Clay Curtis

One thing I would like to start working on this year is doing a better job of saving money. It seems that when I get a check, it’s gone before you know it. My bank account isn’t growing any and I am living from week to week. I was hoping to find a few ways to save money and build a cushion in case times get really hard.

One area where I spend a lot on is food. I eat out a lot and thought that if I could eat at home more often I would spend less on my food. I have also been living high on the hog recently and spending a lot on home repair. I may want to take a little break from that and save some of my money instead. What would be really nice is to make more money in the first place. That would be the best!

Scientists are calling the blown-out well the worst spill in U.S. history. The well in the Gulf of Mexico has spilled an estimated 20 to 40 million gallons of oil into the gulf. So far, all attempts to stop the oil flow have failed, including the latest attempt called the top kill method. BP is planning another way to stop the leak.

Since the well is more than 5,000 feet under the sea, new technologies need to be tried. Undersea robots are difficult to work with and this has made matters difficult. The spill has been ongoing since April when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded. I really hope they can find a way to stop the leak soon!

As I grew up during the great age of rock & roll music, I was saddened to hear that one of the greats has passed away. Ronnie James Dio died on Sunday. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer last November and was 67 years old. All the great rockers and thousands of fans will miss his voice.

Dio is known for replacing Ozzy Osborne as lead singer for the band Black Sabbath. After a long stint with the band he went out on his own and had the mega-hit “Holy Diver”. He went on to tour with his former Black Sabbath band mates as the band “Heaven and Hell”. We will all miss you Ronnie!!

The pentagon recently released details about the amount of nuclear weapons it possesses. The U.S. currently holds 5,113 nuclear warheads. We have been steadily reducing our arsenal and have been working with other countries to do the same. We are a member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and are working to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of other countries such as Iran.

President Obama believes that the announcement will help foster trust from other nations about our attempts to reduce warheads around the globe. We have scheduled additional thousands of warheads for destruction and feel that others should do the same. I think this is a good move on the part of the U.S. to build trust around the globe!

One problem with modern transportation is that many plants and animals hitch a ride to destinations unknown. The natural fauna of some areas in the U.S. is being taken over by foreign species of similar plants. The worst part is that some of these plants and animals were brought here on purpose.

Many scientists believe that we will see less biodiversity over the coming years as deforestation and competition from foreign plants eat away at the habitats needed to maintain these species. I hope that everyone will realize the importance of keeping foreign plants and animals out of our country.