Genetic Variation

Africans have more genetic variation than anyone else on Earth. This is from a new study that helps lower the location where humans first evolved. It was probably near the South Africa Namibia border. The largest study of African genetics were undertaken. They also found that nearly three fourths of African-Americans can trace their ancestry to West Africa. The new study was published Thursday in the online edition of the journal Science. Given the fact that modern humans arose in Africa, they have had time to accumulate dramatic changes in their genes. That's what Sarah Tishkoff said. She is a geneticist at the University of Pennsylvania. People have been adapting to the environment in Africa. Over 10 years, she and an international team of researchers went to Africa finding samples. The samples were supposed to be used to compare the genes of various people. There is an estimated 2,000 distinct language groups in Africa. It was broken into a few categories. This was often but not always following gene flow. Movement of a language is usually from arrival of new people. I learned gentic variation at school but I didn't know that Africans have the most gentic variation on Earth.

5 diseases from animals

There are 5 deadly disease that come from animals. One of them was from gorillas and it was called the crabs. Another one was an insane mind parasite. The parasite infected the brains of more than half the human population. This is including about 50 million Americans. It is thought to increase the risk of neuroticism and may cause schizophrenia. Its primary host is house cats. You can get it from cat feces. Symptoms in humans are like a flu. This bug never goes away. Some scientists think it has change human behavior enough to shape entire cultures. A third one is HIV/AIDS. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. It came from chimps and other primates. It was thought to have first infected humans at least a century ago. At the end of 2007, there was about 33 million people had HIV. This is including about 2.7 million new cases for the year. There is about 2 million that die. Two thirds of HIV infections are in Saharan Africa. The fourth one is the black death. This disease was carried from rodents. The Yersinia Pestis lived on the rodent and had the disease. That's how it spread and killed millions of people. The last one is swine flu. Swine can also be said as influenza oandemic. The 1918 influenza pandemic went through the world within months. This disease killed about 50 million people. This was more than any other illness in recorded history. One-fifth of the world's population was infected. It struck more than 25 percent of U.S. residents. I learned this today.

Cloning

South Korean scientists say they have made four beagles that glow red using cloning techniques. That could possibly help develop cures for human diseases. The four dogs are all named Ruppy. The name is a combination of the words ruby and puppy. The dogs look like typical beagles by daylight. The dogs glow red under ultraviolet light. The dogs' nails and abdomens have thin skins and look red. You can see it with your eyes. A Seoul National University professor is Lee Byeong-chun. He is head of the research team. The team called them the world's first transgenic dogs carrying fluorescent genes. This an achievement that goes beyond just the glowing discovery. The important part was that they put genes into the dogs. Scientists in the U.S., Japan and in Europe previously have cloned fluorescent mice and pigs. This would be the first time dogs with modified genes have been cloned successfully. That's what Lee said. He said his team took skin cells from a beagle. The team inserted fluorescent genes into them and put them into eggs. Six female beagles were born in December 2007 through a cloning with a gene that produces a red fluorescent light. Two died but the four others survived. This is very interesting.

Asia will have a climate change

Southeast Asia will have a climate change. The Asian Development Bank study focused on Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Those countries are vulnerable because they have large coastal populations facing rising sea levels. They also rely heavily on rice and other products. This could suffer from water shortages as well as floods. Vietnam was found to be the most vulnerable. If nothing is done to combat global warming, the report said that by 2100 the four Asian countries would see temperatures rise an average of 8.6 Fahrenheit. That's very bad. They would also likely drop in rainfall leading to droughts and more forest fires. This is more destructive than tropical storms and flooding from rising seas. This could displace millions of people and lead to the destruction of 965 square miles. Governments are working to lay the groundwork ahead of a U.N. conference in December. This is in Copenhagen that will try to draft an agreement on regulating carbon emissions. It would replace the 1998 Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012. The key for Southeast Asia would be protecting its remaining tropical forests which have fallen victim in recent years to widespread illegal logging and the expansion of palm oil plantations. This is very bad. The people would have to leave the country or die. I hope they stop global warming.

