The U.S. Government Shutdown- Heather L. Harris 1st

               During a Monday night meeting as the House of Representatives realized they could not overcome senate objections to a proposal that includes provisions towards derailing Obamacare. In result to this realization, the shutting down of the government seemed certain. The current plan to have a vote that puts a request to Senate to work out their differences. Even though the proposal was denied, essential crime prevention and military services would continue but some workers would furloughed. Claiming that we are all "in this together", Holder said he would cut his pay by the same amount as the most severely affected Justice Department empolyees. 

Rumors have started to circulate on whether on not this will be a real life "Purge" but I feel that it is highly unlikely. The government should be able to come to some conclusion before tomorrow. The last time the government shut down, it cost 1.4 BILLION to reopen it.. Our country is just now starting to get a little life and this would completely set us back.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/politics/shutdown-showdown/index.html?c=homepage-t&page=7

Miss Teen USA: Screamed Upon Learning She was 'Sextortion' Victim by Joi Ware

Summary: 19 year old, Jared James Abraham, was arrested for allegedly taking nude pictures from girls private webcams. The rumor going around is that the criminal and the Teen Miss USA winner went to high school together, Wolf said the two had no personal connection in high school. She thought his name was familiar when she first heard he was a suspect but let the thought go. Her computer was hacking months before the first threat which was in March. When Wolf first saw the photos she said it felt like she was in a movie. It was reported last month that some high end tv's with built in cameras can be hacked into. Without proper security procedures these hackings will continue.
Analysis: This is crazy, I was watching a news segment on this a couple of weeks back. It showed that it could hack into girls computers with built in webcameras or even girls phone. Could you imagine coming out of the shower and a picture gets taken of you? Nude? and how horrifying it would be to get a message of yourself revealed? What this girl had to go through must have been a horrifying experience. Its so sad that people have to stoop so low to get they want instead of earning it like every other person in this world. Its a crazy crazy world we live in and day by day it keeps getting weirder.
For the full story visit, http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/27/us/miss-teen-usa-sextortion/index.html?hpt=us_t5

Casey Lampert- Breakthrough Melanoma Treatment

A drug called ipilimumab came out in 2011, it was a drug meant to help treat patients with melanoma. Now, after tests were run, we have found that this is true. This drug can extend a melanoma patients life by 10 years, and scientist are hopeful that it's the key to unlocking the cure for skin cancer. Seeing as how melanoma is the most fatal kind of cancer, this can be a major step to figuring out how to defeat it once it spreads past the first stages.

I think that this breakthrough is extraordinary. I have had members of my family and close family friends pass away to cancer and even though it's not the kind they had it still shows potential for the making of more cures that could one day pertain to them. These are the scientific breakthroughs that keeps society moving forward towards bigger and better things and I'm so happy that I'm able to see the makings of a huge accomplishment.

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/breakthrough-melanoma-treatment-hailed-as-key-to-cure-163831369.html

Felicia Padilla 5th period: "NYC inmate almost as costly as Ivy League Tuition"

"NYC inmate almost as costly as Ivy League Tuition"

Summary: Mostly everyone knows that New York is an expensive place to live. But, I bet most people didn't know that it is expensive just to be an inmate. That's right, last year "the city's annual cost per inmate was $167,731," which is about how much tuition would cost to attend an Ivy League school for four years.  New York's most infamous facility, Rikers Island, could be to blame. It costs a tremendous amount of money to staff and maintain an island. New York's entire Department of Correction spent about $2 billion last year . Rikers Island spends $30.3 million annually just to cover the cost of transportation.

Analyze: Wow! For me, this is hard to understand because $2 billion is such an enormous dollar amount and it is hard to wrap my mind over exactly how much money that is, and exact what you could buy with it. However, it does seem like too much money is being spent in New York to house inmates. Annually, it costs $167,731 per inmate. Some people, even families, don't even make that much in terms of their annual salary.  It probably isn't as easy as it seems, but to me it seems like New York could easily cut down their spending by a couple of thousand dollars a year. Imagine what else New York could do with that money. Let's pretend that a meal costs $5. If New York cut back their spending on inmates by $100,000 out of their $2 billion dollar annual spending. New York could buy 20,000 meals. By doing further math I calculated that they could feed almost 55 people a meal everyday of the year. New York could feed the homeless person that is on the street corner, or the 2 year old baby in a family that only makes $40,000 a year and has 3 other kids. It may not seem like such a huge change when you take into account the total population of New York, but making any change is still a change.

http://news.yahoo.com/nyc-inmate-almost-costly-ivy-league-tuition-060108220.html

Train crash - Jasmine Easter

     September 30th at 8 AM an out of service Chicago commuter train mysteriously found it's way onto tracks and crashed into another moving train. No one knows how the train made its way onto the tracks. Each train has to be manually started so someone had to have started that train. The only question is who? Investigators are looking into security footage and interviewing workers to try and find out what really happened.
     Could someone have really wanted those trains to crash? if so why? what could anyone have to gain from injuring 43 people? unless it was a mistake. one of the workers could have accidentally done something to start the train.Who is behind this mysterious accident?

 http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/us/chicago-train-crash/index.html?hpt=us_c2

Sarah Klein- Countdown: GOP unity frays as shutdown grows near

House Republicans scaled back their demands to delay the nation's health care law Monday night as the price for essential federal funding with a threatened government shutdown imminent. However, President Barack Obama and Democrats rejected the proposals as quickly as they were made.  Democrats remained steadfast in rejecting the proposals of the quavering Republicans.

