Tuesday, 3 June 2014
Entry #18 - June 1, 2014
By Laura Ly
A six foot tall heavy set black man, as
police describe, age 25-35, last seen wearing a plain gray shirt recently
stabbed a six year old boy and seven year old girl in the cover of an elevator
in their apartment building located in Brooklyn, East New York. The attacker
then fled the scene and has not been found since. Prince Joshua, also known as
PJ, six years of age, was stabbed in the torso and was pronounced dead on
arrival. The female, seven years of age, with similar wounds, is currently in
critical condition. Bill Bratton, New York Police Commissioner, reported the
children were innocently on the way to get ice cream when this man stabbed them
for no apparent reason. “We cannot have a city where two children going to get
ice cream are stabbed, one killed and the other fighter for her life. That is
not the City of New York that we want to police.”
I think that this is an absolutely
horrible and disgusting event that has transpired. You should never stab
anyone, let alone children! Especially because they are so completely innocent,
they did not do anything towards this man, nor did they even know him. This man
is a coward and a sick human being for doing what he did. Also, sadly, I’m
wondering why the parents were not with these children at the time. Two
children, ages six and seven, should not be allowed out on their own at that
age, especially in a neighborhood like they live in. I hope that this murderer
is caught and given life in prison as what he did was absolutely horrible and
he should be punished as severely as possible.
Sunday, 1 June 2014
Entry #17 - June 1, 2014
By Gayle MacDonald
A new online drinking game titled Neknominations has
surfaced all over the world. The online game involves males and females posting
videos on social networks of themselves chugging alcohol in unexpected places
while doing some sort of outrageous act. The trend started up in Canadian universities
and is growing rapidly in popularity. How the game works is you are nominated
by a friend or peer and you must come up with your own clever and entertaining video
of you chugging alcohol and post it on a social network, once complete you must
tag one of your friends/peers in the caption and they must do their own Neknomination.
Unfortunately, high school and university students do not understand the consequences
that can happen due to playing the game, and two students have already died
this past week in Ireland. Universities such as Queens and Western are starting
up campaigns to encourage students to instead make Nicenominations, in which
you do a random act of kindness instead of chug alcohol.
I think that what Queens and Western is doing is a
good idea and is very important to make sure Neknominations are a thing of the
past. These Neknominations have no upside and will ruin the life of many, many
students. If they are not physically injured by what they do in the video,
which is not unlikely, they will screw themselves up for the rest of their
life. When they are out of school and go out to look for a job, what is the
interviewer going to say when he/she finds their Neknomination video from
university? I can tell you, “Sorry the position has been filled.” These videos
will never be deleted as with all items posted to social media these days, and
it is just bad news to post a Neknomination. I hope they die down soon and that
all of these kids do their best to delete these videos off of all social
networks.
Entry #16 - June 1, 2014
Video of Police Assault on Toronto Man Surfaces
By Jennifer Pagliaro
A recent video has surfaced capturing four Toronto
police officers brutally assaulting a male prisoner in a cell block. The video,
kept secret until now, is currently available for the public to view. The video
shows four police officers brutally beating a man, Curtis Young, for seven
whole minutes, and at the end once they get off of him he is lying unconscious
on the floor of the cell block. Young had arrived at the station just moments
before his beating as he was taken into custody for being drunk in public and
in possession of a bag of marijuana. The camera footage shows Young being
dragged by the police officers, after his arrival at the police station, into a
cell block and beaten mercilessly by the officers for no apparent reason.
Paramedics later arrived on scene to come to the aid of Young.
I think that this is a disgusting abuse of power by
these four “police officers”. They beat this man for no reason other than
because they could, and that is absolutely uncalled for and unjust. It may have
been understandable for the officers to use physical violence if the man was
being violent towards them but he wasn't in any way, and even if he was this
does not warrant a seven minute beating by four police officers. These officers
should be revoked of their badges and charged with assault and abuse of power.
I hope that these men are sent to jail for what they've done, and that they get
a taste of their own medicine whilst there.