Swine Flu

Swine flu is usually in pigs and the people that have it are usually had touched or made contact with a pig. Canada became the third country to confirm human cases of swine flu this Sunday. The global health officials thought about whether to raise the global pandemic alert. Nations from New Zealand to Spain also reported suspected cases. There are also some citizens that were warned not to travel to North America. Dr. Robert Strang is a Nova Scotia's chief public health officer and he said that the east coast Canadian province had confirmed cases of swine flu. This swine flu was in students ranging in age from 12 to 17 or 18. They are all recovering and that's what he said. A senior World Health Organization official said the agency's emergency committee will meet for a second time Tuesday. They are meeting to examine the full potential of the virus. The same strain of the A/H1N1 swine flu virus has been found in several locations. They were found in Mexico and the United States. It also appears to be spreading directly from human to human. That's what Keiji Fukuda said. Keiji Fukuda is an assistant director general in charge of health security. This is a new thing I learned and I never knew there was a disease like that.

Drilling

Should people drill or not to drill for new oil and gas. That was the issue that had an argument on Friday. This argument was between young people and many of the older people. They were at the United Nations affiliated Indigenous Peoples Global Summit on Climate Change. There was a five day summit that ended on Friday. It ended with Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann. He is the president of the United Nations General Assembly. There were hours of argument. The document says people are deeply alarmed by the accelerating climate devastation brought about by unsustainable development. The final document contains two options.
One calls for the moratorium where supported by certain people. The other says people would look in the use of fossil fuels. At the same time, respecting the rights of the certain people to develop their resources. Youth arguerswere pushing for the total moratorium. They had thought about entering another declaration to the Denmark conference. They couldn't get a moratorium. A difference of opinion was to be expected. It was expected when nearly 400 people from 80 nations are brought together to talk about the climate change. This is all I know and I hope they do drill because we will have more oil and gas.

Drinking water while eating

Today I found out that drinking water while you are eating is a bad thing. It's a bad thing because the water dilutes the stomach acids. The diluted stomach acid makes digestive problems. It could lead to not obsorbing all the nutrients from the food. People say that drinking water while you eat helps you break down your food but they are lies. You should drink water 10-15 minutes after you eat. That's all I found out and this is something new I learned.

Police could not charge a father

Today an Indian police would not charge the father of a child star in the hit movie Slumdog Millionaire. The police ended their investigation into what the father tried to sell his 9-year-old girl to a reporter. Rubina Ali's estranged mother is Khurshid Monish Dewade. She filed a complaint against the girl's father on Sunday. This was after the British tabloid News. They World reported that he offered to give Ali up for adoption in exchange for $400,000. That's what the police said. The newspaper owned by News International Ltd. is the main British subsidiary of News Corp.It is also owned by Slumdog person Fox Searchlight Pictures. He said the deal was offered to one of its reporters. The newspaper issued a statement Thursday saying it stands by its story. This story complicated the lives of the families of the child stars. Officers looked for them at the Leela. The Leela is a five-star hotel where the report said they met Qureshi but they had already left. That's what Shaikh said. Police traced two mobile phone numbers the trio gave the hotel to local Vodafone SIM cards. These were activated on April 16 and deactivated on April 19. This was very stupid but I learned something new.

Fossil found

There was an otter-like fossil found and I don't know when it was found. Scientists say they've found a link in the early evolution of seals and walruses. The skeleton of an otter-like creature that was evolving away from a life on land. Those feet features show an early step on the way to developing flippers and other adaptations for a life in the seas. That's what scientists said. The creature is 23 million-year-old. The creature was not an ancestor of today's seals. Not sea lions and walruses either. It's from a different branch. It does show what an early direct ancestor looked like. That's what researcher Natalia Rybczynski said. The fossil was found on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic. The notion that the far north was an early center of pinniped evolution. That's what she said. Rybczynski is a researcher at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa. Colleagues from the United States report the find in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature. They named the creature Puijila darwini. That combines a word for young sea mammal. Annalisa Berta is a biology professor at San Diego State University who wasn't involved in the work but welcomed the find. I thought that this was an interesting subject and I think it was kind of cool.

