Pi day

I hadn't known people celebrate Pi(circle ratio) in the U.S. 　It is observed on March 14, due to Pi being equal to roughly 3.14. 　Rubbish... this is just a play on words. 　But I think it's much better Pi day than White day. 　I really hate this Japanese custom which means expecting a present in return one month after Valentine's Day.　I have no idea why Japanese men obey the conspiracy of confectionery.


First up, Congressional Earmarks. CNN News reported.; "the U.S. Senate votes on a proposal to erase earmarks for a full year. Now, what we're talking about here are projects that get added on to government spending bills. A lot of times, lawmakers set them up so that the projects, and the money that comes with them, go to their home states."

Hmm... What is the Earmarks? 　I guess a kind of expenditure or something. 　Maybe the problem is some senators had doubt about the way of using taxpayer money. 　But now in the middle of the election campaign for presidential nomination, so the Congress don't make a argument about it.　I paid attention to a below　comment.
SEN. JUDD GREGG, (R) NEW HAMPSHIRE: "I think an outright(complete) abolition of earmarks is an abolition of the authority of the Congress."
Is the problem same as Japanese Diet members?

Another topic is gold. The price of gold rapidly increased yesterday, it ended the day at just under $1,000 per ounce. It seems The US sub-prime mortgage crisis set off the frenzied(enthusiastic) gold investment. So, Investors are concerned with depressing U.S economy, then they put their money in something stable like a variable commodity.

Although I am not interested, but one of my friends has been investing in gold futures option for two years, I heard he was now over the rainbow. According to the reporter, The U.S. has almost three times the gold reserves as second ranked Germany. And the amount is more than 8,000 tonnes. Uh... let me figure out. 1oz is equal to 28g, and 1t is equal to 28,000,000oz, then multiply 28,000,000 by 8000, therefore the total is approximately $224b, right? I am not so surprised at the amount of the gold price. (but this figures could be wrong because I am not good at figures.)

Anyway, I don't like gold. How many rich people know the fact? Since boys are small enough to go down in a hole, many boys are trafficked(bought and sold illegally) because of poverty. They are digging all day long in a deep hole to look for very very few gold dust. The bottom of the hole have very thin air, so they have difficulty breathing, and only a small piece of bread they afford to eat a day. I think investors earning huge money in the gold futures market must make a big effort to reform this horrible situation drastically. Besides, not only the rich, but all of us who can live on one's own have to think over what we should do and put it into action.

CNN Student News Transcript March 14, 2008