Facebook's privacy war not over

Even though simpler “simpler” privacy settings have been announced, Facebook’s privacy disaster is not over quite yet. CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a piece this week, "If people share more, the world will become more open and connected. And a world that's more open and connected is a better world." This, however, contradicts the want of some users to stay private. Also, Facebook has an indirect push towards public sharing, as it changed all your settings to default where it shared more. It was much easier to agree to these settings than to redirect yourself to another page and change it all one by one. Facebook argues that the point of the site is to find new friends or friends of friends. Twitter, a public media, has been a great help to the recovery of some disasters, and it is clear that Facebook may be going for the same effect, but Facebook is a private media, not public. This “public by default” model has benefits to Facebook as a business as you'll spend more time browsing Facebook and you'll comment more and get more out of Facebook. It is only a matter of time until Facebook’s privacy war begins again.

It seems as if Facebook has schemed and talked its way out of another debate on its privacy settings. I have a Facebook account myself, and I believe that the more privacy there is to be provided, the better it will be for the clients. It makes more sense to provide the most privacy or even decent privacy as a default, and then give the consumers an option to change it by themselves. It is not fair that Facebook should take advantage of its clients to profit. Facebook needs to stop thinking it is a public media like Twitter and create a new model that will benefit the business as well as the clients.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/social.media/05/27/facebook.privacy.war.cashmore/index.html

Child Pornography Social Networking Site Found and Shut Down

Authorities have closed down a social networking site where members shared their images of child pornography, and talked about their sexual interests in children. They had a password that protected non-members from seeing the information. The investigation has been ongoing since 2008, and 50 people have been arrested and 35 convicted. At one point, the site had a thousand active members. Most of the people were charged for advertising and distributing child pornography. This all began with 26 people charged in the Southern District of Indiana and then 500 more people throughout the world. This investigation led to charges of sexual abuse as well as there had been several posts where they talked about sexual abuse and posted images of it. Delwyn Savigar of the United Kingdom, the lead administrator of the site, was one of them. He was found to have been linked to unsolved cases of sexual abuse and had been charged for 14 years in prison for three cases of sexual abuse.

The fact that this site had over 1000 members disgusts me. To take advantage of kids who have no way to defend themselves and having sexual interest in them is neither normal nor acceptable. This is different from same sex marriage as these people are taking inappropriate interest over youth. These people need to all be caught and arrested because this isn’t fair to the kids who were abused and taken advantage of, their parents, and the rest of the world that gets disgusted by these people’s behavior. These people deserve death sentences, not just 14 years in jail. What is worse is that this social networking site had been going on for a while and could not be found so easily. What is the point of the Internet if it cannot help the police find criminals that are working on the web? Shouldn’t sites all be indexed to help find them and their members when an investigation like this happens? I believe people should find a plan to be able to do a better, quicker job when a case like this opens again.


http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/27/feds-shut-child-porn-social-networking-site/

Late Pregnancy becomes more Possible

Recently, actress Kelly Preston announced that she was pregnant at the age of 47. This surprised many and made people wonder how good modern medicine is. However, she is considered a baby compared to people who have become pregnant in their fifties. "Most women can get pregnant with donor eggs," said Kreiner, the medical director of East Coast Fertility. The only reason that wouldn’t be possible would be when you have problems with your uterus. Preston also has used donor eggs. It is actually rare to naturally become pregnant after 45. Kort says he has about a 70 percent success rate when women in their mid- to late 40’s use donor eggs. But it costs $20,000 to $30,000 per attempt to get pregnant with donor eggs. There are also consequences to late pregnancy. Although it is deemed quite safe, parents may be too old. Some parents will be in their seventies when their kids graduate high school.