Entry #15 - June 1, 2014
By Lori Hinnant
French
authorities have recently demanded 527 DNA Tests composed of both male students
and faculty members as young as 14 years of age at the Fenelon-Notre Dame high
school in western France. The reason they are demanding these DNA tests is
because a girl was recently raped, September 30th 2014, on the
campus of the high school. The investigators are exercising all of their
resources attempting to identify the rapist of the young girl. The rape took
place in a badly lit washroom inside the school. The authorities have not yet
found the rapist, but they are confident they will soon as long as all DNA
tests are submitted.
I think
that while slightly inconvenient, it is extremely important and very good of
the authorities to demand these DNA tests and do all they can to catch this
rapist. This is an extremely serious offense and no one should get away with
committing such a crime. Also the school should install cameras near most of
these washrooms, not inside of course, but definitely near the entrances to
ensure they are able to catch the rapist by simply viewing the camera footage
next time, instead of forcing the whole school to go through DNA testing. For
the sake of the young girl, I genuinely hope that this rapist is found and
dealt a very harsh punishment for his crime, and that he doesn't just get off
with a slap on the wrist as these offenders have been known to get away with.
Thursday, 24 April 2014
Entry #14 - April 24, 2014
By CBC News
A 14 year
old Dutch female has been arrested for an idiotic tweet she sent to the
American Airlines on twitter. The tweet read “Hello my name’s Ibrahim and I’m
from Afghanistan. I’m part of Al Qaida and on June 1st I’m gonna do
something really big bye.” Immediately after the girl posted this tweet, the
American Airlines replied with a tweet of their own reading “Sarah, we take
these threats very seriously. Your IP address and details will be forwarded to
security and the FBI.” In response, Sarah began to plead and apologize to the
airline claiming it was simply a joke, etc. But to no avail, and she has
recently been arrested due to a simple idiotic tweet. It just goes to show that
terrorism is never a subject to joke with, and that you should never put inappropriate
things o the internet thus they come back to bite you, and in this case, quite
severely.
I think
that what Sarah did was idiotic, incredibly ill-advised, and just shows the
education level some of the children around my age have. Never in a million
years would I think doing that would be a good idea, or even have any type of
humor to it whatsoever. It is not a subject to ever joke about and she
completely crossed the line, and sending it to the American Airlines put it way
over the top, more than it already was. I believe Sarah deserves whatever
punishment comes her way, but if I were to dole out the punishment, I believe
she should receive a fine of upwards of $10,000 and made to work upwards of 300
community service hours to learn from her massive mistake.
Entry #13 - April 24, 2014
By Dana Ford
The National Security Agency is reportedly capturing millions of
pictures each day, of people just like you and I, for the purpose of advancing
their facial recognition software. They now have software allowing them to
exploit the flood of images in emails, texts, social media, video conferences
such as Skype, and basically any other software in which images are sent and received.
The NSA is intercepting millions of images per day, but only about 55,000 of
these images are able to be entered into the facial recognition software, which
leaves millions unable to be entered in, leaving mass untapped potential. The
facial recognition software is a computer system that can automatically identify
a person by simply scanning an image or video of the individual. There is still
much work to be done on the software as it has difficulty matching
low-resolution images and side/angle photographs of people. It is currently unclear
exactly how many images the NSA has acquired, but it is extremely certain the
number is shockingly high.
I think that this is quite scary that they are intercepting our
personal and private images and video calls without us having any clue that it
is happening. They could be watching me right now I and I wouldn’t even know,
and this is quite a frightening thought. I do understand why they are doing it
though as these images will help enhance the software and help to solve major
security breaches and be a great help in all the crimes around the world, I
just wish they could acquire these images in a less creepy manor.
Entry #12 - April 24, 2014
First Nations leaders move to reject Conservatives on their on-reserve education bill. The First Nations are opening talks with the government on the issue, voicing their vision challenging the powers of the currently leaderless First Nations Assembly, and confront Ottawa. In a rare meeting involving the AFN Confederacy of Nations and the First Nations leaders, they passed a resolution which rejects the First Nations control of First Nations Education act, and now calls for a Confederacy committee to enter the discussion.
