Lauren Brady P4 4/30/17 Jimmy Johns's Cashier Shows Amazing Resolve

On Wednesday, a robber entered a Kansas City Jimmy Johns and pulled a gun out on the cashier. Surprisingly, the cashier barely reacted at all. Instead, he calmly hands over cash, eventually giving the robber the entire till. By Thursday, the police had released the video of the robbery, and by Friday, had announced that they had captured the suspect. In a tweet, Jimmy Johns thanks the Kansas City police for their quick action.

This is a scary situation to hear about, yet it is a reality that we face. The way the cashier remained calm is a perfect example of how to behave in emergencies. Thankfully, nobody was injured, and the suspect was quickly arrested. This connects to the crime rings in the 1920s in Prohibition.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/28/us/jimmy-johns-robbery/index.html

Madelyn Dean - Video Captures Delta Pilot Smacking Woman to Break Up Fight

Delta Airlines, lately, has been having customer service issues involving management and treatment. On the 21st, two women fighting on a terminal were not broken apart, but rather a pilot walked up to one lady and waked her on the face. another instance involved a man who bought a ticket, was on a plane in his seat and was dragged off the plane by security for the airlines fault of over speculation. this treatment is rude and should not be tolerated and the airlines negative feedback will most likely result in less business and thus the fall of the company.


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/29/us/delta-pilot-atlanta-airport-woman.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fus&action=click&contentCollection=us&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=531&pgtype=sectionfront

Skyler Tepedino - Nuclear Weapons

Summary:

 North Korean monitoring service 38 North said Wednesday the country's Punggye-ri nuclear site is "primed and ready" for a sixth nuclear test. "The activity during the past six weeks is suggestive of the final preparations for a test," 38 North analyst Joseph Bermudez told CNN. Their prediction comes as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday that North Korea may have the capability to deliver missiles equipped with sarin nerve gas. He and other analysts pore over commercial satellite imagery of the testing site, looking for signs of activity similar to that prior to other tests. Speaking at an event in Tokyo Thursday, Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said "North Korea's nuclear program is showing steady progress."

Analysis:

 This article was published by Madison Park from CNN on April 13, 2017. She uses a third person point of view to convey an unbiased point of view. Additionally, I had absolutely no preview knowledge of this topic, so this article made me realize how important our foreign affairs are with other countries. This article was written for any citizen of the United States as a warning of what might come. It was published for an informative purpose of enabling the people to learn more about how important our relations are. This entire article could link directly to the Cold War where there was an increased amount of tension between the United States and the USSR. An arms race occurred to build the strongest nuclear weapons such as North Korea is now.


http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/13/asia/north-korea-nuclear-site-punggye-ri/index.html

Cops use murdered woman's Fitbit to charge her husband by Macey Kanaman 8th Period

     Summary: On December 23rd, 2015 Richard Dabate claimed his wife was murdered by an intruder that broke into their home. He told the police as he was arriving home to retrieve his laptop he heard noises upstairs. He went to investigate and saw a very tall masked man upstairs. This is when he states his wife arrived home. The intruder shot his wife and tortured Richard. However, the steps on the wife's fitbit don't match his story. The information gathered from the fitbit tells a different story. Connie was home for almost an hour after arriving from her exercise class, which contradicts Richard's story.


Analysis: I think this case is incredible. It's extremely sad that this woman was murdered, but thanks to technology the man who committed the crime will be punished for it. Without the fitbit a killer could be walking freely. I hope technology can help solve cases in the future and punish the person who committed the crime. In the past there was probably no way to tell who did what in a criminal investigation except someone's testimony. This probably led to many people being wrongly accused and I'm glad we have technology to help us now.


Source:http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/25/us/fitbit-womans-death-investigation-trnd/?iid=ob_homepage_deskrecommended_pool

Sophia Jalilvand: Yet another dog food lot recalled because it may contain euthanasia drug

Summary: Party Animals, which is a California-based pet food maker, is recalling two lots from its line of Cocolicious dog foods after some cans in Texas were tested to have pentobarbital, which is a chemical that's used to euthanize animals.
"The recalled cans are:
The 13-ounce can of Cocolicious Beef & Turkey dog food, lot number 0136E1520404, manufactured in 2015 with an expiration date of July 2019.
And the 13-ounce-can of Cocolicious Chicken & Beef dog food, lot number 0134E15 23713, manufactured in 2015 with an expiration date of August 2019."

Analysis: If any of you pet owners use Party Animals pet food, I suggest you not use it. It is so devestating when toxins are found in pet food because our pets cannot tell that the food tastes different or they cannot tell us that their stomach hurts. Often, pet owners notice something is wrong when it is already too late. Hopefully the recalled cans are the only ones with pentobarbital in them and no more dogs will be hurt.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/28/health/dog-food-recall-trnd/index.html

Sophia Jalilvand:Some call it 'stealthing,' others call it sexual assault

Summary: A new word has recently been introduced. Stealthing is a practice where men secretly remove or damage condoms without their partners' knowledge. Many people consider this sexual assult, as the partner did not consent to this. The National Sexual Assault Hotline has even received calls about stealthing. These harms may include sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancy and emotional distress.

Analysis: I am glad this is being given a name. This allows for very clean-cut court cases; giving it a name makes it clear that it is a crime and exactly what that crime is. However, I do agree with the article where it says '"I don't like the word 'stealthing.' It sounds like something tricky and distasteful, but kind of like a fad," said Brodsky. "By calling it nonconsensual condom removal, we make clear what the harm is."' Stealthing, to me, does not accurately represent the severity of the crime.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/27/health/stealthing-sexual-assault-condoms/index.html

Summary: Today Kendrex J. White, stabbed three people killing one. There was an account from another student. She was at a food truck and saw this man walking towards this man with a small machete. She was so scared and ran away. Some people say this attack may have to do with the recent vandalism of fraternity houses because the people vandalizing them think they promote racism and rape.

Analysis: I was so sad hearing this story, its truly horrible. One of my dad's best friends was murdered recently, and its just the most terrible thing for someone else to take an innocent person's life. I think the recent debates on gun control connect to this issue, and I personally think we should make it much more difficult for someone to have possession of a gun. In this case it was a knife, which much have been more difficult for the people their. I wish people just didn't make these choices, I think the government if possible should create laws that will decrease events like this. 

Synthesis: This should be synthesized to Washington's Farewell Address because both were written by people of the male gender.

Townley Jordan: Spaying/Neutering Rise Leads to Shelter Populations Lowered

Summary: In the U.S., the amount of spray or neutering procedures as outreach and subsidization programs has shot greatly upwards. According to the Alliance for Contraceptives for Cats and Dogs, there are currently about 12.6 million spay/neuter surgeries performed on cats and dogs every year. Cat reproduction rates can be significantly higher than dog rates, making it necessary for them to get surgery in a timely manner. Many cities have cat sterilization programs that spay or neuter feral cats, helping to lower the number of cats outside human care. The rise in spay and neutering numbers resulted in the drop in shelter animal intakes in the U.S. According to the ASPCA, there were about 7.2 million intakes in 2011, compared to 6.5 million intakes in 2015, a 10% drop in a four-year time span.

Analysis: I found this article on a website full of uplifting news because I think it is important to sometimes take a step back from the sadness and pain that fills the world and see that there is good as well. I think it is so great that the rise in spay/neutering led to a drop in the amount of cats being taken into animal shelters. If we continue to work at this, we could lower the number even more drastically so that there would be more room for lost pets etc. It would also be beneficial because there would be less stray cats roaming the streets.