This is good news that people now have the opportunity to choose whether or not they will have a child in their late forties. It is helpful for couples that have been struggling to decide whether or not they will have a child and changed their mind in their forties. Not everyone will be fond of this, but it will give people a chance to have a child, which might have not been possible yet because of a late marriage. People will argue that having children at the age of 47 will be too late and not good for the kids, but this decision was probably thought out for a while and the couple obviously has a good plan. I think that this is one of the good things that are happening with the improving technology of our time.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/27/late.pregnancy.risks/index.html

Case on missing child reopened

In 1979, six-year-old Etan Patz disappeared while walking to his school bus. Lisa R. Cohen, author of "After Etan: The Missing Child Case That Held America Captive", said, “And his mother could see the bus stop at the end of the street and she saw parents there, waiting with kids for the bus, and so she let him go.” He was never seen again. Jose Antonio Ramos, a convicted child molester, was identified as a suspect but never charged. He even admitted at first that the child he took that morning was most likely Etan, but later denied that he even made the statement. Etan’s face was even on the back of a milk carton.
31 years after this unsolved case, it is being reopened. Stan Patz, Etan’s father, said, “Maybe we’ll finally get our day court” when he heard. Erin Duggan said, “It's a case that the district attorney has been aware of since before running for office last year. Last summer he said he would take a fresh look at the case if he became district attorney. Tuesday he confirmed that the case had been reopened.” This case had made a large difference to people’s lives, and needs to have some questions answered now.

It seems as if this case had been abandoned with no questions answered, perhaps due to a lack of proof. I am sure that 31 years later, the technology has improved to find more evidence. However, hasn’t it been too long? Won’t the case be forgotten and will it not be hard to find any evidence now? It seems as if it is too late to try to recover this case. I feel for Etan’s family as losing your 6 year old child would hurt you and make you suffer from guilt and anger. I hope that they will win this case and find the real criminal who would be evil enough to take a helpless six year old. However, I just wish that this had been done perhaps twenty years ago, when the hopes of finding this criminal and perhaps the child is a bit larger. Now, thirty years later, the chances are much slimmer.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/26/new.york.1979.missing.child/index.html

There's nothing like a handwritten letter

Even in this age, when everything is done through electronics, many find there is nothing quite like a handwritten letter. Although typing an email is quick and easy to send, which is exactly why people feel that handwritten letters are so much more special. There has been a drop of 10 billion letters in the past 20 years, and the Post Office plans to stop the Saturday morning delivery next year. Samantha Nelson, who has a boyfriend in South Korea, finds that Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Gmail are far worse than her boyfriend's monthly letters. Other couples feel this way as well. One man who received a letter from former president Ronald Reagan said "E-mail can never replace the excitement and thrill of receiving and opening a personal letter from the White House." Erika Garces, 30, tears up when she sees the only letter that her father sent to her when she was 15. "It makes me feel so important," she said.

This is great that some people are still writing hand written letters to others. I only do it in special occasions, and I find that they give the receiver a lot more emotion and gratitude than simple emails. Handwritten letters show that the person took the time and effort in writing it out rather than pushing a few keyboards. I believe that this global interest in better technology has made us forget about old rituals like sending handwritten letters to each other. I think that this activity will make us think more about what we are saying and it is a good practice. It will also give us a break from computers.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/05/27/letters.irpt/index.html

Apple's Business Practices Questioned

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/biztech/05/27/cnet.itunes.apple/index.html

Will iPad create a new market?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/BUSINESS/05/27/apple.ipad.international/index.html

"I'm paid $150k to do nothing"

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/05/26/atf.whistleblowers/index.html

How important is your name?

Experts say that names are becoming more diverse. Names also influence your grades, job, and etcetera. Two men whose life changed due to their names were Wes Moore and Wes Moore. One Wes Moore was on his local newspaper for having good academic achievements, and the other was on the same newspaper for a jewelry store robbery where one police officer and one father of five were killed. When the first Moore saw that the second shared his name, he befriended him. The first went on to work in the White House and the other went on to get a life sentence. But the two remained in contact. Also, a study showed that a person with a “black sounding” name is 50% less likely to get a call back from a job interview than a person with a “white sounding name”. That is the effect of a name. Names are also getting more diverse as parents are thinking over what to name their child longer. "They want their child to have something neat or inspiring," Michael Campbell, owner of Behindthename.com, said. The number of baby girls who have the most popular name is half of 1960. Some unique names are Neveah, heaven spelled backwards, or Memphis.