I don't believe this is fair or just in any way. First of all, it's called the First Nations Education act for a reason, and to deny them control of their own act is completely unfair. Second of all, who are we as a people to tell another group of completely able human beings how they are allowed to educate their race. Third of all, us as a race basically destroyed theirs in multiple ways including stealing their land, raping their women, and attempting to assimilate their culture into ours almost destroying them as a race. For once I think we should just lay off the First Nation's and allow them to live their lives the way they choose and stop interfering and restricting them, they are people too and deserve to be treated with the same amount of respect and dignity, and should be allowed to choose how to educate their own children.
Entry #11 - April 24, 2014
By Tonda MacCharles
Ottawa is now unable to act by itself to be able to reform the Senate or limit terms/appoint elected senators. To do so they must first have the consent of seven provinces, encompassing half the country's population, this has been set in place by the Supreme Court of Canada last Friday. To abolish the Senate completely their must be unanimous consent with all federal Parliament and all provinces, including the countries top court. This marks a monumental defeat for our Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, as the high court dismissed almost every single argument he and his lawyers had brought forward, and these new regulations have been set in place.
I feel that these regulations are too extreme and that it shouldn't take the approval of seven provinces to simply limit terms of Senators, or reform the Senate. I believe that if at least three provinces outside of Ontario feel that the term should be limited, or a reformation is necessary, that that is enough. Going through seven whole provinces there is generally going to be one to disagree, and to not be able to make the change that is needed due to one of seven provinces I find a bit silly. Three outside of Ontario should be enough, four in total. As for the abolishing of the Senate regulation I do believe these are fair and the correct regulations for such a powerful act. Abolishing the Senate is an extreme act and it is only fair that it must be approved by everyone it affects, which it is by including every province, all federal Parliament, and the countries top court. In conclusion, my thoughts on the limiting terms/reformation/appointing elected senators is the regulations are too strict, but the regulations for abolishing the senate are fair and just.
Friday, 28 February 2014
Entry #10 - February 28, 2014
By Patrick M. Sheridan
As
most of us know the world is almost completely covered in water, yet only 2.5%
of that water is fresh water, and only a certain portion of that is actually
drinkable! Wall Street has definitely taken notice many are quickly reaping the
benefits in the investing game due to H2O. Water is an astonishing 600 billion
dollar business, projected to grow to a whopping 1 trillion in just six years!
With the population rising, and our supplies of drinkable water decreasing,
albeit slowly, there is a high potential for "water wars" uprising in
areas like Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. This will do nobody any good, and
is definitely something to watch out for in the future.
For myself, I seriously hope that this means water prices don't spike, as gas has recently does, because I drink upwards of ten bottles of water a day, and if it was any more expensive than it is now I'd be greatly hindered in my water consumption, and we all know how important hydration is! Also regarding the "water wars" I hope that nothing of the sort ever arises, war only causes destruction and anger, instead of having no water, these countries are going to have much less if they engage in these "water wars". Quite frankly it seems incredibly silly, for something that seems so easy, and simply a human right, to have major countries fight over it, but I guess that's what happens in this supply and demand filled world. For everyone's sake, I seriously hope that no "water wars" break out, and that water does not rise in price much higher than what it is right now.
Sunday, 23 February 2014
Entry #9 - February 24, 2014
No working record of babies deaths in unregulated daycare centers around Ontario
By Laurie Monsebraaten
No one, and I mean no one, is keeping a
record of how often babies die in the many unregulated child care centers
around Ontario! A reported four babies have died in the last seven months in
these unregulated home daycares, but no one, not even the Provincial Coroner’s
Office, or even the Provincial Education Ministry could know or say if this was
unusual. The Coroner’s office is currently investigating the cause of three of
the four cases, as for the fourth, the caregiver was charged with manslaughter.
For investigative reasons, the exact cause of death has been hidden and kept
secret from anyone outside of the case itself.
Note: The Coroner’s office is the main
body who investigates all child deaths not due to natural causes and all
deaths of children when the Children’s Aid is involved.