The stock market dropped on fears that political tensions between the White House and the GOP would escalate. Analysts suggest that no great damage would occur to the national economy as long as the shutdown didn't last for more than a few days. In these few days, however, thousands of Americans would be at the least inconvenienced by the absence of the government and all the programs it sponsors.

http://news.yahoo.com/countdown-gop-unity-frays-shutdown-grows-near-184911126--finance.html

Sarah Klein- U.S. Postal Service defaults on $5.6 billion for future health benefits

The U.S. Postal service defaulted on more than $5 billion dollars on Monday. This money is mandated annually by Congress to prefund the healthcare cost of future Postal Service retirees. The requirement was set in the thriving, pre-crisis economy of 2006, but these mandates, along with a sharp decline in mail volume, have put the agency's finances in jeopardy.

The agency has begged Congress for legislative reforms that would lead to the removal or revision of the healthcare mandates. Leaders of the Postal Service have also proposed allowing the agency itself to run its own healthcare system, which would no doubt cut down on costs and provide more effective services.

http://news.yahoo.com/u-postal-defaults-5-6-billion-future-health-215529284.html

Springtown TX, Hate Crimes

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/Springtown-Police-investigating-possible-hate-crime-gay-man-severely-beaten-224932742.html

So, there was this openly gay man in SpringTown, Texas named Arron Keahey. And from what I gathered, he never really hurt anybody or made anybody feel uncomfortable. However, one day this man decided to create a fake profile of a gay man on a social gathering site called "Meet Me" so this man reached out to Keahey and invited him over to his house... Well when Keahey got to his house, he was ambushed, severely beaten, and left for dead.

First of all let me just start off by saying; Arron Keahey actually came into Baskin Robbins on Saturday night, he and his mother were a true blessing. They were the nicest, and most engaging customers I had all night. As I was ringing them up for his ice cream, Arron asked me if I recognized him. I said no, and I asked him very politely why he thought I might've. He asked if I knew anything about SpringTown and the hate crimes going on out there. I was shocked when he asked me this, I told him I had no idea and I asked him what's been happening. And then his mother looked me in the eyes and said "Someone beat the pope out of him and left him for dead cause he was gay"
As soon as I heard those words, my heart sank to my feet. I couldn't believe what I had heard. This story truly put things into perspective for me, it taught me that I'm very lucky to have the life I have today and it made me feel so blessed to know that I'm around tolerant, loving, and safe people everyday.

North Carolina Voting Conflict Jack Mckay

Summary: The North Carolinian Department of Justice filed a law suit on Monday, tightening voting procedures which includes requiring photo ID in order to cast ballots. Some people feel as though the intent and effect of the law is discriminant. The four changes to the law are the requirements of photo ID to cast ballots; the shortening of early voting from 17 days to 10; the elimination of same-day voter registration during early voting; and restrictions on counting some provisional ballots. The part of controversy is over the photo ID. Democrats feel as though it doesn't protect voters who don't have identification and that it would disproportionately affect minority voters while Republicans think that if the troops are dying over seas for our freedom and our rights, then we must be as careful as possible to not have any fraud voter ID's in order to have fair elections. 

Analysis: I can see how both sides have good and bad feelings about this law being passed. Republicans are right in the thought of having fair votes to elect the people to run tho country in honor of what we're fighting for. But I can also see how the Democrats find it too limiting to who can vote and having everybody's opinion voiced. I did some research (watched the video at the top of the page) and heard that getting a voter ID is free and available at pharmacies and grocery storers so anyone can get one so I think that the law is there to help create a better and more fair voting environment. 

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/us/north-carolina-voting-lawsuit/index.html?hpt=us_c2

Suspect in a River - Nasya King

Well they say that the suspect of a shooting which killed one man and wounded another eas recently found in a river in New York. Now the people he supposedly shot are business men and police think it was a business dispute. They have not yet determined the cause of death for the floating river man, and have not identified him as the actual shooter. However they say they are not looking for any other suspects. When the shooting occured, nearby schools were closed down in fear that this was another terrorist attack. So here is my thing, now everybody's going to remember this dead man as the suspect in the river. We're not actually going to close the case so much as just say this guy did it and leave it alone type of thing i guess. Why should we put this guy's face on the crime? We don't even know if he ever shot anyone in his life. And it's not like the police have a record of getting the right guy on the first try. I'm a little upset because when these reporters shar enews, they never understand how it can affect someone's family, loved ones, and just plain old subjective memory. Now you have people thinking back like, hm he did seem like a killer when we were sipping oolong tea the other day. What's the point in getting the story if it just ruins some one's reputation. Even some one dead. Give him some respect and don't call him the suspect of the shooting that was found in the river. Sang Ho Kim, R.I.P.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/30/ny-shooting-suspect-body-found/2898809/

Kyla Cakarnis Current Event

"Venezuela expels top U.S. diplomat, two other embassy officials"

Venezuela's President, Nicolas Maduro, accused three U.S. diplomats of meeting with and financing right-wing political opponents of his government. He gave, in a televised announcement, the diplomats 48 hours to leave the country. However, Maduro has not given any official notice to the United States of the expulsions. The U.S. denies the allegations and any involvement in conspiracy. This is not the first time this has happened, in March, two U.S. embassy officials were expelled for accusations of plotting to destabilize the country. His actions against the United States lead U.S. officials to believe Venezuela is not interested in improving relations at this time.