Anyone can be named anything, so I don't believe your name makes any difference in your life. Even if there were stories of how a name changed a life, there is no proof that another name wouldn't have done the same effect. I believe that it is not important what you are named, but rather I think a person can change his own destiny. Wes Moore’s name didn’t get him out of jail, and the same name got a person into the White House. There is obviously no effect of names on people. Being named a popular name, or being named a unique name is not important. What is more significant is what you make of that name in your life. It is interesting to see that people want their children to stick out more. However, a name will not be more important than the other aspects of you. If a nation like the U.S. is still discriminating due just to the sound of the person’s name, I think there is a long way to go for racism to be gone.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/05/26/naming.names.importance/index.html

Prime time TV Show has character with autism

In a TV show named "Parenthood" of NBC, the son of main characters Adam and Kristina Braverman, has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (Asperger's syndrome). This is not a usual case, as directors avoid such a sensitive topic. The last prime-time character who had Asperger's was Jerry Espenson on ABC's "Boston Legal." That character ended the show two years ago. "Grey's Anatomy" had a short-term character who was on for three episodes. People who have been affected by the disorder has given it good reviews, one saying, "Overall I think it's been really true to the behavior our Aspie kids display -- which is often confused for being naughty or a lack of discipline. Thanks for doing your homework NBC!" Executive Producer Jason Katims says it didn't clearly seem such a good idea in the beginning. He is personally affected by it as his son has the disorder as well. The show works with experts to make it as real as possible. Some people are not satisfied, however, as the show may not have gone deeply enough into the effects of an autism diagnosis to the family.

It is great that this TV show is accurately representing autism through one of the children. It will do great for awareness for autism as well as making people realize what they were mistaken about autistic kids. It is good that television is creating an awareness for this disorder. I was only worried that they would not be accurate and it might just make the viewers have misconceptions of the disorder, but I am glad that they have been clearly appropriate with how people behave around the child or how the child behaves. I think if they continue to be careful in being realistic and truthful about autism, the idea will be a success in creating awareness as well as for the show as well.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/TV/05/26/autism.in.prime.time/index.html

Paid-for Online newspapers the future?

The Times and Sunday Times newspapers have decided to start charging users for the online service. Some predict that this move will change the course of online newspapers forever.
News International owns these two newspapers. It stated that an online subscription will cost $1.43 per day, or $2.87 per week. Right now, there is a free trial period and the "paywall" will begin in June. Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corp. (News International's parent company) said the free access model was not working. "We are now in the midst of an epochal debate over the value of content and it is clear to many newspapers that the current model is malfunctioning," he said. Some people are wondering whether people will pay this price when there is so much other news available.

I believe that it is actually useless to start charging users online unless the business is sure that everyone will fall in with this idea. If there are many other newspapers that are free, there is no reason to stay with these companies. Unless there is a regulation or contract that forces all businesses to charge for the online services, it is a very risky move to try to start charging people for something that they are used to getting for free. Although the point of this is to make more profit, it might actually make them lose.

www.cnn.com/2010/BUSINESS/05/26/britain.times.online.paywall/index.html

North Korea threatens to use military action

North Korea has accused South Korea of trespassing their waters on Tuesday. (Yonhap News agency) They have now threatened to go back into military action.
A South Korean report has said the the North fired a torpedo at a navy ship, which killed 46 sailors. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said that they will stop trade with the North, close their waters to the North's ships, and have an agressive military attitude towards the North. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged the North to tell what they know of their "act of agression" and said the U.S. supports South Korea's defence immensely. She said that North Korea should stop its "belligerence and threatening behavior." President Obama directed military commanders to work with South Korea now.

As a South Korean, I know my opinion may be very biased, but I feel that through the course of history in the conflicts between the North and the South, the South has not been very agressive
towards the North before the North's behaviour has been wrong. I think that in this case the North Koreans should admit what happened with the Korean ship and avoid a larger conflict. It seems as if the U.S. is ready to fight with the North and that is good in the case of an attack, but it would be best if there is no attack in the first place. That would not be good for the people of Korea, as well as the U.S. It is relieving that the U.S. fully supports its ally South Korea.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/05/25/north.korea.threats/index.html?iref=allsearch

