Halifax teen shot with pellet gun after snowballs thrown at truck

     A teenager from Halifax was shot with a pellet gun to the face when he and his friends where throwing snowballs at bypassing vehicles. The teen had been taking full advantage of the latest snow storm to hit Halifax, the storm on late Wednesday closed schools and local business leaving teens free to do what they want. Many teens engaged in winter sports such as tobogganing and snowball fights; however, at one spot in the North end of the city, youths were engaging in a tradition of pitching snowballs at bypassing vehicles. This was fun and amusing when finally, three men jumped out of their truck and confronted the children with a pellet gun asking who was responsible.Constable Brian said that when no one took responsibility, several children were assaulted by the men, and one shot in the face with a pellet gun. The only injured teen is still suffering from the wound and is currently in the hospital. The victim, 16, is said to not be in any life threatening conditions; however, when the police asked him questions, he said that neither him nor his friends were amongst those who threw snowballs at the vehicles. Constable Brian says that while children are not encouraged to commit to such forms of "fun", such a response from adults was way overboard. In addition, the men could have just reported the situation to the police without taking actions by themselves, by taking action, they are also committing to acts of violence.

     In this situation, I think that both parties are wrong. First of all, throwing snowballs at bypassing vehicles can be very dangerous to the drivers and others, especially during the wintertime. This diverts the focus of drivers and takes away their vision. However, in this situation it can be understood and forgiven because it was teenagers and children throwing snowballs, at this age, many are still curious and immature. But this does not mean that two wrongs equals a right. As more responsible and mature citizens, the three men should have told the children to stop rather than lose their cool and resort to violence to stop the children. If adults are displaying such behavior in public society, our youth generation will only follow in their footsteps, ultimately creating a violent society.

Man, 20, dies after being intentionally mowed down by SUV

     With a sudden and unfortunate change of tides, a day of celebration quickly turn into a day of remorse and sorrow for the Dang family. The Dang family originally had plans for Saturday to celebrate the birthday of Mother Dang, instead, the Vietnamese couple spent their Saturday at Toronto morgue learning how their son Vincent Dang, 20, had been intentionally killed. The murderer had intentionally mowed over Vincent Dang with a SUV; the suspect, however, is still unknown. Police believe that the case for this unfortunate event was a dispute that broke out with a rival group at a party. Vincent was a student of the University of Toronto. Dang and friends were partying at the Rockwood nightclub when they got into a minor altercation with a rival group at 2:00 AM. Eventually, the groups took their "fight" out to the street, fortunately no physical contact had been made. Although some members of the rival group had been identified, it is believed that the murderer and Mr.Dang did not know one another. Vincent Dang was rushed to St.Michael's hospital immediately after he had been hit by the SUV and was proclaimed dead at 3:30 AM. Investigations are currently under process; police say that investigations are going well, they have interviewed people whom have given valuable information and got a hold of the footage of the incident. Regardless, the murder will be facing a second-degree murder charge at minimum, as stated by Sgt.Nielsen.

     This is an incident that illustrate how unpredictable things can turn out when alcohol fuels the aggressive impulse of young adults and teenagers. Although such incidents are unfortunate, they are very common amongst young teenagers. Small conflicts, added with the effects of alcohol, can result in very serious situations where it is certain that the outcome will not be peaceful. The aggression and inability to remain calm during such situations define the instability characteristic of teenagers. Many teenagers often realize their mistake after committing to it and often suffer from regret; sometimes those stupid mistakes and decision may very well define one's life. Such records of crime leave teenagers to be abandoned by both society and friends who do not want to be dragged down.

     The common behavior with teenagers results in their misunderstanding of society from the protection of their parents; all their lives, they've been viewing society from behind the power and status of their parents. Without the realization that they are being protected, the teenagers begin to view themselves equal to the status and power of their parents and adventure through the real world without any respect and care for things. However, in some other cases, it may be the instability of the family that causes the young teenager to behave in such violent ways. I think the best way to address this problem is to target the youth, to raise awareness before they start developing that aggression and impulsive method of thinking. By targetting the younger generation, it is possible to complete get rid of this problem as they will teach their children and create a trend.