Link: http://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/2189/Spaying-Neutering-Is-Up-Animal-Populations-In-Shelters-Are-Down-Across-The-U-S-

Madilyn Weems - Google CEO makes big

http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/28/technology/google-ceo-sundar-pichai-pay/index.html

In this article it discusses how Google CEO made nearly 200 million dollars this past year, and how Google has come to dominate our lives. So much that we don’t even realize how much we actually use it on a daily basis, including for google maps, looking up places to eat, and in our education system. Literally Google is a monopoly on the website of research and staying connected in the world we live in. This absolutely astonishes me to hear and see this, and to know that this man make so much money off someone researching something. Our own educators make less than a penny compared to this, which makes me question where our education lies? Are we actually learning from teachers anymore or is everything learned or found online? This relates to the machine bosses, and the amount of monopolies that were created and the amount of people that relied on them.

.

kiana sanderson:Norway

The ultimate survival resource is now open for business on a remote Norwegian island.Svalbard, Norway – already home to the Global Seed Vault – is now home to the Arctic World Archive, which is being billed as the keeper of information to rebuild civilization following a societal-ending apocalypse.The vault located in an abandoned coalmine on the island of Svalbard is designed to be the ultimate data storage solution, The Vergereported. Data will be recorded on special film that can last as long as 1,000 years and stored 984 feet (300 meters) underground. The film is expected to last that long because of the extreme cold on the island, which is 1,172 miles north of Oslo.

This is really cool that they found this. This is great for new jobs and the economy.

Madison Harvey - How much did United pay Dr. Dao?

Summary - United Airlines announced on Thursday that it had reached a settlement with Dr. David Dao, the passenger dragged of a flight a few weeks ago, bloodied and semiconscious, which was seen in a video but the amount that was awarded was not revealed.  Dao's attorney said his client suffered a concussion, a broken nose, injuries to his sinuses requiring surgery and lost two front teeth, the most significant question for assessing damages is whether he will suffer long-term health consequences.  When valuing a person's injuries it isn't an exact science and no two cases are identical but with the video that went viral and generated negative publicity for the airline it would certainly increase the value.  Also the fact that millions of people watched the video, causes embarrassment, humiliation and indignity to the plaintiff which adds value but is hard to say how much.  Many people say that Dr. Dao should have disembarked from the plane willingly and if some of these people were to be placed on the jury of this case they may not award Dao much.  This case settled quickly for a few reasons for both parties.  In the Dao's case a quick settlement would be in his advantage because if this were to last a year or so the public would have long lost interest and United would have already recovered from the bad publicity.  In United's case they wanted to put a stop to the bad publicity as fast as they could.  So although we don't know how much was awarded to Dao's it is suggested it would be well north of a million dollars.

Analysis - This article was written by Danny Cevallos a Legal Analyst with CNN to give the public some insight on what was considered when a value was placed on a case like this.  Although I would have gotten off the plane when asked I would not have been happy about it and the airline would have continued on with this practice which is not right.  There were many other things they could have done to free up the seats they needed and the best way would have been to increase the amount of money offered or the amount of free tickets given to reward passengers to give up there seats.

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5786504882123639615#editor/target=post;postID=6771455548571427822

Creator of Emmett Till ‘Open Casket’ at Whitney Responds to Backlash - Emma Reyna

Summary/Synthesis:

 Recently a new painting has been put on display at the Whitney Museum, in New York City, that has aroused many conflicts between people. The painting of “Open Casket” by Dana Schutz’, was an inspiration of Emmett Till’s death. This painting has brought backlash, and African-Americans saying that the “white” artist has no right to be painting black’s pain and suffering. While others believe that her race does not matter and since it was an iconic symbol of the civil rights movement, her race should not matter. The painting in the past days has been blocked by black artists and has brought hate comments to Schutz. She has recently responded by saying that the painting itself was not easy to draw and she understands people’s questioning of her right to draw it, but it should be “an open discussion”. Schutz claims that she was inspired to create the exhibit due to all the 2016 killings of African Americans by police officers. This reminds me of the civil rights movements, because Emmett Till’s death and open casket pictures played a major role in the movement.

Analysis: 


I understand where the backlash is coming from, but I don't think the intention was to hurt the black community. Till's mother chose to have an open casket funeral because she wanted people to see what was done to her son and understand her pain. I think by creating this piece, Schutz is honoring Mamie Till's wishes. I have always seen art as something to push the boundaries and force discussion, and that is exactly what this piece has done. However, I think it is also important to consider the other side (like in any disagreement) as equally valid. I hope this painting will be a part of the solution to the issues we see today, instead of adding to the issue.

Source:http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/creator-emmett-till-open-casket-whitney-responds-backlash-n736696

Grace Schwall-Pope Francis encourages peace for US and North Korea

On his way back from a visit to Egypt today, the Pope discussed issues concerning foreign affairs. The key issues included refugee camps in Europe and the conflict between the US and North Korea. The two countries are on the brink of a major conflict that could involve nuclear weapons. The Pope suggested that this conflict should be ended quickly and peacefully.

This article was written by Jason Horowitz from the New York Times. I think it's great that the Pope is encouraging peace and I hope that the leaders of the country. This situation is similar to when the US practiced brinkmanship around the time of the Vietnam War in the 1960s. Hopefully a Cuban Missile Crisis level of disaster is not reached.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/29/world/middleeast/pope-francis-egypt.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

Gracie Darlington: Cops use murdered woman's Fitbit to charge her husband

Using evidence obtained by a Fitbit, police gathered that Connie Dabate was murdered by Richard Dabate, her husband. Police detectives analyzed the activity logged on Dabate's Fitbit to track the movements leading up to her death, and were able to disprove Richard Dabate's previous claims that a masked intruder shot his wife and ultimately charged him with the crime. Dabate is charged with murder, tampering with evidence, and providing a false statement.

The development of technology has introduced innumerable social, political, and economic changes in our society and has recently begun to play an important role in solving crimes. Devices such as pacemakers and Amazon Echos have been used as evidence in recent domestic criminal trials. These new advances are revolutionizing criminal cases and this article provides another concrete example of how technology can change the verdict of a case. This can relate to the invention of police car cameras and smart phones, which have exposed countless cases of police brutality. 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/25/us/fitbit-womans-death-investigation-trnd/?iid=ob_homepage_deskrecommended_pool

Kyla Thomas (1st Period)- Cops: Teacher told girl to kill herself, forced other kids to bully her

Summary: Two teachers in Louisiana was recently accused of telling a student to kill herself and threatened other students to fail them if they didn't bully the girl. The students said that if they didn't try to fight the girl, the teachers would not help them with their classwork. School surveillance cameras that caught a teacher pushing the girl onto the school bleachers on two occasions according to police. "Students should not have to attend school and be bullied especially by teachers that are there for their education, guidance and safety," said Sheriff Guidroz.

Analysis: This story is really sad. No one should have to go through at school, especially with children. There should be precautions that should be taken to ensure things like this don't happen. In relation to history, this reminds me of child abuse and how the labor of the children was abused in younger times.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/28/us/teachers-bullied-girl-trnd/

Lithuania (United States Relations) - Leah Nowell - 8th

4/29/17

Summary: The United States Air Force lands two of its most advanced fighter jets in Lithuania for the first time in a show of support for the Baltic states which have become worried about Russia's actions in Ukraine. Lithuania is one of the most pro-American nations in Europe and the world, with 73% of Lithuanians viewing the U.S. positively in 2011. According to the 2012 U.S. Global Leadership Report, 48% of Lithuanians approve of U.S. leadership, with 20% disapproving and 32% uncertain

Analysis: This shows how the United States was becoming involved and such. I found this article very interesting and want to keep up with this event.