Cop-watchers look for racial profiling

In Phoenix, Arizona, Margarito Blanco and Andrew Sanchez are watching the police

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/11/phoenix.copwatch.arpaio/index.html?iref=allsearch

The Fate of a 12 year old Murderer

13 year old Demarco Harris was sentenced guilty to have murdered Trisha Babcock. However, he did it when he was 12, which means that he was a child when he committed the murder. However, he was sentenced as a 13 year old, who is an adult. It has not been decided yet whether he should be sentenced as an adult or a child. He could be sentenced as a juvenile, an adult, or a combination of the two. Currently Harris is in a juvenile detention center and will be sentenced on June 1st. Steve Babcock, Trisha Babcock's father, feels that Harris deserves to stay in jail for the rest of his life because he "knew what he was doing".

Harris does deserve a lifetime in sentence. However, even though he did know what he was doing, as a child he also should get some counseling and a second chance as it is a horrible thing for a 13 year old to have to live the rest of his life in prison. His parents also must get some of the responsibility as this sort of action almost always comes from the environment that the child lives in.

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/06/fate-of-12-year-old-killer/

Inmates Grow Roots

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/04/12/prison.farmers/index.html?iref=allsearch

Girl Suicides Due to Bullying

Phoebe Prince was a 15 year old girl who suicided on January 14th after a difficult day in school. That day, Prince was harassed in the library. This was actually in the presence of faculty members and other students. However, no one reported it until after the death. It turns out to be that this was not an unusual occasion. Nine teenagers were charged for being involved in bullying Phoebe Prince for three months. They were not happy about Pheobe's relationship with a male student that actually ended 6 weeks before. Phoebe was bullied mostly on school ground, rather than through electronics or such. Furthermore, Phoebe being bullied was known to most of the students and faculty, but nothing was done. Some faculty tried to intervene, but this was inconsistent as well. Charges for these nine students include statutory rape, violation of civil rights with bodily injury resulting, criminal harassment, assault through a dangerous weapon, and stalking. The boys charged for statutory rape may be in prison for life.

If the faculty had stronger rules Phoebe's death could have been prevented. If only the people who knew of this like teachers or other students stood up and did something, this tragedy would not have happened. It is obvious that these bullys didn't know the massive impact they had on Phoebe's life, and it is also clear that Phoebe was struggling because of them. I think that this could have been prevented so easily, which is why it is that much more a tragedy. The rules that the faculty followed were not consistent, and making sure that the faculty knows what they need to do in cases such as this is crucial. Precaution could have allowed people to be aware and careful even before sacrificing Phoebe Prince's life. I think that all school boards need to go over their rules to make sure the faculty know exactly how to react and stop the bullying or harrassment in the school. There should never be a life lost like Prince's again.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/30/massachusetts.bullying.suicide/index.html?iref=allsearch

Ghana Skier in the Olympics

Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong was the only athlete from Guana in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. The "snow leopard" is the first and only skier from his country, but doesn't hope for winning gold. He simply wants to show people how he deserves to be in the hills with the best skiers in the world. Kwame actually learned how to ski on an artifical hill in the UK when he was there to study. He got a job as a receptionist there which gave him free access to the slope. His curiosity then got him onto the real mountain. With the help of his coach Dave Jacobs and his own perseverance, he was able to learn how to ski on the real slopes. To qualify in the Olympics, a skier needs to have a rating of 120- 140. With lots of hard work and support from his community, Kwame was able to persevere for four years to qualify for the Olympics. Even while getting lots of scepticism because of the idea of a man from Africa in the Winter Olympics, he was able to show the world that he has proudly qualified for the Olympics as a Ghanaian.

