourselves.

The need for the same amount of food (energy), less sleep, same food, less stress, less involvement in sticky situations...it all adds up to something.

It adds up to a wonderful opportunity to spend time in prayer, care less about worldly materialistic things and devote time in repentance, in the name of the last days.

He has prepares us mentally, emotionally and whole-heatedly for death - if we're not afraid of it that is - and gives us to chance to say sorry to Him and to others before what Dylan Thomas would call, "going gentle into that good night."

God watches over us in mysterious ways.

Journalist

Mrs. Cullen: The Engineer

Dear Friends,

So. Summer has started for me and its so boring!!! I sit at home all day and waste time doing nothing. Sigh. I need to do so much and I just don’t..do..anything. I am SO LAZY! Someone help me. Anyway, yesterday I had quite an eventful day. In the morning my mother and grandparents left for New York. So, now its just my Dad, my brother and myself. My dad left for work and my brother left for school. So it was just me. I was gonna start my day watching stupid TV shows on my computer but my dad called me.

His car randomly started making a really loud sound. He had no idea how it happened. So, he called the dealership and complained because his car is fairly new. Anyway, I had to meet my dad up far far away so we could trade cars. Finally, I met him at a mosque that he sometimes prays his daytime prayers at. We traded cars and then I went to the dealership. They told me it would only be 1.5 hours. I sat there and sat there and watched my car…still there..no one had even looked at it yet! HOW ANNOYING. Finally, after 45 minutes they took the car. Then after another 45 minutes they called me back to the shop area because they wanted to show me something.

Anyway, it turns out that while my dad was at a patient’s house, someone tried to steal a part of his car. It’s at the bottom and its called cadillac converter. (I had no idea what that was until the guy told me about it.) They had completely sawed off the pipe it’s connected to. They literally sliced the pipe off. It was such a sharp, new cut. So yeah. The guy told me that the warranty won’t cover it but insurance ended up paying most of it and called it “vandalism.” Yay. Anyway. They didn’t have one of the parts and it wouldn’t come in till the next day so they told me I should rent a car or get picked up. I had no ride. No one could pick me up. Sigh. So, I had them drop me off to my grandparents’ house that’s just .5 miles away. There I waited for what felt like five million years (that’s another story for another day) until my dad picked me up and took me home. By then the day was gone, and I was sad and annoyed.

My dad tried to tell me not to be so upset because these things happen. And not to be annoyed because it was only a few hours. That’s so true. And he went on and on about how many times my mom has had to drive miles and miles away because of accidents that have happened. So yeah. I felt bad for being upset that my day was ruined. And I guess that’s stupid because I wouldn’t have done anything anyway.

That is all.

Yours for the sake of Peace and Sisterhood,
Mrs. Cullen

Mrs. Cullen: [Insert Text Here]

Dear Friends,

Life is so hard right now. I feel like I’m struggling with so many things and I feel like no one understands me. It’s a bad feeling. I think I have friends, but I just feel alone. Sigh. Anyway, there are a few things that make me happy and I’d like to share those with you..

-My grandma:) Shes such a cutie, promise. I love her so much. We have our differences sometimes and I annoy the heck out of her. I’m sure that I’m solely responsible for her gray hairs.

-My cat:) Though she doesn’t really like me and is in love with my parents, shes still MINE and I just get this fuzzy feeling every time we meet eyes. Sigh. And though most of the time she is using me for food, she is still my baby.

-Warmth:) Its been so cold lately. Every night, when I’m feeling low I just turn on my heated mattress and curl up in bed.

-Quran:) Listening to the Quran gives me the same feeling my cat gives me. The reciter (is that even a word?) I listen to has an AMAZING voice (thanks to God), and it just melts my heart.

-My Parents:) Even though we often get annoyed at each other, my mom has been gone for so long and is coming back tomorrow (God willing!). I’m just so excited and happy to see her. I know that happiness will last maybe only a few days and we will go back to being mother-daughter and have our disagreements, I am still just so happy! And my daddy; he always makes me happy!

-My Sister:) My sister is a cutie. She makes me happy cuz she listens to me. Even if I have the same problem over and over again. Or even I have nothing to say. And having someone who always listens, is hard to find. Shes probably the only one I can count on for that. And she makes me happy.

-Dancing:) Ok. I hate to dance. And I really don’t know how. But last year, when it was just a few girlfriends and I, we tried the whole dancing thing. I mean we went crazy—we went buck wild. Basically we looked like idiots and were being dumb. But it really felt nice. And it was fun and it truly makes me happy.

-Dressing up and attempting to look pretty:) It’s annoying, but it makes me happy and its fun. And its very nice getting a compliment or two.

-Surprises:) I don’t mean surprise parties or gifts, but anything that comes to you unexpected (and its positive). That just gives me the best feeling in the world. Whether it’s a phone call from someone or a chocolate bar or an email. It just makes me happy.