Kennedy Waterman - Jimmy John's cashier gives armed robber a side of chill

Wednesday night, at around 9:12 PM, a security camera caught a man robbing a Jimmy John's. What's interesting, however, is how the cashier responded. At first, the robber simply places an order. Then, he takes out a gun and aims it at the cashier. The cashier barely even flinches and proceeds to give the robber the money from the register. His face remains completely neutral, even as the robber puts the gun up against his head. With help from the public, the suspect has been found and arrested.

I highly recommend clicking the link and watching the video because it's so interesting. The article came out Saturday, April 29th, so it's only a few days behind the event. Before reading it, I had seen the video on Facebook. I think the article was written for the general public to hear about this event. To me, its significance is in the fact that the cashier was so stone-faced and "chill" about the whole thing. Robbery is common, but you rarely see the person in charge of the store looking so nonchalant.  Good for him. This relates to Sherman's March, where plenty of houses and plantations were robbed, pillaged, and destroyed.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/28/us/jimmy-johns-robbery/index.html

How The LAPD Has Changed 25 Years After The Riots - Sydney Bridgeforth

Summary:

In March 1991, the month of King's arrest, the Los Angeles Police Department's job-approval rating cratered at 34%.  When the officers involved in King's beating were acquitted on April 29, 1992, the city exploded in rioting ignited by the belief that its police force was abusive, racist and unaccountable.

Twenty five years later, expert observers say the LAPD is a department transformed -- and that the change was made possible, in large part, by a consent decree, a police agreement with the federal government.

The future of similar agreements with15 cities -- including Fwrguson, Missouri, Cleveland and Baltimore -- was thrown into question this month when Sessions placed all pending consent decrees under review.

The consent decree finally implemented many of the recommendations that came out of the immediate aftermath of the LA riots: it instituted "discipline reports," created a database of information about officers and supervisors to identify at-risk behavior, revised procedures on search and arrest -- even created a system to account for instances of police dogs biting members of the public.

Many of the things recommended in the Christopher Report in '92 still basically were unfilled because the city didn't finance it.

With lots of  areas still to be corrected, the department is getting wide praises for its revised "use of force."

Analysis:

This article was published at 11:50 pm et by Rachel Wells of CNN on Friday, April 27, 2017.  The article started with a volume less video rehashing the King incident.  However, with presenting the the history of the video and LAPD it was written without and biases.  I often get current event information from CNN, but I have not read any previous pieces by the author and think she did a great job tying in the LAPD incident from 1992 to current events today show the slow progress of better use of force by police officers across our country.


http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/28/us/lapd-change-since-la-riots/index.html

Liam Taylor - Devastating Storms

Summary: Over the weekend many dangerous storms took place in the southern United States. They ended up killing 13 people and so many more were injured, with housing and buildings destroyed. It was quite a tragic event

Analysis: This article was written by Jay Croft on Monday May 1,2017 for CNN.  This is very similar to the event of Hurricane Katrina in which came with way more devastating news and effects. When reading this article, it seemed as Croat was saddens by this but also felt guilty in a way.

Synthesis: This can be synthesized to hurricane Katrina, or the Rowlett tornadoes in 2015, or essentially any massively destructive and tragic natural disaster in U.S. history

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/30/us/severe-weather-tornadoes-flooding/index.html 

Is tilapia really healthy ? Ciaja Beck 4th period

Summary: It’s cheap, easy to find, and it’s fish – so it’s good for you, right? 

Maybe not. There are some disturbing allegations about the fish, and one is particularly surprising: Some nutritionists have been touting a study that they implies that eating tilapia is worse than eating bacon.

Analysis: Thats crazy right! Absolute "da pickle"(refers as really crazy and ridiculous)  all your life you thought you were eating healthy but nah you were definitely played

America is a big liar; shaking my head like wyd? Having people around the world thinking they're  living good but really bad. Its absolutely sad the world we Iive in today. Seriously its worse than bacon. Wake up America, what you are intaking is really dangerous ! Stick to that pork bacon you been eating! 

https://draxe.com/eating-tilapia-is-worse-than-eating-bacon/

Sarah Childs- Melania Trump

Summary: First lady Melania Trump visited Children's National Health System in Washington on Friday, to help the hospital mark the official opening of a healing garden dedicated to the first ladies of the United States. "I was lucky to met so many very brave and amazing children," the first lady said in brief remarks to more than 100 guests, including patients, donors and friends of the hospital. "We had so much fun touring this space and planting many seeds. I look forward to coming back when everything that we planted is in full bloom." The new garden, which was inspired by a child whose last wish was to go outside, is named for Rachel Lambert "Bunny" Mellon, a longtime friend and mentor to first lady Jacqueline Kennedy who redesigned the White House Rose Garden. Trump, as well as former first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Bush and Rosalynn Carter, serve as honorary chairs.

Analysis: This article was published by Madison Park from CNN on April 28, 2017. She uses a third person point of view to convey an unbiased point of view. Additionally, I had absolutely no preview knowledge of this topic, so this article made me realize how important our politics are. This article was written for any citizen of the United States interested in our government's domestic affairs. This was created to enable the people to learn more about how important our popular culture is. This entire article could link directly to the reforms that Elenor Roosevelt made. They both are making enormous reforms to our economy and domestic reforms.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/28/politics/melania-trump-visit-dc-childrens-hospital/index.html

Emma Sutherland - US yellow fever vaccine supply will run out this summer

SUMMARY:
          Yellow fever, a potentially deadly disease transmitted through infected mosquitos, is widespread in tropical areas in over 47 countries in Africa and Central and South America. Although not present in North America, the yellow fever vaccine is expected to run out by this upcoming summer. However, scientists say that they hope to have it again by mid-2018. This may not seem like a big deal for those of us not affected by this disease, but it interrupts many people's traveling plans. If it is recommended by doctors to get the vaccine for where you are going, it's crucial to get it. According to most doctors, if you cannot get a vaccine for your trip, it is most likely better to just stay home. In fact, over 18 countries require travelers to have the vaccine before leaving the country. Yellow fever begins after being bitten by an infected mosquito, and takes about three to four days until it begins to affect you. From then, many experience a fever, headache, jaundice, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. Nearly half die within ten days of these symptoms.

ANALYSIS:
         Before reading this article, I had been aware of yellow fever. A few years ago, I read a fictional novel about the disease and how it spread throughout multiple societies and civilizations. It seems very dangerous and risky to have the vaccine unavailable for an entire year! Travelers will take huge risks going to the respective areas dealing with this infection. Not having the vaccination available may have implications for tourism as people will not feel safe visiting these areas. This article is from CNN, a very reliable news network, updating us on the most current news. This synthesizes to the yellow fever epidemic of 1793. Over 5,000 civilians died within the period of August 1st to November 9th. I hope that an epidemic this large does not have the potential to arise again, especially with the vaccine out of reach.


http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/28/health/yellow-fever-vaccine-shortage/index.html

Emily McDougal - Fitbit used to Convict Man of Murder

Summary: Richard Debate claimed that a masked man had entered his family's house, brutally murdering his wife and tying him up and torturing him. However, when the police began investigating, his details did not add up to the situations they found. The police found no record of suspects in the area at the time of the alleged break in, so they searched the house alarm logs and Connie Debate's, Richard's wife, Fitbit. Her steps and online activity did not match up with the story the husband told. He was convicted of the murder himself. After the fact, he admitted to having an affair with another woman, and had also attempted to file for his wife's life insurance only 5 days after the murder.