Wisconsin student shoots himself after seven-hour classroom hostage ordeal

     At Wisconsin High School, a 15 year old student held his classmates and teachers captive after school one day. The 15 year old student held a gun that struck fear into many other students and even the teachers themselves. The principal did not learn of this until he realized that none of the teachers and students in that class had been seen since the end of school. Authorities said that the gunman did not have any intentions of neither harming others nor gaining something; the gunman's motive is still a mystery. However, the gun has been shot a total of 5 times; 3 just as the police arrived, 1 in the wall, and 1 in a desk. Later, extra ammunition has been found. Fortunately, all the hostages were released safely. During the standoff, the gunman ordered everyone to abandone their cellphones; and when his own cellphone rang, he snapped it in half. Students later describe that the gunman had no intentions of harming anyone, they were just conversing, however, the gunman would not talk to the teachers. The students and teachers tried to keep the gunman happy by talking to him about his subjects of interest. After the 7 and a half standoff, the gunman shot himself in a vital spot; he was immediately transported to the nearby hospital. The conditions of the gunman are unknown, just that he was vitally wounded. The teacher, later described another, was very calm in the situation and was able to reassure everyone.

     This article illustrates the problem of isolation in high schools. Although there are many methods to isolate one from the community, the results are all the same; the victim becomes uncomfortable, depressed and insecure. The 15 year old student in this article was clearly lonely and it is clearly shown that he only wanted to converse with others and meant no harm. Despite his intentions, his method of approaching his desires forced others to think otherwise. I am sure, however, that the student realized his mistake and decided at the end of the standoff to shoot himself. It is very normal for other students to panic during the standoff because you can never know what is going through the gunner's mind. I thought the teacher played a very vital role in keeping everyone safe because she was able to calm her students. In situations like these, with the absence of calmness, the situation may have turned out very differently. Although this article does not relate hugely to society, it still serves as a reminder to us that we may encounter very difficult situations in our lives and that patience and calmness is the key to persevere through them.

Canada unveils another $93-million for Haiti quake reconstruction

     The International Cooperation Minister of Canada, Bev Oda, has announced that Canada will put out another 93-million dollars on top of the original 400-million dollars into the aid of Haiti's recovery after a devastating earthquake. The 93-million dollars will be spent towards the goals of : improvement of child health, education and agriculture. This new initiative will revolve around reconstructing and improving everyday lives of Haiti inhabitants; efforts such as building new schools, hospitals, and providing food all contribute to the reconstruction of Haiti. While Oda states that Canada is fulfilling its promises to Haiti of improving life, the federal government and Western donor nations are feeling skeptic that Canada has not done enough in the 12 months since the earthquake. The earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010 killed 300,000 and left over 1.4 million homeless.

     Mrs. Jean, a Haitian born Canadian feels that other nations have been giving as little effort and money as they can contribute to the cause. Haitians feel abandoned because of the slow pace of recovery, although the earthquake happened a year ago, over 1 million still live in camps and remain homeless. What started as a natural disaster is becoming a disgraceful reflection of the international community. However, Canadian officials argue that the slow pace of recovery is the result of the Haitian government's weakness, which was completely devastated by the earthquake.

     While money does not define the amount of effort that Canada has contributed in the recovery of Haiti, it definitely helps, especially when Canada contributed almost half a billion to the recovery of Haiti. However, sometimes people think that it is the willingness and display of care that earns the credit rather than giving the resources. In reality, I think that both factors are important in the aid of recovery because without resources, no advancements will be made and without care, it just seems that our connection as a species is so weak and that we are escaping the human nature of sympathy.

     In my opinion, I do not think that Canada has not contributed enough, but they can certainly contribute more to this cause. It is just as the article says, Canada is giving the minimal support they can; but then again, who is to say that Canada has to aid in this cause? There are many more worse outcome of this recovery process; the Haitians do not have any right to demand the help of other countries although it is humanely righteous for other countries to do so.