These accusations seem premature and sudden. It seems these diplomats were not given much notice of their expulsion. I think this is unfair to these diplomats and the U.S., it gives the U.S. a bad rep. For other countries, without full knowledge about the unfair, biased circumstances, they may stray away from relations with the United States. It seems when there are problems in Venezuela, Maduro defers the blame from himself and places blame on others.

Source:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/world/americas/venezuela-us-diplomats-expelled/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

"Obama Criticizes House G.O.P. as Senate Rejects Budget Plan" (Melissa Kurtzman, 5th Period)

Summary: Republicans in the House of Representatives are trying to pass are bill that would delay a government shutdown for another year due to budget problems but Republicans in the Senate keep rejecting the deals. If a deal doesn't pass soon, the government will go into a partial shutdown starting at 12:01 AM Tuesday morning. This debate has been a long-tme coming, but the big issue started when Republicans started trying to defund Obamacare; since they have the majority in the Senate, it has been hard to pass laws that would prevent such actions. House leaders keep saying that they need to cut parts of the health care plan, which goes into effect tomorrow, as a price for keeping the government open. If the government does shutdown, thousands of federal workers will be expected to work without pay and many offices will be temporarily closed.

Analysis: I don't understand what a government shutdown really means, but I know that it will be bad for a lot of people, especially those who work for the government, since they will be expected to continue to work without pay. I think that the Republicans and the Democrats need to come together and think about what will be best for the American public. A national survey published today reveals that over 80% of Americans have been unhappy about the way the government has been functioning recently. The results of this survey come as no surprise considering how Senators and Representatives have been handling business lately. I hope that Congress can come together in the final hours of tonight and prevent a government shutdown. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/01/us/politics/congress-shutdown-debate.html?hp&_r=0

NSA mines Facebook for connections, including Americans' profiles (Haley Hill, 4th)

NSA mines Facebook for connections, including Americans' profiles

By David Simpson and Pamela Brown, CNN

Not only does the NSA use phone calls and emails to use information for the government, it now has adapted a new way of filtering information- social media. These connections with social media act as a 'social map connection' that traces people's contacts throughout the world. This information was disclosed by Edward Snowden to the New York Times on sunday.

According to the information given, this was created after a policy change in November of 2010. The idea is to "discover and track" connections from foreign suspects to American people. This new information is used to 'enhance' the information from phones and emails by using geo tagging, insurance and tax records, and other public and private resources. However, a PowerPoint presented by Snowden proves in diagrams of where a person is at all times, their friends who are with them, their social network connections and email recipients.

I don't really know who to believe in this situation because neither side is a credible source. However I think that going into people's social live's is a bit extreme, if there is a court order then I feel like it's acceptable, but not without one.

Helicopters are scary! --- Morgan Brown 5th

The veterans in America are everywhere. Most of them spend their time finding things to keep them occupied. Carl R. Enlow was a 69 year old veteran that died today. Enlow died last Friday during a freak accident. He was flying a helicopter and decided to land to refuel as welmad switch pilots. When climbing back into the copter, the blade hit him while he was speaking to the replacement pilot. Carl R. Enlow had more than enought experience to fly the copter. He had more than 50 years of flying.

The entire situation is strange and shocking. Most wouldn't expect this particular situation would happen to a person with more than 50 years experience doing a certain activity. Being hut by the blad was completely out of the ordinary.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/us/helicopter-pilot-death/index.html?c=us

Angel Pineda - 1st Pd, Chicago Train Crash

      This morning, a train crash was reported in Chicago. Authorities have considered the train was set in motion, sending 33 people to the hospital. Fortunately, all 33 people have suffered minor injuries and no major injuries or deaths have been reported. Officials said that while the incident was likely mechanical failure as Chicago Transit Authority spokesman Brian Steele stated, "We have no indication at this point that there has been any criminal activity but we are doing a thorough investigation." Everything that is a possibility is being looked at." The train was moving at a rate of 20 miles per hour when the train crashed, which caused the Blue Line train service to be shut down during rush hour.

ANALYSIS: This accident could've been A LOT worse than what actually happened. It's a miracle no one was seriously hurt or killed in this incident. From this point on, it seems all will be well for the people who were in this train wreck.