Analysis: This article was written on April 26, 2017 by Amanda Watts, to tell about the murder of Connie Debate. I think it's really cool how technology is being used in more than one way to make new discoveries. I'm so impressed that's sole purpose is to track health was used to do something so significant.

Synthesis: This is similar to another murder solved by technology. Recently, an Amazon Echo was used to solve a murder case.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/25/us/fitbit-womans-death-investigation-trnd/?iid=ob_homepage_deskrecommended_pool

A pet food company has recalled two kinds of canned dog food after a euthanasia drug was found in them in Texas. Party Animal Inc. said on Monday that lab testing of its beef and turkey and beef and chicken dog food found pentobarbital, a euthanasia drug used on animals and humans, in the food. The dog food in question had been manufactured and distributed in 2015, the company said in a statement.

This article was published on CNN, a popular and trustworthy news site that i can trust to contain no bias. Published on April 28,2017, I have not heard of this situation before reading it. It is especially important that dog owners are aware of the recall so that they don't feed their dog recalled food. This could synthesize to the recent recall of Bluebell Icecream.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/28/health/dog-food-recall-trnd/index.html

Drugged Driving Deaths Top Drunk Driving Deaths- Emma Lochabay

 A 2015 report says  that drunk driving is more dangerous drug driving. A test shows that there were more deaths in car accidents from people who were drug impaired than alcohol impaired. Although these stats prove otherwise, scientists still say that drunk driving still is a bigger issue than dugged driving due to he side effects. There are great alternatives that will drive you home instead of putting yourself and everyone around you in danger.

This article was published on Friday, April 28, 2017 on CNN, a popular and trustworthy news site. Before reading this article, I had not heard of this news. It is important for people to know these statistics and information in order for people to make a change. It is so incredibly dangerous to put yourself and everyone else around you at risk. This could synthesize to the general issue of driving under the influence.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/27/health/drugged-driving-death-rates-report/index.html

Liza Kaye: mother of autistic child arrested

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.insideedition.com/headlines/23012-mom-of-10-year-old-boy-with-autism-cuffed-at-school-blasts-officials-they-let/amp

Initially, a 10 year old boy with autism was arrested in Florida. He was cuffed and taken away while his mother astonishingly video taped the whole scene. Both the mother and her son had no idea why he was being arrested. It was later found out that the boy was placed in an adult jail house, and had to sit in the jail room with convicted adults for hours, not having a clue why. John was accused of abusing a teaching assistant; kicking, punching, and stretching her. He was also accused of threatening to kill this assistant.

However, the flaw to this story is the oblivious administrators and police to a blatant mental issue. Mental illnesses need to be addressed. Someone who simply has an entirely different brain and thought-process will not process conflict the same way a non- mentally ill child would. Although the allegations are very serious, he should not be taken away like that in height of his illness.

This is similar to how some people will get thrown in prison, but they have a mental illness. Instead of being given the proper help and care they need, they are treated as if they contain no real illness.

Liza Kaye: Michelle Obama Mural causes anger

www.cnn.com/2017/04/25/us/michelle-obama-mural-chicago-trnd/?iid=ob_homepage_10-test_featured_pool

In the Chicago neighborhood that Michelle Obama grew up in, a local artist painted a beautiful mural of a profile shot of Michelle on a building. This artwork has sensed caused some debating and opposition. The artist was then accused of copyright violation in regards to another artist to instragrammed a photo of her drawing that is very similar. However, instead of just enjoying the artwork being provided, people have stirred up abundant conflict.

This is similar to today in which a conflict will occur, but people will focus on the irrelevant points of the conflict. The main idea is so often overlooked, while the little things get taken up immediately.

Arkansas Executes Two Men In One Night - Sydney Bridgeforth

Summary:

Arkansas has a executed Marcel Wayne Williams, the state's attorney general confirmed, making him the second man to be put to death Monday night -- in Arkansas' first double execution since 1999.  Williams was found guilty of murdering Stacy Errickson in 1994.

Arkansas executed Jack Harold Jones also.  Jones was sentenced to death for the 1995 rape and murder of Mary Phillips.

Jones was executed first followed by Williams.  The two were among eight inmates Governor Asa Hutchinson set for execution in April before the state's supply of sedatives used in lethal injections expires at the end of the month.

Before the second execution could begin, a federal district judge issued a temporary stay based on claims from Williams' lawyers that Jones' death was "torturous and inhumane."  Infirmary staff tried unsuccessfully for 45 minutes to place a line in Jones' neck, before placing one elsewhere on his body, the emergency motion read.

The state called the claims "utterly baseless" and a federal judge lifted the temporary stay, clearing the way for Williams' execution to proceed.



Analysis:

This article was written by Emanuella Grinberg and Jamiel Lynch for CNN on Monday, April 24, 2017.  The article was written without bias and simply presented the facts surrounding the double execution in the state of Arkansas.  This article actually does relate to prior events in US history.  The last double execution was in 1999.  It was in Arkansas and it occurred on September 8, 1999.  Whenever this happened in 1999 Amnesty International said it was a "shameful day," and that the state was treating people "as though they have a sell-by date."



http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/24/us/arkansas-executions/index.html

Mikenzie Moon, "Trump congratulates NASA astronaut who sets space record."

Summary: Basically theres a video of President Trump calling Peggy Whitson from the Oval Office congratulating her for breaking the record for being the longest person to live in space. 534 days was the record and she plans to stay longer. Trump even mentioned Mars as a future project.

Synthesis/analysis: This is a huge accomplishment for the U.S. and something to be proud of. Hopefully we can continue to discover more and expand horizons. This is similar to the space race because were always as a country looking for ways to be the best.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/23/politics/nasa-astronaut-peggy-whitson-trump/

Madison Harvey - Recall on Hash Browns

Summary - You may want to skip the frozen hash browns for now if you live in one of the nine states that sell Harris Teeter and Roundy's brands of hash browns.  The potatoes may contain pieces of golf balls, that's right I said golf balls.  According to the hash brown maker McCain Foods USA.  The hash browns could be contaminated with extraneous golf ball materials, that may have been inadvertently harvested with potatoes used to make this product.  There hasn't been any reported injuries but the consumption of these products could be a choking hazard or other physical injury to the mouth.  The company voluntarily recalled the product.  The production code on the package is B170119 and was sold in Illinois, Wisconsin, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia and Maryland.  The contaminated products should be trhown away or returned to the store for a refund.

Analysis - This article was written by Ray Sanchez of CNN, to inform the public of the hazards from eating this product.  I'm not sure when or how the company found out about the situation but they seem to be taking the appropriate action to warn the public about it.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/22/health/hash-brown-recall/index.html

Flying Car Marisa Vasquez

          Google's cofounder has launched a prototype of the "ultralight" aircraft that has the ability to take off vertically... otherwise known as the flying car. In the demonstration on this past Monday, it showed the machine lifting off over a lake with the help of propellers under the base. According to their website, this flying car is said to come out on sale by the end of this year. Approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, an individual may fly this without a pilot's license, and in non-congested areas. Many other companies and firms are working towards the production of an "automobile" such as this, so there will be much competition in the making of this electronic.