NDP makes gains amid ‘startling’ Tory-Liberal deadlock

     Released Thursday morning, November 11, a EKOS poll shows the percentage of Canadian supporters that each political party currently holds. This poll shows shocking results and reflects the major changes to Canada's society; the question lies in whether if a stable minority government can be formed. The statistics show that the Conservative party and Liberal party are at a tie with around 28-30 percent of the population's support. The surprising change is that the NDP has gained nearly 20 percent of the population's support; this is the highest number of supporters that the NDP has had in two years. However, not so much of a concern is the Bloc and Green party at 10% support each. The controversial subject which mainly sets aside the voters is the decision of whether or not to purchase 65 new fighter jets at a cost of 16 billion dollars. With all the statistics aside, the big question is: "Can any single party eke out the more humble goal of even a secure minority?"

     This is a rather unstable period in the political history of Canada because all the parties currently have a relatively equal share of the support of the citizens; this is unstable because it will be hard for the formation of a government. It will be very diffcult for the party in office to make decisions for the country because they do not have enough supporters that if, other parties decide to join together and overthrow the party in office, it will be very hard for the govenrment to stay in power. In the current moment, the Conservative party is only leading in the election by a fraction of one percent. Since the combined supporters of the Liberals and NDP are more than those of the Conservatives; the Liberals and NDP form a coalition. However, this would not be a smart move for the two parties as it would create the aullsion that they are trying to gain power. Rather, it is smarter to wait for Harper to disatisfy his supporters and thus losing office. Waiting for Harper's mistake, I would think, is much safer because it is very easy to displease the citizens at a time like this; when all of Canada is unsure about their position. The current controversial topic that creates this even division of Canadian supporters is the decision to purchase 65 new stealthed fighter jets for a total of 16 billion dollars. Personally, I do not think that the money will be well spent if it does go to purchase these new fighter jets. There is simply no need for them, we are living in a relatively peaceful century in the moment and the fighter jets will simply be books waiting to be outdated. Technology advances way to fast and this is why this decision, in my opinion, is very unwise. By the time war emerges, new fighter jets will already be developed that far exceed the capabilities of the ones that they are planning to purchase. To this point, I think the supporters of the Conservatives party have been somewhat brainwashed by their actions to go as far as to support such a reckless purchase like this; maybe it is time for Harper to step down.  

KKK costume shocks Ont. town

The Ku Klux Klan costume at the halloween party

     Mark Andrane was at a bar on Saturday night when he sighted a man parading down the down the street in a Ku Klux Klan costume with a confederation flag. The sight was very disturbing to Mr.Andrane as he was an African American himself; the Ku Klux Klan was a society built upon white surpremacy and white nationalism. In addition, the man in the Ku Klux Klan costume was dragging a black man behind him with a rope around the man's neck; suggesting white surpremacy ideas. Mark later finds out from his friends that the two people in the costumes had won a halloween party contest in a legion. Mark later expresses his worry for this issue, " This is 2010, that is unacceptable, especially in a legion". The principle of the legion issued a public apology and there was an investigation of the two people in the costume. Mark feels that an apology is not enough to solve the issue at hand, he feels that there should be some kind of sensitivity training for them.

     I think that this a huge issue when students are unable to identify the difference between having fun at a halloween party and going overboard to the extent where you are offending others. Althought some may argue that making mistakes is a learning process and helps people become better citizens; there are situations in which mistakes should not be made. The issue of racism is an issue that Canada takes alot of action on in order to education its population to not tolerate it; this education system is implemented from as early as kindergarden. Yet, these two individuals, from a "school" decide to dress up as something that degrades a certain race, is very shocking and a huge sign of warning to the boards of education that something needs to be done.If students now are unable to identify the boundary between fun and offense, then what will the future bring upon? Chaos. Thus brings the point that schools are not doing enough to raise awareness of this issue, because a majority of people think that it is a big issue that people will be aware. Those people are wrong, there is a difference of being aware and then knowing what to do about the issue or rather, what not to do.  