Leslie Kelly: Suburban Dallas cop helps deliver surprise baby

Okay, I know this article is kinda skimpy but I really wanted to talk about it because I just think this is so cool. So, a few days ago in Carrollton, a police officer was beckoned to investigate an emergency, and upon entering the house in danger was surprised to find that the emergency didn't involve violence but new life. He ended up helping to deliver the baby himself and now the baby and mother are safe in a local hospital. This is a pretty small story, what with our world of heated debates, war, and social justice issues, but it's so lovely to know that nice things happen too, don't you think? To the fast-paced world, this is indeed a tiny story of little consequence, but to the people involved it was probably life-changing, and thinking about that helps to remind me that at the very core of our beings, we humans are caring and all capable of selfless heroism. Ugh sorry for getting all rosy and idealistic. Okay here's the itty bitty article.

Zane Mallett - 5th - More Balloons!

Summary: NASA has decided to send a balloon up in space to get a view at an anticipated comet. They wanted to do this because they wanted to quickly get up into space with something that was low on cost and that was relatively simple (as apposed to something like a rocket or rover.) The balloon is expected the last around 10 hours after reaching it's maximum height of 120,000 feet above the earth. The launch is expected to be at around 9 am on Saturday. Comet ISON is already nearing Mars and will soon be near the earth and visible during the early weeks of the new year.

Analysis: I think this method to studying the comet is great. It saves money, it gives us a head start and it tests a new method of exploring space. It's great to see new and innovative ways to explore space. It proves that the they're not a total waste of money. Hopefully NASA will come up with more frugal attempts to study space.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/27/tech/comet-ison-balloon-mission/index.html

Zane Mallett, 5th Period.

P.S. (The Title is referring to my last current event about the man who attempted to cross the atlantic using balloons.)

Kyla Cakarnis Current Event

"Teachers train to face school shooter"

After the deadly shootings at a school in Newtown, Connecticut last year, school security is a topic of concern. Due to fear and lack of preparedness, some teachers have begun taking self-defense training to better protect themselves and students in case of a shooting. Some teachers and parents believe that this training and guides on what to do should be mandatory for teachers. This training not only focuses on how to hide from an intruder, as previously taught, but how to disarm the intruder. For some teachers this is almost revolutionary as it is not in the usual job description. A teacher is quoted saying "If they're not safe, then it doesn't matter what we do from an educational standpoint." This statement summarizes the issue generally.

As the world seems to become increasingly unsafe, it is not unheard of for a schools safety to become compromised. This is a growing problem and due to recent events in Newtown, parents are becoming weary of sending their children away for a whole day when they may not be completely safe. However, the alternative possibilities are slim. Adding increased security in schools would be beneficial for everyone. It would put school workers, parents, and students at ease. Then, in the unfortunate case that something were to happen, teachers would be prepared to handle it. After all, we have fire drills and tornado drills, shouldn't we practice for these increasingly more common events as well?


Source: 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/living/schools-teacher-shooter-defense-training/index.html?hpt=hp_t3 

"She's gone: Woman quits via interpretive dance" - Natalie H. - Class 2

The article was posted by Mike Krumboltz on Yahoo! News about 10 hours ago today (9/30/13).

Now, I wouldn’t know much about jobs, for I am a student as my current occupation. But I do know for a fact that generally in the work force, there will be some wear and tear on a day-to-day basis. Jobs suck the life out of you when you’re not doing the thing you love. They take time and effort. Blood, sweat, and tears. All of it.  

Typically you should assume your job calmly and have a peaceful demeanor, whether you like it or not. It’s just a part of the business world. Stiff upper lip, shoulders back, and gripe about you day once it’s over. Apparently this girl is the exception. Now, I don’t recommend for anyone to ever do this. Ever. It’s not professional. So, yeah. Quit, get a new job. Put the past behind you. Manage your own time and life. But hey, I give the girl points for having guts. Might as well go out with a bang. 

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/worker-creates-interpretive-dance-video-for-162232152.html

"A Man Dies From Bacteria" by Katey Guinn

          A man died within 28 hours from bacteria after setting up crab traps in a near by river. The next day when he woke up, he was complaining about something he thought was a bug bite on his leg. The doctors did not take the bite seriously until he felt ill and they found out that this bacteria was spreading very rapidly throughout his body. Nothing would help him. His kidnees failed and later his liver failed as well. They tried almost every antibiotic there is and they all failed. Doctors found out that the bacteria is called Vibro Vulnificus. It is in the same family that causes cholera and lives in warm seawater because they require salt. You can get infected by eating raw sea food like oysters and shellfish. You can also catch this is you go into water without shoes on or you have a wound. Two other people from the same area were infected and died as well. Always be careful with raw seafood and going into shady water unprotected because you might get infected with something weird and die.

Katey Guinn 5th period


http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2013/09/29/bacteria-kills-man.wkmg.html

With Accusations of Sabotage, Venezuela Expels 3 U.S. Embassy Officials - Victor Ragsdale 4th Period

With Accusations of Sabotage, Venezuela Expels 3 U.S. Embassy Officials - Victor Ragsdale 4th Period

      The Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro expelled the top American diplomat and two other U.S. embassy officials accusing them of being in a plot to sabotage the Venezuelan economy. He gave them 48 hours to leave the country.

      Of course this was done because the president needs a scapegoat for the economic issues in Venezuela. How could he have handled the situation better? Well, instead of looking for a scapegoat, President Maduro should be looking for a solution. He needs to focus on the real problem at hand, which is not the "suspect", but the victim. He needs to find a way to help his people and country. Finding a person to blame is not the way.