         Before reading this article, I had not been aware of the competition to make a flying car. It's a very cool concept, and I'm interested to see how our society and electronics further from here. I wonder in a couple of years how our society differs from how we live currently, and I would like to know if it is eventually beneficial, or harmful to the environment. This article is from CNN, a very reliable source for current news and information. In the article, it mentioned that the device can only be flown over water, and I wanted to know why that was. Google will release more information on it soon. This synthesizes to the industrial revolution, where there were many advancements in technology and electronics.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/24/technology/larry-page-flying-car/index.html

Emily Anderson- tensions in Korea

     It is said that the USS Michigan will be pulled into the South Korean port very shortly. This submarine will meet up with the USS Vinson aircraft carrier to rehearse. The commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet said it's simply a "routine deployment." The USS Michigan is on its way to the Indo-Asia-Pacific. Originally only able to launch nuclear missiles, the USS Michigan was remodeled to include Tomahawk cruise missiles. This new technology will hopefully help the U.S. citizens being held in North Korea. Their hope of freedom is slipping and we must help with the new technology and weaponry.
     This is certainly not the first time North and South Korea have been in disagreement along with the U.S. supporting the south. During the Korean War, the country was split between north and south. The north was supported by the communist states such as the Soviet Union and China, while the south was supported by the democratic states such as the United States. It's very interesting to see the tensions that still remain initially from conflict decades ago.



http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04/24/north-korea-tensions-uss-michigan-submarine-to-enter-south-korean-port.html

Townley Jordan: Frozen Hashbrown Recall Due to Potential Golf Ball Contamination

Summary: For the time being, skip frozen hash browns sold in nine states under the Harris Teeter and Roundy's brands. They may contain pieces of golf balls, according to the hash brown maker. The notice on the US Food & Drug Administration site says the hash browns could be "contaminated with extraneous golf ball materials" that "may have been inadvertently harvested with potatoes used to make this product." Continuing, "Consumption of these products may pose a choking hazard or other physical injuries to the mouth," says the notice of the voluntary recall.The contaminated products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase. McCain Foods has not responded to a request for further comment.

Analysis: That is crazy to me that golf balls could end up in hash browns, how could one not notice that? I am glad no one has gotten hurt though, and the company has taken appropriate action, so everything turned out okay in the end. I just think that it is mind boggling as to how this event occurred.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/22/health/hash-brown-recall/index.html

Teen wears Black Lives Matter-inspired dress to prom -Bakari Williams

Summary: In this season of high school prom, many teens always go on a search for the perfect dress while this girl chose to rather send a message through her dress. 17 year-old Florida teen Milan Bolden-Morris got a custom dress made for her prom that features the faces of victims of police brutality. The teen used her platform on social media to make the statement while adding "Yes, I'm black. Yes, I'm 17. Yes, GOD is using me to convey a message that is bigger than me."
The teen later responded in a interview that she was overwhelmed by the response she has gotten and that it was mostly positive.

Synthesis: This event has been done in the light of the police brutality and hate crimes that have recently been more and more exposed in our country. It is like when Martin Luther King Jr. organized the march on Washington to protest inequality for Black people. Though some may not consider this as epic an event, this is definitely was the effect of people using their platform of popularity to make a push for change for equality.

Emma Sutherland - Google cofounder's 'flying car' makes its debut

SUMMARY:
          Google's cofounder has launched a prototype of the "ultralight" aircraft that has the ability to take off vertically... otherwise known as the flying car. In the demonstration on this past Monday, it showed the machine lifting off over a lake with the help of propellers under the base. According to their website, this flying car is said to come out on sale by the end of this year. Approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, an individual may fly this without a pilot's license, and in non-congested areas. Many other companies and firms are working towards the production of an "automobile" such as this, so there will be much competition in the making of this electronic.

ANALYSIS:
         Before reading this article, I had not been aware of the competition to make a flying car. It's a very cool concept, and I'm interested to see how our society and electronics further from here. I wonder in a couple of years how our society differs from how we live currently, and I would like to know if it is eventually beneficial, or harmful to the environment. This article is from CNN, a very reliable source for current news and information. In the article, it mentioned that the device can only be flown over water, and I wanted to know why that was. Google will release more information on it soon. This synthesizes to the industrial revolution, where there were many advancements in technology and electronics.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/24/technology/larry-page-flying-car/index.html

Rachel Bozalis - Trump may not build the wall

In recent funding plans Trump has released, it has been revealed that the wall across the southern border has not been included. Trump promises to build the wall in future plans but for the time being plans to just step up border control and its funding. One of his major plans to "make America great again" is to build the military by increasing spending and to increase national security by building the wall. The wall, however, has created much tension in our government, therefore creating apprehension about building and even discussing it as it could lead to a government shutdown. For the time being, border control and national security related spending will increase with the possibility of constructing the wall remaining unknown.

I, personally, sincerely hope that this wall is not constructed. The country was build on principles of welcomeness, openness, and opportunity, and building said wall will physically set ourselves apart from the rest of the world and therefore these principles. Keeping compromise is key in my opinion and I think that increased border control can be a helpful attribute if approached in the correct way. This article is from CNN meaning that it contains information that is truthful and factual.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/24/politics/trump-shutdown-fight-mixed-messages/index.html

Starbucks Pledges To Hire 10,000 refugees: Larissa Perez #2

Summary: CEO of Starbucks has outlined a plan in response to President Trumps order banning travel from Muslim countries. This will happen over the span of 5 years in 75 countries where Starbucks does business in. Schultz also said that in support for Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Schultz also said that if any new taxes, immigration restrictions, or trade sanctions are put in place Starbucks is ready to help support their Mexican customers. families, and partners if needed to be.

Analysis: This article was published on January 39, 2017 by Jill Disis. I think that this article was written to inform the public of Starbucks new policies in response to Trump new travel policies. This has sent a chain reaction and other businesses are doing the same thing. I also like how it doesn't pick side it just gives facts.

Link: http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/29/news/companies/starbucks-hiring-refugees/

Alyssa Sartuche - Schools

Summary:Martin Altenburg and Kwasi Enin both got accepted into every Ivy League School. However, they were raised was completely different from one another.. One was raised with strict parents & the other more carefree.  The black male, Kwan Enin, had the strict parents who encouraged him to have good grades. While Martin Altenburg, the white male, lived a more hands off lifestyle whose parents never pushed him to do more and more. 

Analysis: Congrats to both of them for getting into those schools, but I don't understand why they put them together. Like why is us a big shock that a black male gets accepted to every Ivy League school. I just don't think they had a specific reason for comparing the two because the way the article is written it's basically saying Martin shouldn't of gotten in because he didn't work as hard but he still did while Kwan had to work hard for it. This too much. This can be related to desegregation of schools. 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/24/health/gallery/ivy-league-schools-students/index.html

JADA BROWN- Office worker shoots boss and kills himself

Monday afternoon, April 24th, 2017, a man jn Dallas shot his boss and then himself. When police were contacted, it was said that the shooter and his boss were, at first, unidentifiable. It was even unclear where they worked; the building was the soon found after officers noticed a shattered window of a specific building. sweat waste factory

I just have to sat that you never know what people are going through and you have to treat people the way you want to be treated. I'm not implying that what he did was the only thing to do, but he probably had a rwason, which could have probably been prevented. I'm just glad that no one else besides the two (victim and shooter) weren't injured.