Alcohol ranked most harmful drug

Study show that alcohol is ranked the most harmful drug.

     A study done by British experts evalutates the dangers and harms of individual drugs; ranking them in level of destructiveness. The factors that the experts considered included: individual effect, effect on family, and the drug's economic cost. The individual effect refers to the addictiveness of the drug and its effects on the human body while the other two factors consider the damage the drug deals outside the person taking it. Herion, crack, cocaine, and crystal meth were ranked amongst the most dangerous and harmful to the individual body. However, when considering the social effects of the drug, alcohol was by far the worst and outranked all the other substances in the grand scale of effects. Alcohol has such a widespread use that it contributes to many more death rates and crime rates than those of other drugs. When the intaken is excessive, alcohol nearly damages all the organs of the body; and contribute to violent behaviors. Many experts argue, however, that banning alcohol will not be a good solution to this problem because alcohol has become a "culture" in the global lifestyle. Some suggest that by targetting the heavy drinkers through education that it may help to relieve the situation; while others suggest that by raising the pricing on alcohol may lead to less consumption. 

     This study, in my opinion, was very biased and was complete non-sense. How can one compare the effects of illegal drugs to those that are legal. Did data even need to be shown for the obvious answer of such studies? Illegal drugs were banned for a reason, they caused too much damage both to the user and people around him; of course, there small groups of people whom still use these drugs. However, their effect on the present society is minimal. While something like alcohol, a daily used substance, is obviously going to prove more harmful because it is "legal" and people will inevitably consume excessive amounts. It simply amazes me how "experts" can do such "in-depth" studies whilst not even considering the level of comparison between the objects of analysis. On the other hand, if the illegal drugs were legalized, then this study would have been informative; such studies are often misleading and tend to education society in a biased way to not consume alcohol.

Rob Ford elected mayor of Toronto

Ford's victory

     Rob Ford emerges as the victor of the Toronto Mayoral elections gaining 47.1 of the 99.9 percent of the vote that was reported in on Monday. Ford celebrated his victory at the Toronto Congress Centre in Etobicoke, making an appearance to the 80s  rock song Eye of the Tiger while holding the hand of his wife, Renata. Ford's campaign revolved around taxpayers and how their money should be treated; this idea gained the awareness of many citizens and thus gathering him many supporters. Ford's promises included:

• Scrap the city's vehicle registration fee and land transfer tax.
• Dedicate transit resources to building subway lines instead of light rail.
• Phase out streetcars in favour of low-emission buses.
• Contract out city services.
• Do away with the "fair wage" policy when contracting out.
• Cut city staff through attrition.

Rivals Smitherman and Pantalone even admited that Ford's campaign was extremely well focused on the issues that affect the daily lives of citizens most and congratulated Ford on his victory. In addition to Ford's victory, 14 of the 44 councillors will be newcomers replacing old councillors in various wards around Toronto.

     A major part of Ford's success came from his well devised campaign to target the problems and issues that most appealed to the citizens; and instead of targetting every single issue with brief actions, he decided to take detailed and specific actions on certain issues. This gives reassurance to citizens as they are aware who and what they are voting for; this time around, rather than targetting the candidate, the campaigns and ideas were targetted. Compared to other candidates, Ford was able to spread his message clearly and loudly; Ford focused on improving his campaign rather than attacking other candidates  ( which ultimately backfired this election) and the victory of the election was his reward for his actions. However, only time can tell whether or not Ford is able to keep to his promises.

Aspirin helps prevent colon cancer: study



Types of cancer that were detected



     Study has shown that taking a low dose of aspirin may be beneficial to the prevention of stroke, heart attack and colon cancer. This research was a result of a 20 year process in which over 14,000 people had participated in the study; the study was on the use of ASA(acetylsalicylic acid). In the study, professor Rothwell identified that there is no benefit in taking more than a baby-sized dose(75 miligrams). Prof. Rothwell also recommends the use of aspirin if they have a family history of colon cancer or if they are at risk of developing colon cancer. The study also showed that for every 100 people who took the low-dose ASA daily, one case of colorectal cancer was prevented, and one in 70 deaths was avoided. What the researchers found interesting is that the types of cancer that were prevented were those that occured higher up in the colon; ones that could not be detected by screening tests.