Tell me what you think...

Source: NYTimes.com - Venezuela Expels 3 U.S. Embassy Officials

Patience Henderson 1st Period; Train Mysteriously Runs Loose in Chicago, Injuring Dozens

     Early Monday morning,  a Chicago commuter train somehow moved onto a rail line and crashed into a oncoming train injuring 48 people and 33 of them were transported to the hospital. All of the injuries were minor still everyone is very puzzled on how it happened.
"I don't know the last time, if ever, that this has happened" on the Chicago Transit Authority system, spokesman Brian Steele said. It's being questioned if anyone climbed onboard and started the train, that's the only way the train could have been moved. "In order for a train to move, it has to be energized," said Ronald Ester, vice president of CTA Rail Operations.

"We call it unlocking the master controller," he said. The train would have needed to be placed in power position manually. Authorities said, they were going to check the cameras and interview the workers.

 

     I just think this is crazy, how does a train mysteriously go onto the railroad. Someone had to have had moved the train it isn't going to just move by itself. Not only was it moved but it also injured 48 people and sent them to the hospital. CTA Rail Operations needs to do some serious investigating on this story! 

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/us/chicago-train-crash/index.html?hpt=us_c2

Fast food is not so fast anymore!

Summary:
     America's fast food drive-thrus are becoming slower and slower. Customers spend about 3 minutes (180 seconds) waiting in line based on studies in 2013. This is 8 seconds slower than in 2012. These few extra seconds may not seem like a big deal, but they sure do make a difference in many ways. Chick-fil-A customers waited about 203.9 seconds, which is the longest wait in the entire study. Wendy's comes out to be the fastest, with a wait of only 133.6 seconds.
     The main reason for the increased waiting time is accuracy. People want to receive their correct order, therefore they will be willing to wait. Even if you may be fast, the customer's order could be wrong and they will become even more impatient. Chick-fil-A, having the longest wait, ranks with the highest accuracy of 91.6% correct orders. On the other hand, Burger King ranks the lowest with 82.3% correct.

Analysis:
     I think one of the reasons the drive-thru is getting slower is that the menus are so crowded and small printed, it takes people, especially ones with bad vision, a longer time to prepare to order. Also, the speaker is usually unclear, causing the customers to have to repeat their order which takes up even more time. I also believe that accuracy plays a major role in this as well. Although it may take longer to get the order correct, business could be easily lost due to impatience.

http://news.yahoo.com/fast-food-drive-thru-time-study-151932689.html

Kyla Cakarnis Current Event

"The U.S. Government Closed for Business?"

This is an article about the potential government shutdown. The Senate rejected a possible solution to prevent the possible government shutdown. This bill would have delayed Obamacare, the "affordable healthcare act", for a year. As the deadline approaches, midnight on October 1st, little is being done to prevent it. The Republicans do not want to abandon their bill, while supporters of Obamacare do not want to abandon theirs. President Obama does not want the shutdown to occur either claiming it could endanger not only United States economy, but the world's economy. The shutdown does not only effect the economy, it effects most government workers, national parks, and government museums. Not all government programs would be effected but those that are will feel the results.

I think not all possibilities have been explored. Ironically, Obamacare will go in to effect October 1st, regardless of whats decided about the shutdown. Also, i think some programs and workers not being affected could be. For example, the president and Congress are not affected but are the ones ultimately making this decision. If they were affected, i think they would consider other options more throughly. While I do think the continuation of unemployment, social security, and Medicare benefits is good, its not sufficient.

Source: http://www.infoplease.com/news/year-in-review/2013/government-shutdown.html

"Springtown police investigate beating as possible hate crime," Carson Wright, 5th Period

In the town of Springtown, Texas, 24-year-old gay man Arron Keahey met who he thought to be an 18-year-old gay or bisexual individual through an app called MeetMe. Later that day (Labor Day of this year) Keahey went over to the teen's house. Upon arriving, though, Keahey was severely beaten and left in the back of a truck. 18-year-old Brice Johnson, who said that he found Keahey, called 911 and drove him to get medical help, was later arrested as a suspect of the aggravated assault Keahey endured. However, neither of the involved individuals recall the details of the event--Keahey most likely due to the severity of his damage. According to Springtown Lt. Curtis Stone, "I've been up here altogether ten years, and this is the first hate crime or possible hate crime that I've investigated." The victim is convinced the incident was indeed a hate crime, asking "why would they have you under the belief that they're gay or bisexual or whatever they say you are, and have them show up and do what they did?" Still, he said he learned a "painful lesson" regarding people met online: "don't trust them."

It saddens me so to know that such may still occur in America. Perhaps I was naive in thinking that we were farther along than that. There will always be hate, even if we consider a case (be it Civil Rights, Human Rights, Social Rights or what have you) closed, but the proximity and brutality of this particular event was startling. It harkens back to the murder of Matthew Shepard of Laramie, Wyoming, a gay youth who was beaten and left to die. I hope that this event, while not as horrendous as Shepard's murder, receives the shock and public attention, for the sake of LGBTQ hardship awareness, it deserves.