This topic relates to Triangle Shirtwaist factory in March on the 25th in 2011. The owners would lock all the workers in to keep work progress high. When the fire started to cause over 100 deaths, there was no way for the people (mostly women) to escape the disaster. Many died from inhaling, burning, or jumping to their deaths. Now this was basically the owner/ boss killing the workers and in my story, the worker killed his boss.

Play News Stand App

Elijah Macias- U.S citizens held in North Korea amid rising tensions

Summary: Yet another U.S citizen has been detained in North Korea, bringing the number to 3. The new captive is Korean-American Tony Kim who was detained at the airport out of his way out of North Korea. The Swedish embassy in Pyongyang said Sunday it was aware of a Korean-American citizen being detained recently but could not comment further. As of Monday morning, North Korea's official media had not reported on the detention and there so far have been no details on why Kim was detained.

Analysis: I can't imagine how frightening it must be to be incarcerated in such an evil country such as North Korea. When news broke out last year of Otto Warmbier- 1 of the 3 captives- and his sentencing of 15 years hard labor for petty theft, i couldn't believe it. I know that Tony Kim could not have done anything for the DPRK to warrant such an arrest, but we have yet to find out any details on the subject.
This is fairly similar to the Iran-Contra affair and the 444 days that Americans were held captive in Iran.
I hope we fight to get our people back from that stupid country, but with the growing tensions we may not see any progress for a while.
Link

Madelyn Dean - Bill O’Reilly Breaks His Silence After His Exit From Fox News

Bill O'Reilly was fired this past week from fox news, not for his racist, sexist views, but for causing fox news to loose financial advertising backing. Fox payed off at least six lawsuits against O'Reilly, coming to a total of 13 million dollars worth of hush money. This is progress in a way that shows American progression.

Stores closing- Karina Enriquez

summary-
Many stores have been announcing a change,they're either closing up completely or closing department stores here and there. This issue is said to be one of the largest economic change it hasn't been hit as bad as in 2008.

Analysis-
On April 24, 2017 author Jackie Wattles published an article for CNN over the drastic closures in department stores. There has been many companies like Bebe,JcPenny,Macy's and Payless that have been following up with this trend. This has happened during the Great Depression when many stores and banks were closing due to an economy drop.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/22/news/credit-suisse-retail/index.html

Mollie Hamman 1st Period Paraguay Heist

Recently in Paraguay a group of about 50 men came into Ciudad del Este and created a huge conflict involving a police fight, the blowing up the front of a private security firm, and a bank robbery (up to $40 million). To escape they combusted cars and shot at a police station. They are believed to have stolen some of the company's cars and stored away the money in waiting boats in the Panama River. As they traveled down the river, 12 men came across Brazilian police, but escaped. They are still searching for the culprits.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39700931

Izzy Brown- Two students get accepted into every Ivy League school

Summary: Two students from two different states have been accepted into every Ivy League school. Kwasi Enin and Martin Altenburg are two students of different race and grew up in different types of household. Enin describes his parents as people who want him to do his best and even above that, they want him to take advantage of scholarships and financial aid because in Ghana (where his parents are from) they didn't that luxury. However with Altenburg he says his parents rarely ever checked his grades. He describes how his parents helped him was how they let him do his own thing and motivate himself because one day he will be on his own in college.


Analysis/Synthesis: The contrast in these two students is so very interesting and shows there isn't only one way to achieve great things. It shows that even laid back parents can raise a very intelligent child. Both households show their children how to appreciate what they have and not take things for granted, which I think should be taught to every growing person. We see far too many spoiled kids who don't work for much and expect that treatment throughout their whole life. They expect just because they have money that automatically commends respect and such (just look at our current president). Both of these families care very much about their children and show that a hardworking person can be raised anyway.


Source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/24/health/ivy-league-schools-parents-profile/index.html

Kate Pinkerton - Is Trump going to build the wall?

Summary - While President Trump gave mixed information about the wall bordering Mexico and the United States his administration assured that the wall would be funded. If the Wall isn't funded there would we a government shutdown. Trump and his administration were also pushing for tax and healthcare reforms, wanting to get rid of Obamacare, but they have stopped rushing to try and get reforms passed. Soon is the when the government spending budget is due and it is still unclear as to if the healthcare reforms made in Obama's presidency would remain and if the wall is going to have funding left over.

Analysis - I am glad that they are second guessing their decision to build a wall. While the idea of building a wall in general is a terrible idea and based on racist values, it is also financially impractical to build a wall across the entire US-Mexico border in order to keep people out. In my opinion the ones who already breaking the law will continue to do so despite there being a wall, and the rest of the people coming to the states who were good hardworking people will be locked out of our country.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/24/politics/trump-shutdown-fight-mixed-messages/index.html

four year old falls out a bus- Camryn Stafford

summary:

The back door of a moving bus sprung open and  a 4-year-old girl tumbled out of it into the middle of a busy highway. Initially she was unconscious but after the bus driver watched over her, she managed to ask about her mother. They managed to move off the busy road as they waited for emergency medical services. If it hadn't been in such an inconvenient location, the bus driver confessed that it would have been wise to have left her there until help came. The little girl is recovering in the hospitable with a broken jaw. The police are still unsure as to whether or not the girl opened the door or if it was unlocked. 

analysis:

The incident is very unfortunate and crazy. I always have thought about this situation but I never thought that this would be an actual incident that occurred. It's a blessing that the four year old did not die or suffer a major concussion or brain damage and only a broken jaw. Also, It's hard to believe that the little girl fell onto the highway and did not get hit by any cars. Fortunately the bus driver noticed and was able to react the right way and not fall subject to pressure that may have arisen. This accident can be synthesized to a party bus incident in 2016 resulting in one dead and another injured 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/23/us/four-year-old-falls-out-of-bus-trnd/index.html

Hayley Cagle, Hundreds of Thousands Take to the Streets Worldwide for the Global March for Science

Summary: Over the weekend, more than 600 rallies took place worldwide in an effort to raise awareness for climate change. There were numerous speakers including Bill Nye, Mustafa Ali, and Denis Hayes. There was even a rally on Antarctica!

Analysis: This is a GREAT Earth Day activity seeing as though we have a president who doesn't believe in climate change. This is also a good way for the environmental activist community to have a spotlight in mainstream media.

https://www.democracynow.org/2017/4/24/speeches_from_the_march_for_science

Anna Czyzewski - Confederate Memorial Day

Summary: Almost 152 years ago, the Civil War was fought over the institution of slavery in the U.S. Today, in Southern states such as Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, a state holiday was celebrated in honor of the "four-year struggle for states' rights, individual freedom and government control." While many of these "holidays" gained controversy, the individuals in charge of the celebration state that it is a time to learn from past mistakes and to honor the Southern heritage.

Analysis: These explanations by the state governments are blatant lies that are being used to try to cover up the unapologetic racism still prevalent in America today. The people fighting for the Confederate were racist-- that was their whole thing. Celebrating their racism is not the way to reflect on our mistakes. If we keep honoring these people, then we will never learn and history is destined to repeat itself, and it seems it may already be happening.


(source)

Chloe Dupuy- Australian Researchers discover dying coral Reef

Summary: Coral Ree has been found due to Coral Bleaching.

