In the News; May 9, 2008

Gas is going to go up again. Oil prices surged past $125 per barrel. That's a 25% increase in the past two months!

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A U.N. official says the World Food Program is suspending cyclone aid to Myanmar because its government seized supplies flown into the country. The aid was meant for a multitude of hungry and homeless survivors of last week's devastating cyclone. The seizure forced the world body to suspend further help. The aid included 38 tons of high-energy biscuits and arrived in Myanmar on Friday on two flights from Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates. At least 62,000 people are dead or missing in Myanmar. Entire villages are submerged and aid groups are warning that the area is on the verge of a medical disaster.
The U.N. has grown increasingly critical of Myanmar's military rulers' refusal to let foreign aid workers into the country while the junta appeared overwhelmed and more than 1 million homeless people waited for food, medicine and shelter.
"All of the food aid and equipment that we managed to get in has been confiscated," U.N. World Food Program spokesman Risley said.
"For the time being, we have no choice but to end further efforts to bring critical needed food aid into Myanmar at this time," he said.
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Listen up teens, and their parents.
Depression, teens and marijuana are a dangerous mix that can lead to dependency, mental illness or suicidal thoughts, according to a White House report being released today.

A teen who has been depressed at some point in the past year is more than twice as likely to have used marijuana as teens who have not reported being depressed — 25 percent compared with 12 percent, said the report by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Using marijuana increases the risk of developing mental disorders by 40 percent, the report said. And teens who smoke pot at least once a month over a yearlong period are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than nonusers, it said.

The report also cited research that showed that teens who smoke marijuana when feeling depressed were more than twice as likely as their peers to abuse or become addicted to pot — 8 percent compared with 3 percent. Overall, marijuana use among teens has decreased 25 percent since 2001, down to about 2.3 million kids who used pot at least once a month, the drug control office said.

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I'm confused. Was this guy captured or not?
The U.S. military in Iraq denied widespread reports the capture of a top Iraqi insurgent leader.

The U.S. military is now certain that Abu Ayyub al-Masri -- the head of al Qaeda in Iraq -- has not been captured, a senior U.S. military official told CNN.

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Things are looking not so hot for CSI's star Gary Dourdan. He has been charged with felony possession of heroin, cocaine and ecstasy stemming from his arrest last month, prosecutors said. The 41-year-old actor was arrested after police found him asleep in his car in Palm Springs on April 28. He was allegedly parked on the wrong side of the street with the car's interior light on.

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Happy Birthday Jenny!
A gorilla recognized as the world's oldest in captivity celebrated her 55th birthday by munching down a four-layer frozen fruit cake and banana leaf wrapped treats.
Jenny's caretakers at the Dallas Zoo say she's having a few joint issues and her eyesight isn't what it used to be but she still looks good for an old ape.

AP Photo: Jenny, a Western Lowland Gorilla and the world's oldest captive gorilla.

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