This article was published seven days ago on September 23. From what I can tell, the author, Steve Stoller, had no particular bias or intention other than to deliver the mere facts of the story and describe the possible motives of those involved. Through the misfortune is there a lesson, though, as Keahey said: "Just don't meet anybody online. Don't trust them." This is the wise takeaway from this occurrence. Keahey did nothing illegal, and it is no justification for the perpetrators of the crime, but it is an important rule of thumb nonetheless.

Article/video: http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/Springtown-Police-investigating-possible-hate-crime-gay-man-severely-beaten-224932742.html

Shark Feast - Zien Lin (P4)

Summary: This past Sunday off the Californian port, Ventura, boaters delivering passengers between the islands in Channel Islands National Park and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary saw a group of at least 3 great white sharks and at least 12 blue sharks feasting on the carcass of a minke whale that will feed them for days or possibly even weeks.

Analysis: What luck all those people have to be able to witness and film such a rare occurrence especially when the water is calm and clear and the weather is nice.

Source: http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/nature/post/california-boaters-marvel-as-dead-whale-becomes-feast-for-great-white-sharks/

Francesca Bartos 09/30/2013 "A Disease Cuts Corn Yields"

     A disease in corn plans known as Goss's wilt has decreased corn yields by as much as ten percent. The disease which spreads to damaged plants when bacteria enters a plant's vascular system through a wound caused by hail damage or some other outside force. It turns leaves yellow and brown with spots. While it does not always kill the plant it almost always decreases yields. With increasing demand for ethanol and the importance of corn to our economy this is a huge issue. Crop rotation seems to help but plant pathologists have traced the catalyst of the spread of the disease to a strain of genetically modified corn. This specific strand yields high amounts of corn but is also especially susceptible to Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis, the culprit responsible for Goss's wilt.
     I think using genetically modified food is okay until it starts to threaten the plant itself and those who consume it. Planting too much of the same species is an issue too or we could end up with the kinds of crop yields that resulted in the Irish Potato Famine. When crop modification or overplanting becomes a danger to the species it is time to stop.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/01/science/earth/a-disease-cuts-corn-yields.html?ref=science&_r=0

"Train mysteriously runs loose in Chicago, injuring dozens" Ashley Barnes 2nd Period

This morning, a parked train somehow managed to get back onto the rails, and start moving. The four car train managed to crash into a train with passengers in it; this train with eight cars. It is still unclear as to how a train could start moving again on it's own; it is possible that criminal activity was involved in the accident. Further investigation continues. Out of the 48 people injured, thankfully all of have so far only been reported as minor injuries. 

It is crazy to think that a parked train could start moving again. As stated in the article, trains can only be started if they are given energy. Hopefully this situation was an accident, and not caused on purpose to harm passengers. The article also said that the train rail service has very high protection standards; so this is not typical event for this rail line. Hopefully all of the patients fully recover. 

My Article, with Pictures:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/us/chicago-train-crash/index.html?hpt=us_c2

Daria Harper - 2nd Period "Shutdown looms after House approves another delay in Obamacare"

Summary - 

Conflict is transpiring between different political parties, as well as the House and Senate, on the topic of the new "Obamacare." Obama is trying to avoid a government shut down, the first one in seventeen years, that he thinks is completely unnecessary. Obama believes that if the House does what the Senate has already done and simply vote to pass the new Obamacare, all of the issues could be avoided. The tension and many different opinions are making for a very sticky situation.

For more information, click here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/washington-braces-for-the-first-shutdown-of-the-national-government-in-17-years/2013/09/30/977ebca2-29bd-11e3-97a3-ff2758228523_story.html

Griffin Johnston, Looming Government Shutdown, 4th period

     Tom Cohen writing for CNN.com reports on the increasing threat of a government shutdown. Government shutdowns are a result of Congress being unable pass a spending plan in order to pay the expenses of the U.S. government. Recent government shutdowns have occured in 1995, 1996, and 2011. The prolonged negotiation of the government spending plan is due to the Republican controlled House of Representatives unwillingness to comply with the Democratic-controlled senate regarding Ombamacare (among other issues). In return for negotiating a spending plan before the debt ceiling deadline, the Republicans want the following: implementation of Ombamacare to be postponed by a year, as well as to repeal a medical device tax. Obama has refused to negotiate Obamacare or spending issues, "under threats of a government shutdown that will hurt our economy."

     Most of the major problems in our country's, or in any country's, government stems from people sacrificing the wellfare of the nation in order to satisfy their personal agendas. Though a shutdown will not affect our daily lives immediately, the long term effects on the economy could be very harmful. However, another perspective is that the GOP believe they are helping the nation by postponing/renegotiating Obamacare, and government shutdown is a sacrifice that they will have to make.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/28/politics/shutdown-showdown/index.html?hpt=hp_bn3

