In the News

A San Antonio councilman has proposed making it a crime to give money to beggars. The councilman says that residents are tired of aggressive panhandlers and that prosecuting those who give to the homeless is the best solution. He goes on to say "if there is no money the panhandlers will move along".

The top terms searched for by kids on the Internet for 2009 was released. "Porn" was in the top four for kids ages 7 and under, just ahead of "Club Penguin"

Singer George Michael has said to the press recently he has cut his pot habit down from 25 to 8 joints per day. - London Guardian.

December marked the first month without a U.S. combat casualty in Iraq since the war began in 2003. The LA Times.

The 106 Death Penalties handed down in the US in 2009 were the fewest since the death penalty was reinstated by the Supreme Court in 1976. 11 states are now considering abolishing executions, largely due to the high cost of handling and often decades-long appeals by the inmates. CNN.com

New York City's Harlem neighborhood, still widely considered the cultural capital of black America, is no longer majority black. African Americans make up 40% of Harlem's population. New York Times.

76.1% of Americans get to work by driving alone. Only 10.4% carpool, and 4.9% use mass transit. The Washington Post