Sunglasses and Diseases for not wearing them

Sunglasses are a visual aid. The lens are darkened to prevent strong light from reaching the eyes. Many people find sunlight too bright to be comfortable. During outdoor activities, the human eye can get more light than usual. Healthcare professionals recommend eye protection. They recommend it whenever you go outside to protect the eyes from ultraviolet radiation. Ultraviolet radiation can lead to the start of a cataract. Cataract is a disease where the light can't go through your eyes. Sunglasses have been used by celebrities and actors. People think they are used from a desire to hide or mask their identity. Since the 1940s, sunglasses have been popular as a fashion accessory. It is used mostly at the beach. Presbyopia is another disease and it makes you lose your vision to see near objects. Basal cell carcinoma is a common cancer which usually grows on the top of the eyelid. It is associated with sunlight exposure. Pteryquim is the last eye disease I know. It is common on the surface of the eye that is exposed to the sun. This disease spreads to the front of the eye and it require surgery to move it. This surgery needs to be repeated because the disease comes back. This is all I know and it is very interesting.

Kidnapped 2 Aid Workers

Today, there were somewhere around twenty five gunmen that had machine guns who kidnapped two European aid workers in Somalia. Michel Peremans is a spokesman for the Belgian chapter of Medecins Sans Frontieres. He made sure that a Dutch and a Belgian staff member of his agency were missing in the region. This is where the attack occurred. There were a couple of security reasons. He didn't answer to whether they had been taken hostage. There was a witness who is Abdirahman Isaq. Abdiranhman was somewhere when it was stopped. It traveled between Radhure village and the town of Wajid in central Somalia. The group of kidnappers had cloth wrapped around their faces. Isaq said other clan elders had told him the two had made radio contact with their base in Somalia to confirm the kidnapping. The two were working in Bakool. Bakool is a central region near the Ethiopian border and far from the coastline where Somalia's pirate gangs are based.The capture of aid workers has long been a common problem in Somalia. This capture often made kidnappers get more money from ransoms. There is no proof that kidnappings are linked to a piracy off Somalia. The ransoms pirates have received from ship owners may have told the value of foreigners as hostages in a country where half the population needs foreign aid. This is interesting and kind of mean to kidnap foreigners.

Coaching

Yesterday, I got had a tennis lesson from coach Doug. The tennis lesson was from 9:00AM to 10:00 AM. My family got to Broadstone 30 minutes earlier because my mom had yoga or step. I warmed up with Shayn befoer I went to my tennis lesson. I gave coach Doug the check and had to do the usual 3 laps. After that I had to jump rope. I noticed that i jump roped better than I did in a previous lesson. Then he gave me some balls to my forehand. He noticed that I my racket went to far back so he fixed the problem by telling me about it. Then he gave me a better grip for putting more topspin. After that we went to the wall to rally and practice the new grip. I like the new grip because it hits more solid shots and gave more topspin to my shot. Then we went back to the court to work on my serve. We did some throw and catch for a warm up and then I started serving. Coach Doug noticed that I slide my feet when I am serving so he told me and I fixed the problem but I still slide my feet sometimes. We were working on the feet for the serve this week. He said that I had good balance. I think that this tennis lesson has made my forehand a lot better and my serve a step closer to getting a good serve.

Funding Stem Cells

President Barack Obama got rid of limits on taxpayer funding the embryonic stem cell research. The big question became how far scientists could go. They must use cells from fertility embryos that otherwise would be thrown away. There were draft guidelines released by the National Institutes of Health. That place reflected on rules with support. We think this will be a huge boost for the science. Thats what Raynard Kington said. He also said This was the right policy for the agency at this point in time. The limit will upset some researchers who wanted to use a variety of cells. It still means that perhaps hundreds more stem cell lines will be available for funded study soon. After such a long period of limited opportunities to pursue this very important line of research. That was said by Alan Leshner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
The guidelines are a reasonable compromise based on where the science stands now. That's what Dr. Sean Morrison who's director of the University of Michigan Center for Stem Cell Biology. He also said we may need to revisit some of the details down the road depending on how the science develops. Scientists are trying to use embryonic stem cells. This is all I know and it's an update of my other blog. I still feel it's wrong but what can I do.

Hidden Bacteria

There were a colony of strange bacteria living. They were hidden in the beneath an Antarctic glacier. Scientists were looking at the flow of blood red water from beneath the glacier. That's when they discovered the bacteria. The bacteria have survived for millions of years. The bacteria were living on sulfur and iron compounds. The researchers concluded that iron compounds provide the color. In their research, they discovered bacteria in the water. John Priscu goes to the Montana State University. He said that because the ecosystem has been isolated for so long in extreme conditions, it could help explain how life might exist on other planets, and serve as a model for how life can exist under ice. The researchers think that the pool of water was trapped about 1.5 million years ago. The glacier moved over a lake. It doesn't freeze because it is four times saltier than the ocean. The pool is so deep under the ice. It was also so far back from the edge that the researchers couldn't drill down to it. However, they were able to collect some of the outflow for testing. I think that this is interesting. It's kind of cool to know that there were bacteria surviving for millions of years.