     This is yet another example of how fast advancements are made in the field of medicine; the reason that people are able to live longer and healthier lives than those in the past. Cancer was a disease without cure just years ago and now, the type that can not even be detected by technology can be prevented. However, success in the field of medicine is not the discovery of the cure, but how successful the treatment is to curing the disease. While a 1% prevention rate is better than 0%, to fully achieve; the percentages and numbers must be raised. In addition, the discovery is quite recent and will not receive much publicity;however, as more research are conducted, the percentages will raise and that is when the success of the discovery is achieved.  

Britain to cut troops, military bases

Britain's prime minister, David Cameron, addressing the
issue regarding Britain's military 

    The Prime Minister of Britain, David Cameron has annouced that Britain will be reducing its troops and to delay a program to upgrade its nuclear defense. While the size of Britains army may decrease, it will specialize in special forces and cyber threats to maintain its status as a major global power. There will also be cuts to the amount of money that the military department may spend in the future; this will help the country put the money in other areas that may be of importance. Finally, many military bases will also be closed down because they will no longer be used. However, there are many viewpoints on the cut of military bases because it provides many jobs and its absence can send many in the community jobless. Furthermore, there are communities that rely on the bases in order to make buisness because the hotels and hospitals in specific area are only used by military personnel when the visist the base.

     I think that this is a very solid and logical decision for Britain because numbers no longer determine how strong a country is military-wise; it is all about weaponery in the present day. Not only does this decision save alot of money, it also saves alot of lives by not risking people out on the battefield. Ultimately, there is no need for a huge army because the present world is in a rather peaceful state with very friendly connections between nations.

Should you be eliminating wheat from your child's diet?

     Recent studies at the University of Maryland show that children are becoming more and more intolerant to gluten and celiac acids over the past 30 years. The study shows that people are losing their tolerance to gluten, gluey protein, barley and rye as they grow older. This inability to digest gluten has been found in some child when they were born, a genetic disorder. This is now recognized as a common problem in the health of children, often causing problems such as bloating, diarrhea and constipation. However, the people unable to digest gluten will suffer from more serious health issues later on in life, as scientists have pointed out. This inability of absorb the nutrients, protein and fibre will lead to a unhealthy lifestyle. Many parents; however, are skeptical of putting their children on a gluten-free diet because gluten-free foods are very high in calories and sugar; such as cookies.

     While more increasing numbers of people are becoming intolerant to gluten in wheat, it is still a necessity to a good diet and a healthy lifestyle. A possible solution to this upcoming diet problem can be to release a product to the public that contains the nutrients, vitamins and protein that is present in wheat but to extract out the gluten, celiac acids and barley out. This will be similar to milk and lactose-free milk; as some people are lactose-intolerant and are unable to consume normal milk. I don't think parents should get too concerned with this issue if their child is not affected, do not restrict certain products from their diet as this can cause even more serious problems due to a lack of nutrition. On the other hand, if your child is affected by this problem, close monitoring of his diet may be of help. Furthermore, replacing wheat products with alternatives that provide the same nutritions are another solution. 

"Father" of IVF wins Nobel Prize for medicine



Dr.Edwards, winner of the Nobel Prize for the medicines



     British physiologist Robert Edwards, the father of in-vitro fertilisation, won the 2010 Nobel Prize for medicine or physiology. Dr.Edwards received US$1.5 million for his work which lead to the advancement of modern science. There been over 4 million babies born using this technology ever since the first IVF baby was born in 1978; Dr.Edward's contributions have solved a medical condition that affects over 10% of the world's couples. When the first IVF baby, Louise Brown, was born, there were many conerns with whether she would grow normally; additionally, there were many religious and ethnic concerns. However, as Louise grew up, she turned out to be as healthy as other children. In addition, Louise has one son who was conceived naturally. 1-2% of babies in the Western World are conceived through IVF methods, stated by Christer Hoog. The downside to IVF; however, is its cost, it can cost patients up to 12 grande in the States, but in some countries, this method is funded by the health care system. Dr.Edwards motivation towards achieving this goal was because he wanted to help families, to give everyone a chance to have children because they were the most important and precise thing in the world to parents.