I feel that there should absolutely be a perfect record of how often babies die in these unregulated child care centers around Ontario, as it is important to know how often this is happening to see if rates are going up or down, and if it is rising what we can do to stop/lower it. It is appalling that we don't already have a working system in place, and the system needs to be updated immediately to include the deaths of babies in unregulated child care centers. This would help us to know the trend of babies dying in these places, if it is rising we must put more severe measures in place to ensure they begin to decrease. For these reasons, I believe that there should definitely, 100%, be a working record of how often babies die in the many unregulated child care centers around Ontario.
Tuesday, 18 February 2014
Entry #8 - February 19, 2014
Ukraine issues arrest warrant for President Viktor Yanukovych
By Ralph Ellis and Nick Paton Walsh
The Ukrainian authorities in Ukraine
have just issued a warrant for arrest on their own president, Viktor
Yanukovych. He is wanted for the mass killings of civilians. Arresting him seemed
to be a nearly impossible task once the mission started, as no one knew where
he was! Over the weekend, it was determined that he had fled to Kharkiv, a
pro-Russian stronghold located near the border. He then tried to board a plane
and fly out, to an unknown area, to escape. He was turned away by the pilot
though, as he didn't have any of his documents. By Monday, he had fled again,
and his whereabouts are currently unknown, but he states that he is still in
power, “I don’t plan to leave the country. I don’t plan to resign. I am the legitimate
President,” he said on Saturday via a television appearance.
I feel that President Yanukovych should
be immediately stripped of his powers and duties until found, and tried. It
seems pretty clear that he is guilty of some or all the killings he is wanted
for, as there is no reason to run and flee to such the extent that he has. Currently
I believe he is doing no good for the country, and is a guilty criminal fleeing
from the police and authorities. How can be helping anyone if he’s in hiding? I
feel that he should be relieved of his powers and duties until he is tried, an
only reinstated if he is found to be innocent. His second in command should be
put into power immediately, and they should concentrate all their power and
resources on finding Viktor Yanukovych.
Entry #7 - February 18, 2014
Obama Imposes His Views on Political Violence in Ukraine
By Elise Labott and Tom Cohen
On Wednesday the United States took a tough approach while
trying to halt the political violence in Ukraine. The president, Barack Obama,
himself condemned the tragedy in which 26 people were killed Tuesday, which
then spread on into Wednesday beyond Kiev. The reports of protesting, and protesters taking over
government buildings have become infinite it seems. Obama has spoken
on the subject, saying that the USA expects the Ukrainian government to show some restraint against the peaceful protesters, or there would
be consequences. He also told the Ukrainian military to "Stay out
of it!", which they have thus far.
I feel that what
Obama has done and said is just as innocent men and women do not to be killed
or hurt due to them standing up for their beliefs in a non-violent, non-harmful
way. In a country with such strict rules as the Ukraine, I feel that it is
important for an outside pressure, such as the USA and Obama, to be present to
protect the peaceful protesters of the Ukraine. The peaceful Ukrainian protesters differ greatly from the other more harmful protesters. These
peaceful protesters are only looking to voice their discomfort on these
political decisions and views, they are not harming anymore, they are not a
threat, and they are not doing anything wrong, but voicing their opinion. These
men and women deserve the right to stand up and voice things they don’t agree
with. For these reasons, I believe Obama is completely within his right to
enforce his powers to protect these innocent men and women.
Monday, 10 February 2014
Entry #6 - February 10, 2014
UN letter to North Korean leader warns on-accountability for ‘crimes against humanity’
By John Heilprin
A U.N. panel recently warned Kim Jong
Un, the leader of North Korea, on Monday that he may be held accountable for
being the cause of widespread horrific crimes against the civilians of the
North Korean nation. These crimes range from executing prisoners, to torturing
them, to abductions, and even starving of mass populations. Generally, U.N.
reports don’t report directly towards a nation’s leader, like Kim Jong Un, but
in a letter, accompanied by a yearlong investigative report it directly and
clearly warned Kim Jong Un that international prosecution and punishment was needed
“to render accountable all those, including possible yourself, who may be
responsible for crimes against humanity”.
Another quote, directly taken from the
letter sent to Kim, explains, “Even without being directly involved in crimes
against humanity, a military commander may be held responsible for crimes
against humanity committed by forces under the commander’s effective command
control.”