Three sites for finding cleopatra's tomb

Archaeologists will begin going through three sites in Egypt next week. This is an attempt to solving a mystery that has mystified historians for hundreds of years. Where is the final resting place of doomed lovers Cleopatra and Mark Antony? That's what historians were wondering. There's this temple where tombs may be located. This is what Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities said in a statement Wednesday.
Archaeologists last year found the alabaster head of a Cleopatra's statue. This was 22 coins bearing Cleopatra's image and a mask thought to belong to Mark Antony at the temple.
The three sites were identified last month during a radar of the temple of Taposiris Magna. This was what the council's statement said. The temple is located near the northern coastal city of Alexandria. Alexandria was built during the reign of King Ptolemy II (282-246 B.C.).
They found a number of deep shafts inside the temple. There are three of which were possibly used for burials. The lovers could be buried in a similar shaft. That's what the statement said.
The lovers committed suicide in 30 B.C. after being defeated in the battle of Actium. Mark Antony is said to have killed himself with his sword. Cleopatra is believed to have put a poisonous asp to her chest. This is very interesting.

Lessen Global Warming

There is this new scientific study that finds the worst of global warming. Global warming can still be prevented. It can be prevented by cutting the greenhouse gase uses. This is the way President Barack Obama and Europe want. A computer thing by the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder looked at what would happen by the end of the century if greenhouse gas levels were cut by 70 percent. The result would be the world would still be a warmer world. It would be by about 2 degrees instead of 4 degrees. Arctic sea ice would shrink but not disappear. Sea level would rise less. About half the temperature increases. There are also changes in droughts and floods. They can be prevented to a scenario without cuts. This study will be published next week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. If there are future heat waves, it would be 55 percent less intense. The study is one of the first to use computer models to show how much of the effects global warming can be prevented. The study looked at what would happen with cuts in pollution. History has shown that reductions are much easier to talk about than to make. This is pretty much all I know and I thinks it's kind of interesting because global warming can lessen.

Herbal wine was used to ail pharoahs

There was this great-grandma that took a sip of the elderberry wine. She had to drink the sip of wine for medical purposes. She was having a tradition that goes back thousands of years. Researchers said that they have found evidence that the Egyptians did added taste to their wine with medicinal herbs. The Egyptians have used it as long as 5000 years. There was a chemical analysis of pottery that was dated to 3150 B.C. This shows that herbs were added to grape wine. The researchers were led by Patrick E. McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology. There was a report on Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Adding tree resin to wine to prevent disease. This was known in ancient times. This was also being reported in ancient China. It is also continuing into the Middle Ages. That's what the researchers say.The researchers noted that Egyptian records report that a lot of different kinds of herbs were mixed in wine and other things. There were chemicals found from the pottery to prove that they used it for a lot of things. Other chemicals show that there's a possible presence of mint, sage and thyme. That's all I know and I think it's kind of interesting.

New Orangutan found in Indonesia

Conservationists have discovered a new population of orangutans in the mountains of Indonesia. There are about 2,000 orangutans that live there. This is giving a rare boost to one of the world's most endangered great apes. A team surveyed on the eastern edge of Borneo island and they counted 219 orangutan nests. This shows a high number of the animals. The team also encountered an adult male. It was angry and threw branches as they tried to take photos. The photos were on the mother and child.There is an estimate of 50,000 to 60,000 orangutans left in the wild. 90 percent of them in Indonesia and the rest in neighboring Malaysia. The countries are the world's top producers of palm oil. Palm oil is used in food, cosmetics ,and to meet growing demands in the U.S. and Europe. The poor soil of the limestone mountains appear to have shielded the area from development. It has sheild it for at least now. That's what Meijaard said. Birute Mary Galdikas is a Canadian scientist. He has spent nearly fourty years studying orangutans in the wild. He said most of the remaining populations are small and scattered. That's what makes them not close to extinction. This is all I know and I think it's kind of cool that they found a new species of orangutans.

