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.