I feel that Kim Jong Un should be held
responsible for any and all crimes that he was a part of, that he illustrated,
that he knew of but still let happen, or even heard of and turned a blind eye.
As a leader of a nation you have a strong duty to protect those within your
nation, and to let people in your nation succumb to execution, torture, abduction,
and even starving is sickening and should be a wakeup call that you are failing
as a leader. And what makes it worse, was the Kim Jong Un was involved in one,
or more, of all of the events listed above. For a leader to be involved in such
horrible situations, sets a terrible example for his people, and without solid
leadership on good morals, the North Korean nation will never be able to rise
up out of the position they are in, and will be trapped in a downward spiral forever.
So there is no excuse for Kim to have done what he has, and he should he held
accountable, and punished/prosecuted for every illegal act he has committed.
Sunday, 9 February 2014
Entry #5 - February 8, 2014
By the Associated Press
Woody Allen is denying, for the second
time, the molestation charges of his adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow. He is
also calling ex-partner, Mia Farrow, a “Vindictive, spiteful, and malevolent,”
in an open letter which was published Friday by The New York Times. The
78-year-old filmmaker, Woody Allen, clams Dylan Farrow’s open letter included “creative
flourishes that seem to have magically appeared during our
21-year-estrangement.” This lead to this following quite by Allen, “Of course,
I did not molest Dylan. I loved her and hope one day she will grasp how she has
been cheated out of having a loving father and exploited by a mother more
interested in her own festering anger than her daughter’s wellbeing.”
I feel that Woody Allen is innocent and
did not molest Dylan Farrow. I feel this way because way back, at the actual
time the claims were made, the case was investigated by top notch experts in
this field, and found Allen innocent of the charges, and that there was no
evidence to suggest he had molested Dylan. I believe that Allen’s wife, the one
pressing charges on behalf of her daughter, was angry that Allen left her for her
other 19-yr-old adopted daughter. I believe that she was angry and appalled at
the actions of Allen, and in spite decided to try and take Allen down in any
way she could, and the easiest way seemed to be through her youngest daughter,
Dylan. I believe Dylan was used as a piece of a spiteful puzzle used by Mia to
get Allen in trouble, I believe that is all there is to this story, or Allen
would’ve been found guilty in the first place.
Entry #4 - February, 5, 2014
Terrorist suspect Khurram Syded Sher faces trial in April
By Jim Bronskill
In Ottawa, a highly odd chain of events
has a man, who once auditioned for Canadian Idol on TV, is facing charges of
terrorism! The man, by the name of Khurram Syed Sher, resides as a pathology
doctor from London Ontario. He is being tried, by judge only, in an Ottawa
courtroom. Khurram, of age 31, was charged alongside two other men for conspiracy
to facilitate terrorism, in August of 2010. The other two mean are not
permitted to be named at this time due to a recently imposed publication ban,
to ensure the jury for the April trial has no bias. Following the three
arrests, police told public they had seized terrorist videos, literature and
manuals, and dozens of electronic circuit boards, set to detonate homemade
bombs from far away.
If I were the judge, there wouldn't be a
doubt in my mind that these men were a terrorist threat. I would seize all of
the items that were in their possession, and after further investigation of
them, lock them safely away in police evidence. Also, I highly believe that
these men are guilty of plotting terrorist attacks, that will be followed out
in short time if they aren't stopped, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they have
already been a part of the recent attacks there have been. I highly doubt any
chance of a valid explanation for having such items in their possession, and
once proven guilty, I would throw all three of these men in prison for life
without any chance of parole. I would then deeper investigate their living
patterns and monitor who they were interacting with, to see if there are any
other men who pose a terrorist threat as these men do. I sincerely hope these
men are put away for life, and the threat is taken off the streets, or it is unfathomable
what these men might do.