-Old pictures:) I love looking at old pictures. Most of the time its very emotional looking at loved ones that have passed or old friends you don’t know anymore, but the memories come back and you remember the good times, and that’s a great feeling.

Ok, that’s all. Have a great day:)

Yours for the sake of Peace and Happiness,
Mrs. Cullen

On a shooting star

I wish people weren't so quick to judge. I wish we were always protected from the whispers of Shaytan*.

I wish mistakes weren't made. I wish feelings weren't so easily affected. I wish we understood.

I wish thoughts were always good. And I wish that only good results came out of good intentions.




Sometimes it really sucks that the world isn't perfect. It sucks when people don't try but it sucks even more when they do and fail.

Sometimes, I wish I had the power to fix everything. Right now, I wish I could just make the above come true.

*Shaytan-the arabic word for Satan.

A Profile in...something

Today is Mother's Day, well at least in America- over here it was yesterday. I swear I thought it was on the 12th- anyways, i don't celebrate it and not because I think every day should be mother's day but more because its just weird to me. I actually wanted to write a post about a woman i've only met 5 months ago, when i first moved to Dubai. This is not someone I particularly like but someone I do admire. And since she's a mother, i'm doing it on Mother's Day.

I meet very few Muslims that inspire me, which is horrible to say- but i'm just disillusioned by the preaching and not much of any doing. This woman is not at all a conventional Muslim, wait let me introduce her first before philosophizing about her.

I started working in my uncle's hotel 4 months ago, it was new and exciting and I was just sooo enthralled by the whole idea. Then I met the receptionist. She was not, whats the word...nice? Yeah. She was not nice. I mean she didn't go out of her way to make me feel bad, but to my sensitive American feelings, she did- make me feel bad, that is. It started with the touching- actually more like grabbing. She used to grab my sides and was like "what is this?!" "Come on(she says this allot, I blame it on the bad re-runs), this is not attractive!" For those who have not seen me, I am chubby- and I have love handles, which I had made peace with a few years ago but I swear to god when this woman touched- no grabbed- me, all those issues just came flooding back. But then I came to accept that since this woman is of Russian background, bluntness is a national sport for her. So I let it go. And then found out that she was with my uncle. Yes, in that order. I actually complained to him- that this woman, this random stranger that worked for him- grabbed me. And he was like yeah, you should lose weight. This was not helpful.
I'm thinking ok move on snake charmer, this middle aged woman has got nothing on you. Turns out not so middle aged, although she looks like a soccer mom(well a soccer mom that looks like a hooker ), she's 8 months older than me. Celebrated her birthday on Valentine's day of all days. Anyways, yes this woman is very blunt and says whatever's on her mind to whomever she's around- I mean even to guests, in the hotel industry the guest is always right. Not so for her. If a guest pisses her off by asking her to send housekeeping to their rooms she will blast a cap up their respective @##$#. Now one would think, isn't this a conflict of interest? To have your girlfriend work on your staff? I would think so, since he never said anything to her when she lost us clients- or harassed the other staff members (and i'm not just referring to me here). Anyways I let it go. This is not my company, he is entitled to run his businesses how he wants. Its none of my business.
Until it is my business. And that means family. She started hanging out with the family, which I was ok with, my 14 yr old cousin, not so much. Of course any teenager would feel anger towards the young and pretty mistress, she keeps comparing herself to Cinderella- a bit dramatic, but there it is. One day, I was dirty dancing with my cousin, because I like doing that, when the Receptionist walked into the room, the door wasn't locked but this was tantamount to breaking and entering in our minds. But we were polite and civil and pretty soon we started talking and her life story came out- it was more like a really bad soap opera really. She was married off at 15 in her country to an abusive(thats putting it mildly) man, who scarred and battered her to pieces. She got pregnant at 16 and has a 5 yr old girl now.
One day while she was making dinner for her husband he came into the kitchen and she went ape-$^&* on his @## and stabbed him in his gluteus maximus 7 or 8 times. He was hospitalized for 3 months. I guess this is what happens when a woman is pushed and pushed into a corner. Although that story was horrifying, it was also humanizing because this woman we saw as the enemy now is just some sad woman who lived a horrible life. After her divorce from said wife-beater, she was brought here by a woman who should be likened to the DC Madam, if any of you remember that scandal. Yes, she was brought here as a prostitute. And she did it and made money and sent it back home to her daughter and her brothers, of which she has 8 btw.
Prostitution in Dubai is very common, much more common than I would say in Detroit. But over here prostitutes don't work the red light districts, they work the clubs and the restaurants- the ones that sell alcohol. These women are expensive and are not called prostitutes but "Business Ladies", no I did not just make that up. These women spend thousands of dollars at the salons and spas- actually most salons and spas WANT "Business Ladies" because they don't care how much something costs, they just want it all done. But what was I talking about? Right, the Receptionist. She was working at a restaurant as a hostess when my uncle met her or something and he offered her a job at his hotel if she would leave prostitution behind, which she did and started working for him. Anyways he had rules of what she could wear and where she could go and stuff like that. I always used to laugh when she used to tell me about these rules- especially since I kept breaking most of them.
She grew tired of living under his thumb so she decided to go into business for herself. She had land in her home country which she sold and used to open up a salon here. Now people can't open businesses or own homes here, they have to have a sponsor (well the homes part is lifting in some Emirates, but not in Dubai). A sponsor is an Emarati who takes a cut of the shares. Anyways she found one woman, and they opened up this salon and now she started working there and is super happy and wears what she wants and goes where she wants- and my uncle gave her a chauffeur. Apparently his biggest problem was that when she was working here at the hotel, she was representing him and not just herself. One would think that with that logic, he would have enforced better behavior- but one cannot win a logic debate with my uncle, so one would do better not to ever bring up said topic. Wow I feel like I have carpal tunnel now.
Anyways, This woman who just turned 21, who lived an incredibly hard life who had nothing that belonged to her, goes out and does something for herself- everyone else be damned. I've been to her salon, and though it could use some work- it's pretty awesome, and I can't help but feel a little bit jealous that this woman decided that enough was enough and she was finally going to do something that was hers. She wasn't going to live off anyone anymore. Honestly, apart from my mother and grandmother, the ex-Receptionist is one of the strongest women I know. She's only been in Dubai for 2 years, she didn't even have a visa when my uncle met her (he has since rectified that)- and has done very well for herself.