"Fast-food drive-thrus getting slower, study finds." - Emily Gray - 5th period

Summary - Over the years of fast-food industries the drive-thru has become relatively slow. The average wait time for a customer is three minutes, which is eight seconds later than last year.The fast-food company, McDonald's, averaged 189.5 seconds per customer this year, which is the company's slowest time in 15 years. A reason for this slowness is accuracy. Companies want to make sure your order is right and not screwed up.
Analysis: The author of this article is Dylan Stableford, from Yahoo! News. He aims toward the viewers of America because he clearly states in the very beginning, "Bad news, America. Fast-food drive-thrus are getting slower." The author wrote this article to inform American citizens that the fast-food industries are becoming slower but gives them a reason to go off of. My opinion of this article is that it is accurate. I believe that the fat-food industries have become very slow. The employees to these companies usually don't go on accuracy though. Most people who work there are teenagers, my age. Most teenagers my age really are careless and usually want to chit chat and gossip other that work. I believe it may be the workers that are the problem other than the completion of accuracy. - Emily Gray
http://news.yahoo.com/fast-food-drive-thru-time-study-151932689.html

"Feds defend plan to drop gray wolf protection" By: McKay Fugate

          Federal officials offered a defense Monday of their proposal to drop legal protections for the gray wolf in most of the country. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service called for the removal of the wolf from the endangered species list, excluding the subspecies called the Mexican wolf in the Southwest. While the gray wolf has made a miraculous recovering in numbers, many environmentalists say its premature. A final decision will be made within a year, following three public hearings, although officials say they will be postponed if the government partially shuts down because of the health care overhaul.
          This article was written in Michigan, which is not a particularly gray wolf heavy state, but the author's tone insinuates that he cares about what happens to the wolves. This article was well balanced in showing both sides of the argument, but doesn't exactly explain what the implications of either decision will be. The author, however, makes a snide remark about the healthcare plan in Washington, which I thought was a little amusing.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/30/feds-drop-wolf-protection/2897615/

Sam Smathers 4th period

"My Daughters Homework is Killing Me"

Article By Karl Taro Greenfeld from The Atlantic
Commentary by Sam Smathers  

            This is an article about a father who is alarmed by the sheer amount of homework his thirteen year old has, and in turn decides to do all of her homework for a week. The dad does not do his daughters homework for her; he simply does the same assignments. The dad is also the author. He talks about how all the homework is “busy work” and about how, his daughter lives by the concept of “Memorization not rationalization” when it comes to topics covered by the school. He says five to seven hours of homework is normal for his daughter. The author bans together with other parents to discuss how their kids are losing out on the social part of their schooling because all they do during the weekend is homework. The kids lose their chance to develop hobbies and figure out who they are. The most effective schooling systems, such as the Norwegian, give only thirty minutes of homework a night and their kid’s test scores blow ours out of the water. Is more homework really a good thing?

            Middle school and high school are key points in any person’s life. We all undergo some major struggles in these years of our lives. These endeavors help us to better figure out who we are and develop our ardent desires. The act of being absolutely bored out of your mind is a key factor in development. How are kids that never have any spare time supposed to figure out how to entertain themselves? Making up games and ways to fill time makes your brain work out of its normal perimeters, thus creating a more developed person. Kids aren’t happy doing homework all the time, they need a natural outlet to get rid of stress and be a person. If there is not any time for this, friendships will never be fully created leaving the kid to never fall in love or feel anything close to strong connection with anyone other than a family member all through the duration of their first schooling years. This heavy amount of homework also prevents kids from being able to exercise, as well as being able to catch up with what is going on around them. This form of homework is abusive and stunts kids growth as humans. Who really cares if their SAT scores are all perfect if they can’t hold a conversation or have no hobbies? The world needs more passionate involved people, not people that can mindlessly memorize facts.

Feds Plan To Drop Gray Wolf Protection - Camille Vigil

This week the federal government announced that it is considering taking the gray wolf off of the endangered species for the United States. In the past several years, the gray wolf population had sharply plummeted as a result of excessive hunting. With the government's protection of its population, its population has been allowed to rise to a significant number once more. However, this new proposal comes at a time that many say is quite premature in that the population has only recently risen to reasonable numbers; in Washington state, the gray wolf population is currently estimated to be a mere 50-100. The reasoning behind the government's proposal is that if the gray wolf is taken off the endangered list, that they may concentrate conservation efforts more closely on the Mexican wolf, whose numbers are estimated at only 75 in the entire nation. The Fish and Wildlife Service Agency's director even stated that the proposal is designed to ensure that the species is living and thriving in enough places so that it "won't die out".

This government agency's proposal seems extremely selfish and careless to me. It seems like they want to take the easy way out and just be done with helping this species. The article mentioned that The Center for Biological Diversity found that if the proposal were to be put into action, the wolf's population would likely plummet soon after, with hunting of the species permitted again. This organization also found that the gray wolf's decline in population had begun to affect other species such as deer, which would further be affected if the government took the species off the endangered list which would also allow hunting of the wolf to resume.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/30/feds-drop-wolf-protection/2897615/

Sextortion victim Miss Teen USA knew suspect by Gloria Jones

Okay, so let's talk about creepy. This article tells the story of a woman , Miss Teen USA, who's computer was hacked by a guy from her high school who used it to watch her and take photos of her changing; only then to blackmail his victims into sending more pictures. He apparently had hacked into approximately 150 computers.
That is about the extent of a summary. I see this article as a gateway to a lesson. We have a false sense of security established through the Internet and technology.  It is pertinent that we all remember anything that we put out online can be accessed by hackers. Not only that... But in some cases we aren't allotted privacy when we are even in viewing distance of our phones and computers. There are certain precautions people can take such as covering their webcam, erasing browsing history and cookies, increasing security on social medias, being aware of what you post on social media, and there are several other ways. Part of what is most important is being aware of the problem and paying attention to any warning signs.