Forest Drilling

The U.S. Forest Service will go through and allow public comment on gas and oil drilling projects. This comment will be in the Allegheny National Forest under a settlement reached with groups. The groups claimed in a lawsuit that the Forest Service was not required. Federal environmental reviews on several dozen drilling projects was damaging the environment and wildlife. The damage was in Pennsylvania's only national forest."With this settlement the Forest Service is making a commitment to disclose to people living near the Allegheny National Forest what impact oil and gas drilling will have on water quality, recreational opportunities, and the other benefits they expect from the national forest in their backyard," Andy Stahl, executive director of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, said in a statement Thursday. The 800 square mile forest. The federal government owns the surface. The surface is more than 90 percent. The government did not buy the mineral when the forest was made somewhere around 90 years ago. There were arguments over whether the Forest Service can stop the drilling. This would have led to lawsuits as demand for oil. This is all I know.

Deadly Fires

Firefighters had to go through wildfires and rescue workers dug through the damage left by tornados. These tornadoes were after a storm system. It was from Texas to Tennessee. There were about eight people killed. Dozens were injured and hundreds of homes and businesses were went into ashes. This is kind of sad. This is what someone said. One of the fires appears to have been purposely set. The Oklahoman newspaper reported that teenagers were spotted in the area. They were spotted before the fire. The fire destroyed 17 homes on Thursday.
Oklahoma's governor declared a state of emergency in 31 counties. This is where 62 people were injured and about 200 homes and business were destroyed by the fires. This is also where a tornado hit the eastern edge of the state. Three people were killed. 32 homes were destroyed in Texas. High winds fueled 49 major fires which burned 100,000 acres. A former television journalist and his wife were dead when their home was on fire. The fires devastated two small towns north of Dallas. High winds fueled the flames which raced across fields. That is what the station said. This was a trajedy and I feel bad for people that were in it.

Obama seeks money

President Barack Obama asked Congress today for $83.4 billion for U.S. military. This was for special troop funding. Obama's request for to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan. This would push the costs of the two wars to almost $1 trillion since the Sept. 11, 2001 and terrorist attacks. The additional money would cover operations into the fall. Obama is also requesting $350 million in new Pentagon funding. This funding is to deal with Mexican drugs. It is also to do other security activities along the border. This border is between the U.S. and Mexico. This is along with another $400 million. This $400 is to help Pakistan in efforts along the border with Afghanistan. The Iraq war by far gets the most money. The request reflects a shift in focus from Iraq to Afghanistan. This is where a lot of challenges remain. This is also where the former Soviet Union learned firsthand about battling Islamic extremists. During June, the Congress approved $66 billion in advance for funding the military. The Pentagon would receive $142 billion in war funding for the budget year ending on Sept. 30. The request should easily win approval from the Congress. There is a lot of anger among some liberals over the pace of troop. Obama's plans for a large residual force of up to 50,000 troops.

Priests Deny Invitation

There are ten priests from the University of Notre Dame rejected president Obama's invitation. They say that the school is at risk. The shool is at risk from souls. The souls could go away so they invited the president to campus next month. The members of the Congregation of the Holy Cross asked the Rev. John Jenkins to change their mind about the invitation to Obama. Notre Dame told everyone their that last month Obama would bring the university's May 17 commencement address. They would also receive an honorary degree. This decision by the nation's best known Catholic university made anger. This anger came among many Catholics. The Catholics said Notre Dame should not honor someone whose policies embryonic stem cell research clash with core church teachings on human life. Hundreds of opponents protested on campus Sunday. The priests said the invitation has opened a fight between Notre Dame and many bishops. Jenkins has said the university does not have all of Obama's policies. The spokesman Dennis Brown has also said Notre Dame does not plan to change his decision on the invitation. I am not sure this is true or not but I think that John should have just accepted the invitation.

Gay marriage legal in Vermont

Today Vermont was the first state to legalize gay marriage with a vote. The votes were barely gotten enough votes. There's a bill that will allow gays and lesbians. This is starting on September first. There are now five states that allow gay marriage. There's a possible chance other states will follow these five states' decision. There are bills to allow sex marriage. Courts deal with points of law. Legislatures argue about some of the same principles. This process may become personal. The debate came when gay and lesbian lawmakers took to the floor. They took the floor last Thursday. They also told their own personal love stories. Linda McLain i s an expert on family law and policy. She is also a university law professor. This is what she said "What may give courage to other legislatures is that this legislature managed to do it," she said. She added that using the civil rights language could help make gay marriage more acceptable elsewhere. Opponents said they also believe that they will be made legal in other states. The action came just days after the Iowa Supreme court ruled that not permitting gay marriage was not right. This is all I know. I think that it's good that they made it legal to be gay in some places.