To be honest, when I first saw Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong ski in the Olympics, I was shocked at how slow he was. Even the announcers were poking some fun at it. However, when I heard the story of how he was a man from Africa who worked hard for a long time to be able to proudly represent his country, it showed me that anything is possible if you can get yourself to go extra lengths to do it. He is a great role model as he proved that focusing on your own goal and not listening to others is important. He showed that you have to find your opportunities. I was inspired by Kwame and I think that he should get more awareness for what he did to change the Winter Olympics.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7939529.stm

Terrible Tommy's 27 Years of Solitude

'Terrible' Tommy Silverstein has been put in solitary confinement for the past 27 years. After being sentenced to 15 years in prison for stealing with his father, he committed in-prison murders. The first one came in 1980, two years after he was sent to prison, when he was convicted of killing a fellow inmate. He was moved to a maximum security prison, where his conviction was actually overturned. Then he was convicted of killing two other inmates at about that time. However, it was the highly publicized, 1983 murder of prison guard Merle Clutts that led to Silverstein's unusual solitary confinement. Silverstein fatally stabbed the 51-year-old. He is now in the high-security prison known as Supermax in Florence, Colorado. His only means of seeing the outside world is through a black and white TV. He writes letters and spends most of his time doing so. He wrote in one letter, "It's almost more humane to kill someone immediately than it is to intentionally bury a man alive." He uses art therapy and writing to express his feelings to the world.

It is unfortunate that Terrible Tommy has to suffer this for some in-prison murders. He has had no contact with any human for 27 years. When I thought of this, I realized that I cannot understand how he would feel. Imagine the frustration and the desperate need and want of talking to someone. Just because he made some mistakes doesn’t mean he has to experience what he says is worse than death. I am sure there are other people who have killed guards, but they were probably not put in this situation. I am not fond of solitary confinement because it hurts the person inside and doesn’t allow them to express anything. They are shut in their own world. It also seems as if Tommy is behaving well under the art therapy and I feel that they need to see if his solitary confinement should end.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/25/colorado.supermax.silverstein.solitary/index.html?iref=allsearch

Security Flaws for Passports

Hackers Adam Laurie and Jeroen Van Beek tested the security by creating a fake passport of Elvis Presley and using it in the Schiphol airport at Amsterdam. It was cleared for travel. By scanning it in an automated passport scanning system, Elvis’s photo showed up on the display. To create the passport, they created content for Elvis Presley and then put it on a chip signed by their own key for a non-existent country, according to Van Beek. The device that read the chip wasn’t able to check the country’s signature. "I think fraud is 100 percent possible," said Laurie. "The passport bit is the more difficult. You would have to buy one from a professional forger or some means, but adding the chip is something we could do ourselves using off the shelf equipment using $100 investment." To make the security safer, all countries need to have an international system where they can check all the countries’ signatures.

I think that this is a sign to us that security will never be perfect. The better the system gets, the better the hacking will get. It seems as if you should never trust the security that is promised, but rather stay aware that anyone could hack the system if they make up their mind. This is also definitely a sign to the governments that our airport security is not good enough. We should not have to wait for another chaos like 9/11 to start making the security better again. We need to take precautions against hacking and try to correct the flaws and do the best we can in making a perfect system.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/02/19/passport.security/index.html?iref=allsearch

Medical Dramas Get it Wrong

Medical dramas like Grey's Anatomy or House seem professional and realistic, but it isn't quite so, apparently. In medical procedures like treating a person with a seizure, they have been showing incorrect and harmful ways to help these patients. For example, the proper way to care a seizing patient is to remove harmful objects, put something soft under their head, and rotating them to the side. However, the characters in these shows have not done these things and instead put things in their mouth, which could actually make the patient choke. In fact, 46% of the seizure procedures in these programs have been deemed inappropriate. Researchers aren't happy because of the thought of viewers being influenced by and remembering the actions of the characters in the shows. Dr. Lisa Sanders, who is the techinical adviser of House, found these errors in the show and told them to the director. However, there were still times when the show broadcasted with the mistakes. Dr. Sanders is not happy right now about how these shows are far from the truth of medical procedures and wants to fix it.

I am disappointed in the accuracy of these shows since they hold large influence over their viewers and should try to do everything correctly. With researchers like Dr. Lisa Sanders nearby helping them with the medical procedures, they cannot make mistakes like these and perhaps cause the death of someone who could have been saved if the show provided correct procedures. They should in fact go over the scenes with treatments and check to make sure every detail is correct. As much as the story is important for the success of the drama, they should not lessen the importance of the reality of the medical procedures. There should be more people who can give advice to the directors of these TV shows so that no problem is in the broadcasted show. I hope that the amount of incorrect information decreases from now on.