     This is another huge step towards technology and reveals the potential we have as humans to achieve great goals. However, this also poses a conflict with religion; if IVF can already be achieved, how far down the road will we be able to clone? The capabilities of technology in modern society is as rewarding as it is scary, while it can used to help create a better society, it can also destory balance in the wrong hands. With this practise, it may be possible that parents will no longer have the same values for a child; IVF takes the human values away from a child, making them more lab experiments than people.

Student kills himself after gay sex footage put online



Tyler Clementi



     Two New Jersey College students, Dharun Ravi and Molley Wei are being charged with invasion of privacy. More specifically, Dharun Ravi had invaded into his roommates personal life and decided to share his roomates secrets with the world through the internet. Tyler Clementi, Dharun's roommate, had asked to have the room to himself until midnight; as claimed by Dharun Ravi. Dharun had set up a webcam in order to spy on his own roommate at his friends room. Dharun had caught everything on tape and had posted it on the internet; he informed the internet about this tape via facebook, twitter and many other sources. The video was sex footage of Tyler and another male that he had brought into his dorm room. After being aware of this, Tyler commited suicide on the George Washington bridge on Sept. 22. Dharun is being fined $25000 and the maximum punishment for either teenagers is going to be 5 years in jail.

     This is a prime example of the nationwide problem ; people being criticized for their sexual orientation, ethnicity and religion. Clementi had asked to have the room by himself for a reason; one that his roommate shouldn't have discovered. People hold secrets because they are afraid of discrimination and how others will develope a sense of attitude towards them. While many may argue that no one can force someone to commit suicide and that it was entirely Tyler's decision; it was not true in this case. Dharun and Molly bullied Tyler for his sexual orientation and had shared it with the world, which had pushed Tyler to a point where he can no longer be himself. At this point, it was Dharun and Molly's fault because Tyler had not brought this misfortune upon himself. In addition, I think that the penalty is being taken too lightly; Dharun and Molly deserve more jail time and punishment on top of that. Personally, putting someone in jail for 5 years really isn't going to change their views and transform them into viable citizens of a society.

Illegal stun guns easy to get in Canada

Stun gun close-up

     Stun guns are becoming more accesible to Canadians through the internet and dealers. The authorities believe that the stun guns are being imported from the US illegally; these stun guns are being sold at a price of $80 in Montreal and can deliver a charge of 1.5 million volts. Under the Canadian law, stun guns may only be legally imported and used by law enforcement agencies;however, the occurance rate of theses stun guns under public hands are becoming more increasingly common. Investigation has shown that online retailers are eager to sell their products to Canadian customers and even offer free shipping. As a result, the Canadian Border Services Agency have been seeing more and more stun guns. In 2008, a total of 24 stun guns were confiscated through the customs and in 2010, there have been 237 confiscated so far. The Union representing the customs agents plan to tigthen security in the customs by having more random checks, especially on packages that are sent through the mail.

     From the information gathered from the Canadian Border Services, it shows that increased amounts of illegal objects have been crossing the border throughout the years. This is a sign that the security system at the Canadian Border is flawed as it has allowed many of these illegal stun guns through the border. Primarily, Canada should focus on their border defenses not just to confiscate the illegal objects but also items that exceed the financial limit that people are allowed to bring across the border. As a result, the safety of both the economy and citizens can be ensured. However, the main problems traces back to the lack of freedom that the Canadian government grants to its citizens. I think that having a restriction on such weapons is a benefit because if there was no restrictions, there would be many more illegal weapons in public hands. The solution to this issue is to simply enforce the law and to tighten up security.