I guess i'm writing mostly for cathartic reasons but also because there really are so many different kinds of Muslims out there. I started out by saying she wasn't conventional, she's not. But religious, she is. In her country Muslim's drink vodka like water- and its completely normal, they date- they do drugs (which is a little frowned upon- but not by much). They pray, they read Quran, They call on Allah in times of need and in times of happiness.
This really puts the whole phrase "good Muslim" into question in my mind, it really is all subjective isn't it?

Graduation

I walked today for graduation.

I honestly considered not going but then decided against it.

I'm glad because I loved it.

Sometimes I just sit and reflect upon my life. What did I accomplish? What memories do I cherish most from these past years? Did I really grow as a person?

The reality is that as life moves on we're constantly changing and growing, learning from the culmination of these experiences.

So what did I learn these past four years of my undergrad?? Academically... not much. It's sad but hey that's just the harsh truth. I learned and gained the most from the people I met and interacted with.

One of the biggest lessons I learned in college was this... Every person has something amazing in them. Look for that amazing quality and stop focusing on the negative. Sure, people do crappy things. They may even say things that are plain unintellectual. Or they may do something that is out of line. But at the end of the day we are all human. We make mistakes, we learn from them, and we move on.

So that's one of my new goals... find what's amazing in every person I meet. It kind of reminds me of Pollyanna :)

News Buzz

1 Detroit officer dead, 4 others wounded

One officer was killed, four were wounded in Detroit early this morning, following a phone call from a worried neighbor who said she heard gunshots near her home.

Officer Brian Huff, 44, was shot and killed while on duty. Two of the four wounded officers have been released.

Suspect Jason Gibson, 25, has been charged several times, including for attempting to disarm an officer in 2007.

Everett, who uses alias names, was arrested last November for carrying a concealed weapon and released on a $200,000 bond.

Police Chief Warren Evans says the suspect, who has not been charged, should already have been behind bars.

Commander Steve Dolunt, Deputy Commander of the Eastern District, told Fox 2 News the shooting was unexpected.

"From what I understand this is the first time in history the police department has had five police officers shot at the same time."

Dolunt said Huff was apart of the back-up unit. The veteran officer was "just making sure the rookies were okay," he said.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/1-detroit-police-officer-killed-4-wounded-in-shooting-20100503

http://freep.com/article/20100503/NEWS01/100503030/1318/Fallen-Detroit-policeman-loved-by-all-chief-says

Oil Spills, 10-day fishing ban in Gulf of Mexico

BP has taken responsibility for the massive oil spill which led to a 10-day fishing ban on states bordering the Gulf of Mexico, from Louisianna to Florida.

The federal government is putting heat on the company to clean up the mess. There are nearly 210,000 gallons of crude oil pumping into the gulf, per day.

BP said they will try closing up the well causing the oil spurge, in 6-8 days.

Environmentalists are testing the water supplies to determine any health hazards.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/03/gulf.oil.spill.main/index.html?hpt=T2

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/02/fishing-closed-oil-spill_n_560217.html

Continental and United Airlines come together, Biggest merge in the world

United Airlines will be linking with Continental Airlines in a $3.2 billion deal, sealing their spot as the biggest airlines in the world, said

The new company will provide service to 144 million passengers per year to 370 destinations, reported CNN.com.

CNN reports the merge is larger than Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines merge in 2008.

Shares will be split 55 percent United Airlines- 45 percent to United Airlines, reported The New York Times.

Employee layoffs are expected.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/03/news/companies/United_Continental_merge/index.htm?hpt=T3

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/04air.html?ref=business

(Journalist)