Pilot killed by helicopter blade at fair By Janet DiGiacomo, CNN (Rhyann lee)

Pilot killed by helicopter blade at fair
By Janet DiGiacomo, CNN
(Rhyann lee)

Summary: A veteran helicopter pilot giving rides at a Pennsylvania town fair.  He was killed after he was hit by the chopper's spinning rotor.
Carl R. Enlow, 69, landed the helicopter at the Bloomsburg Fair grounds Friday to re-fuel and to allow a relief pilot to take over.He left the chopper and was re-entering to speak to the replacement pilot when he was struck by the rotor, the fair association said.He was airlifted to a hospital, where he died.

Analysis : I was very sad to ready about this tragedy! People just need to be more careful and watch their surroundings but I pray for his family and everyone that loved him.  It just seems like everybody is getting hurt around the world I wish everybody would  be safe!

Supermodel Punches Feminist Protester on Catwalk - Carolyn Villalobos 4th

During Paris Fashion Week, two Femen protesters approached 18 year old British model Hollie-May Saker on the catwalk, grabbed her, and lifted up her skirt. The two women were topless, with words condemning the sexualization of the modeling industry scrawled across their torsos in black sharpie. One of them grabbed Saker by the arm and lifted her skirt, exposing her to the audience. When Saker pulled her arm free, she "accidentally" punched the protester in the face. After the scuffle, she kept walking, trying to act like nothing had happened. The two protesters were pulled off the catwalk and escorted out of the event while shouting anti-modeling industry slogans.

I was appalled when I read this; how could anyone do this in the name of an honest movement? I have nothing against feminists, I'm even a bit of one myself, but women like these make me not want to be part of the movement. They claim that the modeling industry is only about exploiting women and their bodies. So, to prove their point and protest, they run onto a catwalk and pretty much assault an eighteen year old girl who is most likely honestly enjoying herself; to protest against the "exploitative fashion industry" they run topless onto a catwalk and exploit a young girl by exposing her body to a large audience. These type of people are extremists, or in their own words "sextremists", they give a bad name to feminists and create ill-will towards the movement. These are the type of people that drive others away from the feminist movement.

article:

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/09/29/british-supermodel-punches-topless-female-protesters-on-catwalk/

FEMEN version of the article: (warning for uncensored pictures of the event)

http://femen.org/en/gallery/id/246#post-content

Byron Otis-Famous Cartoonist Leaves Thousands of Dollars Worth of Art in Taxi

This is the visual artist's nightmare. More than ten years of your work, two portfolios bound together in a beige back, forgotten in the back of a taxi. Thousands of dollars gone. As one can expect, the artist of this missing material, Neal Adams, known for his famous work on Batman and the Green Lantern, is making frantic pleas to the taxi drivers of New York and the people who live there to return his art as soon as they find it. He's offering a reward in either cash or an original drawing by him. He hopes that his artwork won't find its way onto ebay or an underground market, which is a likely possibility.
I can feel for Adams, this is a scenario that I have often worried about, leaving my portfolio on the train, and not being able to turn in my work, or losing it forever. The idea of ten years of work disappearing is unthinkably awful to me. I sincerely hope some New Yorker is kind enough to help the artwork back into the arms of its creator.

Carsin Ablon, 1st Period:Obama: Government shutdown 'entirely preventable' if House GOP drops demands

In a recent press conference regarding the possible government shutdown due to congress's inability to finalize a plan regarding the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, President Obama obstinately voiced his high demands as congress rapidly attempts to create closer with eleven hours before a default shutdown. President Obama matched the congress's suborn republicans with suborn democrats as he announced that "No matter what Congress decides to do today, the Affordable Care Act is moving forward." President Obama argued that by shutting down the government, the "fragile" economic recovery plan would be setback or at least greatly hindered, making it over all irresponsible and eliminating even a short shut down from congress's options. Meanwhile, Obama's cabinet members argue that the Senate's previous passing of Obamacare should be enough of a reason to follow through with the in-motion plan. Although the White House has claimed to be open to working with the republican party to polish the Obamacare bill, both parties have remained reluctant with indirect threats of vetoing each others moves. 

I find this article to be a perfect example of the broken, twisted intentions of the people who run our country's capital. By continuing an ongoing stubborn debacle, the two major political parties have consciously decided to let existing problems in their shared country, linger without any effective plan to mend any caused damage. Although some say the speculated governmental shut down will not drastically effect anybody, I find that the established stubbornness in D.C. may exacerbate the expected harm of a shut down while exampling the flawed governmental system. Personally, I fear that this article shows that the governing system has forgotten that they exist to serve the people and instead have begun a somewhat of an internal Mexican Standoff  over the opinionated right or wrong options, leaving the country somewhat paralyzed. 

To read more, see: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-to-make-4-45-p-m--statement-as-shutdown-looms-202440939.html