Arctic claims summit gets under way in Moscow



Division of North Pole



     Russia, Norway, Canada , Denmark and the United States are all trying to claim the territory of the North Pole because it is believed that a quarter of the world's resources of oil and gas are hidden in the depths. Due to the melting of the ice caps, the resources are slowly becoming more accessible. Three years ago, Russia had planted a titanium flag at the bottom of the North Pole as a gesture of their ambitions. However, to declare the claim of the land official there must be evidence that the North Pole lies within the country border. As of now, the North Pole is being spilt into shared parts.The resources are located beneath the Lomonosov Ridge. Some countries have agreed to cancel border restrictions to claim a larger amount of the North Pole. However, for countries in the territorial disputes, they will have to prove that the Lomonosov Ridge is an underwater extension of their continental shelf. Under the UN's law of the sea, a coastal region may claim economic resources 200 miles beyond their land territory and if it exceeds the limit, the country must provide the UN with evidence as to why they deserve the land.

     The melting of the polar ice caps can be devasting news to the world as more oil and gas equals more polution. If the North Pole really does hold a quarter of the world's resource of oil and gas, then the world will truely be in danger if the oil and gas usage are not controlled. However, as always, the environmental issues will not be considered before the economical issues; because money and power is more important than a healthy earth as many world leaders would view. The environment problems would only be considered after the resources have been used up and when it becomes a huge problem. The North Pole should be a resource accessible by everyone; however, not for business and marketing purposes but for emergencies.

Fired teacher fights to clear name after 'hit' allegation



Randolph Forde



     Randolph Forde was fired from his job at Mundy's Mill High School when he offered to pay a student to kill another student, whom he suspected to be gay. While there has not been hard evidence which can prove Forde guilty, witnesses have contested against him and as a result the general public believe that Forde is in fact guilty. This incident has been posted all over the news, media and the net, Forde claims that he is very afraid that this will hurt his image and will affect his career. Forde explains that he had taken 15 exams to become a teacher and he has three master's degree and they are now useless. It is said that no one can take away your degree, but what good are they if your name is damaged. Forde is currently struggling with this ordeal, he has been searching for new jobs, but he is not allowed to even enter the building before being rejected. While Forde continously claims that he did not take such allegations, students say otherwise.

     Although the true has not been confirmed yet, it can be drawn to conclusion that little decisions have big consequences. However, since the truth has not yet been confirmed, the media is at fault because they are promoting or suggesting the idea that Forde did in fact commit to the allegation. In addition, the school, parents and media have drawn to such a conclusion just because the victum had claimed so. The victum is in high school, a teen, and it seems irresponsible of the adults to trust the teens with such ease because it could have been something made up to get rid of a teacher whom they do not like. In addition, this could have been a case of racism and because Forde was a certain race, no one trusted him. Granted if this was the case, it reflects that our society is really flawed for putting their bias over facts.

3,634 dead birds collected in Gulf, wildlife service says



A picture of an oiled bird



     The U.S fish and wildlife service have collected 4676 birds as of Tuesday that were victums of the BP well blowout since April 20. Around 3000 of the 4676 birds collected were dead and the rest were clearly affected by the oilspill. The service has sent the live birds to rehabilitation centers in various parts of the U.S in order to recover their health. The birds will undergo a series of washings, feedings and the collection of vital health information. The birds will be released back into the wild once they have replenished their natural body oils and have recovered; the birds are to be released near the coast where they are not likely to get oiled again.

     This article reflects the sad but true fact that humans are slowly damaging the world by destroying the balance of nature. This oilspill; however, is not entirely the corporation's fault, it is also the general public's fault. It is our demands and wants that the corporation's are following in order to make profit, this shows how humans are greedy and irresponsible. Humans take resources from the environment without thinking of the consequences, this is how global warming first developed. Humans, although being the most superior of all species on earth, have destroyed the natural balance. Humans keep thinking of ways to gain more power and it is this will that has put us through evolution at a much faster pace than any other beings. While humans have been evolving at a much faster pace, we have also distorted the balance of the natural world. Ultimately, humans have not stopped to consider the damage they are causing to not just their environment, but the same environment that is shared by trillions of other species. The damage done can not be reversed but we can preserve what is left and it starts with one person changing their demands.