Blocking weapon programs

The Defense Secretary Robert Gates is thinking of deep cuts to some big weapons programs. For example, F-22 fighter jet as the Pentagon takes a hard look at how it spends money. Gates announced a long range of cuts Monday to weapons spending. He saying he plans to cut programs ranging from a new helicopter for the president. This is to ending production of the $140 billion F-22 fighter jet. The Armys modernization program would be scaled back. This will take a while as a new satellite syste. This would make a search and rescue helicopter would be cut. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he is overhauling military spending. Outlining a $534 billion budget for 2009. This will slash funds for major weapons programs. That's what Gates said Monday his moves amount that would shift spending goals to concentrate on wars we are in today and scenarios for the years ahead. There was a news conference to outline his budget. Gates said he closely talked with President Barack Obama and top military leaders. This was limited outside advice because of the significance of the changes. I think this is a smart idea so there will be less people dieing. I also think this started from the urinating dog event. That's my opinion and all I know about the subject.

A Stupid Fight

I don't know when this happened but I know what happened. There was this 911 call and two police officers went to a home. The two police officers got attacked or you could call it an ambush. There was a third officer who died by a gunman. This fight was between the gunman and his mother over a dog urinating in the house. The mother's name is Margaret Poplawski and the gunman's name is Richard Poplawski. The fight went to a point where she threatened to kick him out. Then she called police to do it. This was according to a 12 page criminal complaint. Officers Paul Sciullo III and Stephen Mayhle arrived to the house. Then Margaret Poplawski opened the door and told them to come in. They took her 23 year old son. She was apparently unaware he was standing behind her with a rifle. She heard gunshots and spun around to see her son with the gun. Then she ran to the basement. Friends have said Poplawski was concerned about his weapons being taken away during Barack Obama's presidency. The friends also said he owned several handguns and an AK 47 assault rifle. Police have not said what weapons were used to kill the officers. I think this fight between the mother and the son about the urinating dog was stupid.

Ice shelf break away from Antartic

There is this ice shelf that anchored to the antartic coast. It is coming quickly and the ice bridge could break away soon. The Paris agency showed satellite images show the bridge that connects the Wilkins Ice Shelf to Charcot and Latady Islands. Those places were said to like they were going to collapse. The beginning of what appears to be the destruction of the ice bridge began this week. It began when new rifts appeared and a large block of ice broke away. The Wilkins Ice Shelf looks like the rest of Antarctic's ice sheet. This shelf was formed by thousands of years of accumulated and compacted snow. It had been stable for most of the last century before it began retreating in the 1990s. That's what the statement said. This shelf came from Jamaica or the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula. This thrusts up from the continent toward the southern tip of South America. This shelf was originally covering somewhere around 5000 square miles. This is also around 13000 kilometers. The ice shelf lost 14 percent of its mass last year alone. There were 2 2008 incidents. These incidents were large chunks of the ice bridge falling away. It was shaving it down to just 985 yards (900 meters) across at its narrowest. This is what the statement said. That's all I know.

Spent on Clothes

The husband of Sarah Palin says the Republican Party's lavish spending on her wardrobe during the presidential campaign was out of our control. Todd Palin was asked about the more than $150,000 that the Republican National Committee spent on clothes. It was also spent on accessories and beauty services. The husband defended his wife. He defended her by saying that she was focused on preparation for her debate with Joe Biden. Sarah Palin and Republican presidential nominee John McCain faced a lot of angry people. There are over the tens of thousands of dollars. This money was spent at high endstores to dress the Alaska governor and her family. Some of the purchases included a $75,062 shopping spree at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis. Anotherone was for $49,425 from Saks Fifth Avenue. Some of the clothing had to be returned right away. This was because there were the wrong sizes. Thats what the McCain-Palin campaign said at the time. The Republican National Committee has said the remaining items would be donated to charity. Todd Palin told the magazine that his wife had been through tough campaigns before becoming McCain's running mate. Thats all I know about this.