My Cool Blog
Jordan
January 22, 2008
Tom Cruise was on the cover of five major American magazines when his latest movie was released earlier this
summer. It is called “Minority Report.” It is a science−fiction, mystery and action movie. It takes place in the
year 2054. This is a time when special beings can see crimes like murder before they happen. Cruise plays a
policeman who heads a group called Precrime. These police arrest would−be murderers before they can carry
out their crime. Cruise is accused of a future murder and must hide from the other police and solve the mystery
of the crime.
“Minority Report” has become Tom Cruise’s tenth movie out of twenty−four to make 100 million dollars or
more. Like other top actors Harrison Ford and Tom Hanks, Cruise is considered a very safe investment in
Hollywood.
But, he is an investment. Tom Cruise demands about 20 million dollars to star in a film. He also often gets a
percentage of the movie’s profits. Two years ago, Cruise made about 75 million dollars from his movie
“Mission: Impossible Two.”
Tom Cruise has received praise along with big earnings. The National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences nominated him two times for Best Actor and once for Best Supporting Actor. He has won two Golden
Globe awards. People Magazine has included Cruise on its yearly list of the most beautiful people three times.
The magazine also named him the sexiest man alive. And, last year, Forbes magazine named Tom Cruise
number one on its list of the most powerful people in entertainment.
January 22, 2008
Eight of the invited countries are in Eastern Europe. Until 1991, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania were part of the
Soviet Union. Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Slovenia all had Communist governments.
The E−U also offered membership to Malta and the Greek−ruled part of Cyprus.
The planned expansion would be the largest in the E−U’s history. It would create a community of more than
450 million people in twenty−five countries. The expansion also would create an economy of more than nine
million million dollars. Such an economy would be close to that of the United States.
Intense negotiations took place at the Copenhagen meeting about the financial terms under which new
members will join. Candidates for E−U membership had demanded more aid. Most of them are poorer than
the average country in Western Europe. They also have shorter histories as democracies and had problems
with dishonest governments. Many people in the invited countries did not fully support efforts to join the E−U.
Poland is the largest of the ten candidate countries. It had threatened to sabotage the expansion plans if it did
not receive more aid. The agreement calls for the E−U to provide more than forty thousand million dollars in
aid to the new members.
The expansion is planned for May, 2004. But first, citizens in each candidate country must approve E−U
membership in a series of votes expected next year.
E−U members had hoped that a United Nations−negotiated agreement to end the division of Cyprus would be
signed during the Copenhagen meeting. Cyprus has been divided between Greek and Turkish Cypriots since
1974.
The E−U offered membership to the southern, Greek side of Cyprus. The Turkish north could enter later if it
agrees on terms to end the island’s division. Now, only the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot
government will receive E−U membership.
In another development, Turkey accepted an E−U decision to delay considering its membership until
December, 2004, at the earliest. E−U leaders said Turkey must make the political and human rights reforms
necessary to begin talks about membership.
January 22, 2008
ELECTION DAY
The decision to hold elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November was made by lawmakers
many years ago. It involved the general and permanent laws of the United States. They are listed and kept in a
group of books known as the United States Code. The Code is prepared and published by a legal office of the
House of Representatives.
In 1845, the code established that presidential electors would be appointed on the Tuesday after the first
Monday in November every fourth year. In 1875, it established the date for electing members to the House of
Representatives in every even−numbered year.
In 1914, it established the date and the time for electing members to the Senate.
The lawmakers chose early November because most Americans at that time lived on farms. They thought
November was the best time for farmers and other workers to be able to travel to voting places. Their harvest
was finished and the weather was still good enough in most of the country to permit such travel.
The lawmakers chose Tuesdays because most of the people had to travel long distances to voting places.
Monday was not considered a good day for an election. It would have forced people to begin their trips on
Sunday, the day many people attended church services.
The Federal Election Commission says lawmakers chose the Tuesday after the first Monday because they
wanted to prevent Election Day from falling on the first of November. There were two reasons for this.
November first is All Saints Day, a holy day for Roman Catholics. Also, most business owners worked on their
financial records on the first day of each month.
The Federal Election Commission says Congress was worried that the economic success or failure of the earlier
month could influence those votes.