Connecticut doctor relives horror of deadly home invasion

Dr.William Petit shown with his family

 Three years ago in the midst of summer,William Petit had lost his family to a home invasion. Prosecutors confirmed that two men; Steven Heyes,47, and JoshuaKomisarjevsky,30, broke into the Petit household during the month of July in 2007. On Tuesday, September 14, Petit testified against one of the suspected killers, Petit recalled many of his horrific experiences that day. The objective of the invasion was to collect money from the family's safebox. The house as eventually set on fire and both the wife and the two daughters died from inhaling an excess of carbon dioxide. Furthermore, the two men were accused of sexually assaulting both the wife and the two daughters. There were many witnesses to the situation, one being Petit's neighbor, David Simcik whom Petit had asked to call 911 during the invasion. Petit's wife, Jennifer, had also informed her banker hat her family was being held hostage; it seemed however that the banker did not make an effort to ensure the safety of the family.

     The occurrence of this incident is related to the issue of by-standing to a very severe situation. People tend to think someone else will inform the police about the invasion that the Petit household is being held hostage; thus, people will rely on others and will continue to by-stand the situation and not take action. In the case of this incidence, nobody went out of their way to do something as easy as call the police to potentially save the lives of three females. This is a fair and clear reflection of how society has become so self centered and irresponsible when it comes to the well-being of others. On another note, the occurrence of such an event has damaged the reputation of Connecticut; it will be probable that people will assume from this event that Connecticut is not very safe and secure.

Obama: Recession recovery has been 'painfully slow'

Policies made in the last decade while the Republicans were in office has failed to benefit the economy as a whole, it has widened the gap between the rich and the middleclass. As a result of these policies, the economy has become weaker and has caused struggles. Specifically, these were policies which cut taxes and regulations for billionaires and corporate owners; thus allowing the rich to play by their own rules and leaving the rest of the economy to defend for themselves. Ultimately, such policies have set America back in which America is still trying to climb out of to this day as claimed by president Obama. In response to this crisis, the Democrats have: cut taxes for the middle class and small business owners, implemented “common sense rules” which create an even playing field for all classes of the economy, and support tax breaks to companies which create jobs in America rather than overseas. In order to continue his office, Obama will visit four states to recapture the interests of former Democrat voters. As claimed by the Democratic National Committee, the four states that president Obama will hold rallies in have been confirmed, they are: Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada.

Obama’s visits to the four States will definitely be of aid to the upcoming election; however, it seems that the Democrats is attempting to gain the support of citizens through not action but words. Obama has not realized many of the issues that he addressed when he was running for office; there has just been many “future goals and plans” that the Democrats intend to work towards. Thus, in order to create an illusion to cover this fact up, the Democrats have targeted the Republican’s; how they have damaged and set the country back when they were in office. It appears that this is not an election of which party is better, but rather an election of which party is not as worse.

The best way to interest citizens into voting and believing the party is through action. While it is due to the action of the Republicans during the past decade which has created the impression in people that they are unreliable and irresponsible. However, this is not to say that the Democrats are ideal because they are currently standing neutral through the viewpoint of an American citizen because they have not taken enough action. This scenario allows the Democrats to gain the advantage because they are able to blame the Republican’s action to cover for their lack of action since they have been in office. Ultimately, anyone can talk but not everyone can bring change.

Discussion

After the discussion, my partner and I have reached to a similar conclusion regarding our opinions on the issue. My partner leans towards the belief of action over words in response to this issue; furthermore, he believes that Obama is putting much of the responsibilities on the Republicans. Obama has underestimated the problems and setback that has been caused when the Republicans were in office, while this is partly the Republicans fault, the Democrats clearly did not put enough thought into providing the country with a viable solution. Moreover, this is not the time for the Democrats to be putting the blame on others because the primary aspect that voters are interested in is action and nothing less.