Entry #10 - February 28, 2014

Water, the new Gold!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Entry #5 - February 8, 2014

Allen again denies molestation claims from Mia and Dylan Farrow

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.

Entry #3 - January 30, 2014

School Shooting in Moscow, Russia

By Lynn Berry

      In Moscow, a 10^th 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 Sergei Gordeyev, an exceptional student who just had a mental breakdown. He threatened the security guard and entered the school to continue on to kill his geography teacher and injure the police officer.

      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.