 Analysis: Australian researchers have discovered that the Great Barrier Reef is actually dying out in the Northern region. Scientists have said that the cause is something called Coral Bleaching. Its where coral Starts to lose its vibrant color and most of the algae dies out. This can result after things like conditions of habitat, rising water temperatures and climate changes. Scientists also say that the bleachings always happen in the Northern region and that they fear one may soon occur during the long period of recovery. There was actually some good news  on Monday, that only 6% of the central region is bleached, and that only 1% died off.

Synthesis: We have yet to discover many parts of many bodies of water. Even though there is little we can do to protect it all, we still do our best as a country to protect it. Oceans and others bodies of water have been used since you and I can remember for things like transportation and shipping.

Source: play newsstand app

Intent Vs. Interpret ~ Harper Jones

Summary: Shea Moisture is fighting backlash on social media after the brand issued an ad that opened with a black woman discussing the difficulties of dealing with her natural hair, but quickly transitioned to two white women. The intended message was, "Break free from hair hate," but loyal consumers found the juxtaposition was insensitive. The company has apologized and said it's yanking the ad.

Analysis: Sometimes messages are interpreted in another way that is way off from it's intent. It is up to us to be cautious with our words and make sure our message comes across the right way.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/24/news/companies/shea-moisture-commercial/index.html

Devyn Lemack- Murder Suspect

An Ohio man, charged in a 2015 house fire that killed a 10-year-old girl and her grandparents, jumped to his death off a courthouse balcony Monday before his murder trial was set to begin. Robert Seman jr. was being escorted to a holding cell by deputies after a brief hearing at the Mahoning County Courthouse in Youngstown when he committed suicide around 9:30 a.m. The 48-year-old faced the death penalty if convicted in the deaths 10-year-old Corinne Grump, and her grandparents, 63-year-old William S. and 61-year-old Judith S. Prosecutors say he set the house on fire because Gump was scheduled to testify against him in a rape case.


When I read this article, I felt very unsettled. I do not understand how someone can do such hurtful things, especially to little kids. After his disturbing actions, he decides that what is best, is to kill them in a house fire. There was no justice here which is very sad. I think that this article is important because it lets the people all over the US know what is happening everyday. This article was published by CNN and it is a very reliable news network

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/30/us/severe-weather-tornadoes-flooding/index.html 

Opioid Epidemic May be Underestimated by Macey Kanaman

     Summary: The United States is facing an opioid epidemic, averaging 91 overdoses a day. Although this number could be underestimated. Over half the deaths caused by opioids were not included in Minnesota's total between 2006 and 2011. People who use opioids have a likely chance of getting pneumonia, this is why many people are not included in the states total of deaths caused by opioids. Their cause of death is titled pneumonia instead of opioids. This happens quite often and could be the reason why it's being underestimated.


Analysis: This article was very informative and eye opening. The opioid epidemic is an extremely big problem and I think there should be more done. Instead of placing people in jail for possession of drugs they should be placed in rehab where they can get help. I am synthesizing this to before people kept records. How would anyone know if there was a drug problem with no way of keeping record? Were they even drugs pre 20th century? I doubt they had a way of keeping data so they didn't acknowledge whether or not there was a problem. As we have developed as a society we have developed new ideas and things have become important to us such as keeping data of opioid overdoses, which is something the settlers in 1607 were probably not worried about.


Source:http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/24/health/opioid-deaths-cdc-report/index.html 

Suicide squad is a stupid movie. -Wallis Brown

Here at my current events blog, I only produce the most current, and quality-driven stories. Which is why I'm going to tell you how stupid the movie "Suicide Squad" is.

Suicide Squad did not live up to its expectation, to say the least. Margot Robbie, while an impressive gymnast, can't keep up a Brooklyn accent for more than a few scenes. Jared Leto, while a decent actor in other films, (Fight Club, Requiem For a Dream, etc.), isn't given enough screen time to let us see how he developed the character, leaving me extremely sad that we don't have Heath Ledger anymore. The characters are bland, the plot is weak, the Joker is, in a few words, not the joker. God I miss Heath Ledger. Suicide Squad could've been so cool, and they made it into a trashy music video WITH NO HEATH LEDGER.

I would've been totally fine with the "new image" of the Joker if they didn't try to act like Joker is "the hot guy". I don't need to see him muscle-y and shirtless, like some punk band singer. Just give me a good frickin' movie. 

What makes it even worse, is that people I know love it.

I went to a church retreat recently, and one of the members of my youth group wore nothing but "Suicide Squad" shirts. I'm not even joking. It's too serious an issue to joke about. She wore:

This God-forsaken thing

And this God-forsaken thing

And this God-forsaken thing

And this god-forsaken thing

Needless to say, I couldn't stand it. I hate Suicide Squad. Goodnight.

Anecia Forbes: 'Lost continent' found under Mauritius in the Indian Ocean

SUMMARY: CNN Found a lost continent, hiding underneath a tropical holiday destination. It might sound implausible, but deep at the bottom of the Indian Ocean, a research team, led by South Africa's University of the Witwatersrand, has found pieces of an ancient continent. The lava-covered piece of continent, dubbed 'Mauritia,' was found under the popular island of Mauritius. According to the report published this week in the journal Nature Communications, the piece of crust is left over from the breakup of Gondwanaland, a super-continent that existed more than 200 million years ago. Containing rocks up to 3.6 billion years old, Gondawanaland split into what now are Africa, South America, Antarctica, India and Australia. Professor Lewis Ashwal, lead author of the paper, says there are a number of pieces of "undiscovered continent" of various sizes spread over the Indian Ocean, left over by the breakup. "This breakup did not involve a simple splitting of the ancient super-continent of Gondwana," says Ashwal, but "a complex splintering took place with fragments of continental crust of variable sizes left adrift within the evolving Indian Ocean basin. "The team made the discovery by analyzing a mineral called zircon found in rocks spewed up by lava during volcanic eruptions. They said that remnants of the mineral were way too old to belong to Mauritius. "Mauritius is an island, and there is no rock older than 9 million years old on the island," says Ashwal. But by studying rocks on the island, they found zircons that were 3 billion years old. The researchers say these findings corroborate a study done in 2013 that found traces of ancient zircons in beach sand. But critics said the mineral could have been blown in by the wind, or carried in by the scientists.

ANALYSIS: This is so extraordinary to me that an island that couldn't be seen a couple of years ago is now very visible. Looking at picture of this island it looks extremely beautiful and is absolutely breathtaking. This could be synthesized and actually is somewhat related to Pangea and the shifting of the Earth's continents.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/03/world/lost-continent-mauritius-trnd/?iid=ob_homepage_deskrecommended_pool#

Jordyn Chapman- New Orleans Begins Removing Confederate Monuments

Summary: New Orleans on Monday began removing four monuments dedicated to the era of the Confederacy and its aftermath, capping a prolonged battle about the future of the memorials, which critics deemed symbols of racism and intolerance and which supporters viewed as historically important. Workers dismantled an obelisk, which was erected in 1891 to honor members of the Crescent City White League who in 1874 fought in the Reconstruction-era Battle of Liberty Place against the racially integrated New Orleans police and state militia, Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a statement. The monument, which was sometimes used as a rallying point by David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan, has stirred debate for decades. Local leaders unsuccessfully tried to remove it in 1981 and 1993. Pieces of the compound were hauled away in a truck. Other monuments expected to be removed include a bronze statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee in a traffic circle, named Lee Circle, in the city’s central business district since 1884; an equestrian statue of P.G.T. Beauregard, a Confederate general; and a statue of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy.