Wednesday, 5 February 2014
Entry #3 - January 30, 2014
By Lynn Berry
In Moscow, a 10th grade
student waltzed into school on Monday, carrying two rifles, a brutally murdered
his 76-year-old geography teacher, and then proceeded on to murder a police
officer, and severely injured another until he was able to be contained and
taken into custody. The one saving grace was the boy didn't harm any of the 400 students present at school that day. Shootings like this in Russian schools are
extremely rare, and students and teachers alike were found fleeing from the building without even stopping to put on their coats, in the below-freezing weather outside. The student was identified as
This is an appalling event, that seems to be becoming far too common lately. I think that it is due to the immense amount of stress students are put under lately at such a young age, combined with the desensitization to violence today's teens are introduced to at such a young age. This is due to the media primarily, with the tons of violence and action movies now storming the screens, and also, the main contributor is the video games today. We have games such as Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, Halo, etc. all geared towards killing one another in brutal ways. This, unlike what the video games companies say, does contribute to kids and even young adults getting the idea that is okay, and that it is an acceptable way to deal with conflict, when really it is the complete opposite. This, mixed with the pressure to get high marks from both schools and parents is why we live in such a violent society today, and if it doesn't slow down, and the stress is relieved somehow, and the video games are reserved for children of an older age, who can understand what is right from wrong, we will have more of these shootings. This must stop, before more innocent people lose their lives.
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Entry #2 - January 28, 2013
Police played ‘wheel of torture’ game to punish Philippines criminal suspects
By Jim Gomez
In the distant lands of the Manila, Philippines it has been discovered that a group of Philippine police offers had created, and were playing, an almost "Wheel of Fortune Game Show" type game in order to determine the punishment for their prisoners. The game includes many shocking sections such as a section called the "Manny Pacquiao", a boxing star, in which the prisoner/detainee is punched repeatedly for twenty straight seconds. The prisoners/detainees, generally populated by drug traffickers, were also forced to endure such punishments as the "30 second bat" where the prisoner was hung upside down for thirty seconds, and others such as the "3 minute zombie", and the "30 second duck walk". The last two tortures listed have not yet been determined as to what the prisoner actually had to do, but more info on the case is being gathered day to day.
I think that this a terrible, and completely unjust way of dealing with prisoners, and that it is also a huge violation of human rights. I am aware that these prisoners have, for the most part, committed quite heinous crimes, but there is a right way, and a wrong way to deal with these people, and that was not it. The punishment should not have been carried out as if it was some sort of game/joke to the police officers. It should be taken as a very serious matter, and it should be carried out professionally, no matter who it is that they're punishing. It is sick that these police officers actually got joy, and even fun, out of doing a job that many would barely have the stomach for when done the proper, professional way! I feel that these police officers should be relieved of their duties immediately, and that they should be forced to take some sort of counselling to find out why they are able to enjoy such a thing. A person who is so desensitized to the violence, pain, and torture of someone else, is a very dangerous person, as there is no telling what they will do, and how far they will go, and it doesn't seem these police officers have any limits whatsoever.
Friday, 24 January 2014
Entry #1 - January 24, 2013
Mentally Ill Man Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy
By The Associated Press
A mentally ill man from Britain, by the name of Mohammed Asgar, has been sentenced to death
today in Pakistan due to his conviction of blasphemy. He was arrested in 2010
in Pakistan for claiming to be the one and only Prophet Muhhamad, a sacred
figure of the Muslim culture believed to be the last prophet sent by God for
mankind. After his arrest, Asgar was treated for paranoid schizophrenia, and it
was determined he did indeed have this mental illness. Asgar's lawyers are
extremely worried about his mental state, especially being trapped inside a
prison, and find it extremely unfair to sentence a man to death simply for
claiming he is someone he's not, due to his mental illness. They have, and will
continue to fight aggressively against the court for Asgar’s release, and for
them to drop all charges on grounds of mental health.
I side with the lawyers on this one, as I
feel it is incredibly unfair, and unjustly harsh that this poor man has been
sentenced to death for saying things that he can't control, nor help.
Schizophrenia is a very serious mental illness, and due to his illness most
things Asgar said should be taken with a grain of salt. I don't believe he was
trying to disrespect, deceive, or harm anyone, and I feel that there is no
reason to send him to prison, or sentence him to death. The only valid solution
I see is for Asgar to be put in a mental institution where he can receive the
help and security he deserves. Where his opinions, thoughts, views, and outbursts
will not cause anyone harm, and will keep him out of trouble with the law.
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