Check this article at: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/15/tv.medical.dramas.seizures/index.html

Man Gets $4.1 Million for Being Wrongly Convicted

Tim Masters was investigated for murder from the age of 15 after Peggy Hettrick died near his home in 1987. In 1999, he was put behind bars for a murder charge. Then, in 2008, after new evidence has been provided showing how Masters was not the murderer, he was freed. His attorneys managed to get him $4.1 million from the county for the wrong sentence. However, they say that it is only a start to pay back for the ten years of his life that he will never be able to get back. Wymore, who represents Tim Masters, says that someone should apologize because this isn't just a simple accident. Masters says he would pay $10 million to get his ten years back, but unfortunately that is impossible. The evidence provided by the prosecutors in 1999 was not enough to make sure that Masters was guilty beyond doubt, but he was still sentenced to jail. First of all, there was no physical evidence and they relied only on a psychologist who never talked to Masters and just doodles and sketches by Masters. Tim is now living in his aunt's basement attending school to become an aircraft mechanic. He wants to live a normal life now.

This is ridiculous how Tim Masters was sentenced to jail without any solid proof that he committed murder. If the jury and the judge viewed the case more clearly, it would have been obvious that the prosecutors didn't provide enough evidence to make sure that Masters was guilty beyond doubt. Tim Masters was sent to jail for ten years (and could have been more if his attorneys didn't find new evidence) that he can never get back. No matter how much money he is given now, it would not be enough to make up for the fact that he doesn't have a family or job. Therefore, I feel that to avoid any more cases like this, the judge should make sure that it is absolutely clear that a person is guilty before they are charged. Tim Masters's life was ruined because of a mistake by others. There should be no more victims like him.

Check this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/16/tim.masters.settlement/index.html

Captions on Online Videos?

Google engineer Ken Harrenstien (above) has been deaf since he was five. He enjoyed the Internet because he had no need of a sign language translation, but has had troubles because of online videos that had no caption. Almost all videos on the Internet have no captions and that makes it impossible for deaf people to enjoy them. Harrenstien is working to create captions on videos right now, and the product is great. On Youtube, Google's video search engine, there is auto-caption technology which automatically puts in captions if the user posts the text correctly. However, there aren't a lot of people posting these captions and in the few videos that do have captions, there are many errors due to the program's misunderstanding of words. Dianne Stark of the Described and Captioned Media Program says that Google's program is a start, but there is a 10% error rate and thinks that the government should require captions on online videos to increase the number of captioned videos.

I have never thought about the fact that there are no captions on online videos and this article opened me up to the idea that we should have captions on online videos as the Internet is such a huge and useful network now and should be available to deaf people as well. Although I don't agree with a law to have captions for videos, I feel that promoting this idea and supporting it with better technology and programs to allow the uploaders to conveniently post captions without being put down by difficult and annoying programs. Simply promoting and advertising will increase the number of captioned videos as I am sure that there are many people like me who have never even thought of captioned online videos.

Check this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/02/09/deaf.internet.captions/index.html?iref=allsearch

Michael Jackson's Doctor Surrenders

Michael Jackson's death has been investigated and the cause of his death has been concluded as acute propofol intoxication. Dr. Murray, his doctor, has admitted that he has given the pop star drugs to help him sleep which created the benzodiazepine effect That is now said to be part of the cause of his death as well. Dr. Murray gave him some sleeping aids and left the room and on his arrival, noticed that Jackson was no longer breathing. He has admitted to be at fault for Michael Jackson'
s death and has surrendered. However, he canceled his surrender to authorities for now, but the truth is still out of how he did give him pills that killed Michael Jackson. Some people say that it is not right to arrest Dr. Murray and it is simply a waste of time and money, like Dr. Murray's lawyer Chernoff.

I feel that although Michael Jackson does seem like he died beacuse of Dr. Murray, it is not appropriate to arrest him for it as it does not seem like Murray did it on purpose at all. It was right for Dr. Murray to finally admit that he gave him sleeping aids that were the cause of Jackson's death. However, I feel that it is not necessary to arrest him as he cannot be called a "criminal". Also, Michael Jackson died because he took too many pills and it is not Dr. Murray's responsibility as he gave Michael Jackson instructions that he did not follow.