Analysis: This article was created on April 24, 2017 by Christopher Mele. Prior to reading the article, I knew about some instances of argument with confederate symbols, but had no idea about this. The author of the article creates an informative piece with an unbiased opinion on the matter. It was written for audiences to prove step by step there was change being made socially. It also called for the question of whether or not the symbols were merely historical and mattered more than their initial meaning.

Synthesis: The article can be connected to an instance happening in California. On August 21, 2014, Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation last year prohibiting state agencies from selling or displaying items bearing the flag.
Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/24/us/new-orleans-confederate-statue.html?_r=0

Maggie Gibson Fox news drops Bill O Reilly in wake of harassment allegations

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/04/19/fox-news-drops-bill-oreilly-in-wake-harassment-allegations.html
   Fox News is officially firing Bill O'Reilly after several accusations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior towards woman. This is big news, because Bill O'Reilly had been Fox new's biggest star in its whole 20 years. The New York Times was the first to report that O'Reilly or Fox had paid $13 mil to settle five cases against O'Reilly because of sexual harassment. Advertisers withdrew, and a law firm was asked to investigate.This is significant because this happened only nine months after Fox news founder Roger Ailes was forced out as chairman following a sexual harassment lawsuit by many other women, namely 7. O'Reilly has had several controversial issues over the past ten years.
    I think it's upsetting that someone so famous and reputable among news and the media has managed to harass women and it's become such a hush hush thing that now only when other women had the courage to do so, every one else comes forward. Powerful men need to respect women too. No one gets an "I'm famous" pass. This can be synthesized to President Trump's comments about "grabbing women by the p***y."

Audrey Griffin "Google cofounder's 'flying car' makes its debut"

Google cofounder's 'flying car' makes its debut

Summary: This article tells about how Google just debuted its new flying car which is supposed to be available for consumer purchase by the end of this year. The company is currently trying to get governmental permission for the vehicle to be flown in uncongested areas. The flying "car" can currently only be flown over bodies of water. Google is also currently in the process of suing Uber for stealing its intellectual property having to do with flying, even though Google is a major investor in Uber.

Analysis: The future is here (kinda)! Ever since I saw Back to the Future I've been looking forward to the day I get to take a ride on a flying vehicle. The flying car that can only fly over water is only a couple steps behind having an actual hoverboard! It's definitely cooler than the dumb rolly hover boards we have available to us now. Those are lame. Anyway, competition is cool! It leads to innovation like in the Guilded Age.

Google cofounder's 'flying car' makes its debut

Bill Nye Rips CNN- Abby Pryor period 8

Summary:
On Earth Day, Bill Nye was one of 5 who took part in a split screen feature to talk about the Earth and climate change. His biggest opponent that night seemed to be William Happer, a physicist who has relations with Trump. Happer said that carbon dioxide being harmful is a "myth" and did not take it seriously. Nye quickly said back that he was obstructing the fact that carbon emissions are a factor in climate change. He said that he "clearly doesn't understand the rate" of climate change. It was later said that he said that "CNN treats news like a sport, or theatre".

Analysis:
I think that Bill Nye knows more than people may give him credit for. It is crazy that Happer thinks its okay to ignore the climate changes in our world...and honestly I am happy that someone had the nerve to call out an ignorant person like that on TV. GO BILL!!

Source:
https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/4/24/15406246/bill-nye-cnn-climate-change-theater

Isabella Poscente- Dahir Adan

Summary:

This past Saturday, a man named Dahir Adan was roaming around a mall, Crossroads Center mall in St. Cloud. Adan was wearing a security officer uniform and randomly stabbed 10 people. Adan is now descripted as a terrorist. Before he stabbed some of the victims, he asked one of them if they were Muslim and he mentioned Allah. The F.B.I. is investigating the incident as a possible terrorist attack. The incident ended with customers sprinting out of the mall while an off-duty police officer killed Adan.

Anlysis/Synthesis:

The article was written by Mitch Smith and as posted on the New York Times page. The article was produced on September 19, 2016. This affects the article because we still have little information on the incident since this recently just happened and they are still investigating. I did not hear about this until I read the article. The article is a negative influence because a terrorist attack is never positive. The article was written for the general public. This document is relevant for our lives today because of all the terrorist attacks with ISIS. This relates to many things in the past that relates to terrorism.

Source:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/us/obama-st-cloud-minnesota.html?_r=0

New Orleans Begins Removal of Confederate-Era Memorials-Josie guthrey

Good news for New Orleans!

Workers in New Orleans removed Monday the monument to the Battle of Liberty Place, the first step in the city’s move to take down Confederate-era monuments in the Crescent City. Mayor Mitch Landrieu, in a statement, said: “The removal of these statues sends a clear and unequivocal message to the people of New Orleans and the nation: New Orleans celebrates our diversity, inclusion and tolerance.” Critics of the memorials view them as racist; their supporters call them a historic part of the South’s legacy. The monument to the Battle of Liberty Place marks the battle in 1874 when the all-white Crescent City White League attacked the mixed-race Municipal Police in an attempt to topple city’s government. The monument was removed Monday before sunrise because of reported death threats against the crews who are dismantling them. Workers wore masks to protect their identities. Many places in the South have removed Confederate-era memorials following the killing in South Carolina of nine parishioners in a historically black church in June 2015. Confederate symbols have also been taken down in South Carolina and Mississippi amid controversy and protests.

https://www.theatlantic.com/liveblogs/2017/04/news-today/524061/

Gracie Darlington: Stores are closing at an epic pace

According to a research report from brokerage firm Credit Suisse, over 8600 retail stores are projected to close down by the end of 2017. The current record for the amount of stores closing was in 2008, when 6,163 stores shut down. The report says, "Barely a quarter into 2017, year-to-date retail store closings have already surpassed those of 2008." With the development of ecommerce businesses like Amazon, many big businesses have announced that they're shutting down all or a large majority of their stores. These businesses include Bebe, JCPenny, Payless ShoeSource, and Macy's.
This economic trend is a direct result of the increasing presence of internet businesses. Online companies are replacing the day to day physical retail shops because their relative convenience. This record breaking amount of stores shutting down is similar to the many businesses and banks shutting down during the Great Depression and the 2008 economic recession. 

http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/22/news/credit-suisse-retail/index.html 

Lauren Cargill - This Mammal Can Act Like a Plant

Summary: Naked mole rats are surprising science again. They are cold blooded, resistant to pain and cancer, and they can live up to 100 years. Scientists now believe that they can survive without oxygen. "Naked mole-rats are very social animals and typically live in underground colonies of up to 200 in East Africa," says Gary Lewin, who co-led the study, "with so many animals crowded into such a small living space -- all of them taking in oxygen and producing carbon dioxide -- they are used to oxygen-deprived environments." They tested it by putting the naked mole rats into an environment and gradually reducing the oxygen. They were hardly affected, though less than 10% oxygen kills humans. Then, they took all of the oxygen away. The rodents went into a sort of coma-like state but were completely fine 18 minutes later when the oxygen was reintroduced. Naked mole rats possess tons of new things that humans can learn.

Analysis: Naked mole rats are so cool! Before, I only really new naked mole rats from Kim Possible so to learn this is really cool. I like how these small creatures possess so many things. I feel like the world is going to end and all that'll be left are the naked mole rats. This could relate to all of  the other naked mole rat related discoveries that have happened in the past. I can't wait to find out what else these creatures have in store!

Article:  http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/21/health/naked-mole-rats-oxygen-study/?iid=ob_homepage_deskrecommended_pool