Check this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/04/michael.jackson.charges/index.html?iref=allsearch

Trial Happening for Home Invasion

On July 23, 2007, two men broke into a house and killed a mother and two daughters. The murderers were Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes. At around 3a.m., they broke into the Petit families house. They sexually harassed Michaela, an eleven year old girl, and Jeniffer Hawke-Petit,the forty eight year old mother before killing the two as well as Hayley, the oldest daughter(17). They also set the house on fire. They are charged with felony murder, kidnapping, sexual assault and arson. Dr. William Petit, the father, wants these two murderers to be sent to death penalty and is fighting for it. He is saying that his family died and it is not justice to allow these men to live. The case was listed as Class A felony which is able to sentence up to 10 years. However, Dr. William Petit will not be satisfied unless they are sent to death penalty. The problem is that the death penalty's existence itself is also being argued. Right now 61% of people are for the death penalty and 34% are not.
Now the place where the Petit family's home was is now a garden.

These two men should be sent to death penalty for sure because of the justice to the the Petit family as well as to make sure these two cruel men will never get a chance to take advantage of other weaker people as well. I feel that it is not right to even give them a second chance for what they have done to this family. Death penalty must remain for cases like this. Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes must sent to death penalty.

Check this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/01/connecticut.petit.slayings/index.html?iref=allsearch

A Pie in the Face

On Monday, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea got a pie in the face. When Shea was beginning to speak to a group, a woman came up and pressed the pie in her face followed with some offensive words like "Shame on you, Gail Shea.." It was later discovered to an act by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), who want to stop the seal hunt that Gail Shea promoted the continuation of. Gail Shea reacted very well to this attack, simply cleaning the pie off her face and continuing her speech. She later said that the pie actually created more reasons to support seal hunting. None the less, Liberal MP Gerry Byrne of Humber-St. Barbe-Baie Verte said that acts like this makes PETA a "terrorist". He wants to use this incident as a test case to file PETA as a terrorist organization that would make it difficult to run and make funds.

It is completely wrong for PETA to even try to such a thing like what happened on Monday. I cannot say that it is wrong for PETA to protest about the seal hunting as they have their rights to have their opinion and express it. However, harming other people's lives while doing so should not be approved of and also violates the rights of Canada. It is unnecessary to attack Gail Shea to share their opinion and bring it in awareness, and acts like this should be stopped immediately, even if it means going to far lengths like MP Gerry Byrne. What Gerry Byrne is doing is right as we can see that PETA is not an organization that is helping the society. If making PETA a terrorist organization is the only choice that we have to stop hurting events like this, then it must be done so.

Check this article at:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/01/25/burlington-shea-pie-100125.html

New Rule Bans Texting for Truck, Bus Drivers

In the United States, a new rule has been passed that prohibits texting on cell phones for people who drive commercial trucks and buses. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced this law on Tuesday, saying that the government wants drivers of large vehicles to be safe, and will continue to work on making people drive less distracted. Truck and bus drivers who go against this law now will be fined $2750 US.
This law doesn't follow normal rule making processes as it is effective immediately, and many people are unhappy about this. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is one of the largest professional truck driver groups. The vice-president of this group, Todd Spencer, is one of the people who don't agree with this process.
However, nineteen states have passed this law, and even President Obama signed a law that prohibits texting while driving government vehicles. Also, there is a new advocacy group that supports victims or families of victims of distracted driving. It is called FocusDriven.
The reason for all this effort to stop distracted driving is clear. There have been car accidents in 2009 that killed up to 62 people, and almost 6000 people have died due to distracted driving.

It is appropriate that this law is placed as the evidence is clear. There have been many deaths due to distracted driving and stopping the use of texting for just truck and bus drivers alone will save lives. However, the fact that the law is placed immediately is unfair to the people as they will be charged unfairly without being aware of the law. Instead of bypassing the normal rule making process and taking money from people who have never heard of the law, it is much more sensible to have campaigns advertising the law and then making it effective when everyone has heard of it. With the way the rule is made effective now, it may save lives but will bring many complaints from citizens.


Check this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/26/trucks.texting.ban/index.html