Too High On Meth

Recently, Andrew Frey, a man from Oregon was high on meth and decided to have an adventure outside. He apparently went to a store named Brook's Market and refused to leave for his unusual behavior. Eventually an employee finally kicked him out of the store, but he happened to stumble into a bar. The most strangest thing was he began to masturbate in the bar. The bar soon called a police officer to the scene and tried to reason with the him to stop masturbating. Eventually, the officer's feeble attempts did not work and resulted to taser Frey to take him down. Sadly, the taser was not able to subdue him and the man began to fight back. What is ridiculous is the officer had to call for back up and it took a total of 15 officers  to take down a man that was high on meth while still masturbating. After the obscene incident, Frey was treated at a local hospital and then booked into the county jail on charges of public indecency, theft of services, and resisting arrest. All jokes aside, give the guy some respect to able to fend off this many cops and pleasuring himself at the same time.

For the full ridiculous story, click here.

Woman Caught After 36 Years On The Run

Check this out you guys!

Kathlyn Huff, 58, of Farmington Hills, Michigan, was arrested Tuesday, in her driveway, at her home – forcing her to finally face charges from a 1976 incident when she tried to kill her common-law husband by shooting him in the head. US Marshals tracked her across the country until her arrest this week. The woman fled from Texas to Seattle to Michigan before finally being caught.

Can you imagine that? Hiding for 36 years? Or having a neighbor who’s a criminal? (scaryyyyy!!!)  Patricia Kaye even said, “It's a shocker because if it's been that long, if she's been around that long, I'm quite surprised. It's a very quiet neighborhood. We don't have any odd happenings that go on around here.” Be careful guys!

There are no plans to bring criminal charges against any of the woman’s family, she is currently sitting in Oakland County Jail awaiting extradition to Texas.

Funny though, she's still smiling on her picture:

Click here to read more.

Utah Says "I do" To Gay Marriage

Gay marriage ban has come to an end in the conservative state today due to the lack of evidence that same sex marriage affected opposite sex marriage. 

Read full story here: http://news.yahoo.com/judge-strikes-down-utah-39-same-sex-marriage-212041954.html

Suing Saudi

http://news.yahoo.com/9-11-families-39-ecstatic-39-finally-sue-222121660--abc-news-topstories.html">

Victims families are "ecstatic" on the courts ruling allowing the families to sue Saudi Arabia for the 9/11 terrorist attack.

Hadley's "Killer Party"

Hadley’s “Killer Party”

 Tyler Hadley, name sound familiar? If not then you will not forget his name after reading about his sickening crime.

 Hadley grew up in the town of St. Lucie located in Florida. The teen had been going through depression and like any other teenager had his problems with his parents. Hadley was known to be the quiet kid in school so when he told his friends that he was throwing a party no one believed him. That was until Hadley posted on Facebook that the party was on, telling people his parents were out of town. As people arrived to the party little did they know what was hidden in the master bedroom. As the night progressed people showed up and did not stop to think what the dry brown stuff on the floor was. Hadley later that night shared with his long time friend Michael Mandell that he had killed his parents. It was not until later that night Mandell called the Crimestoppers Hotline and told them everything. Since Hadley had committed the crime 6 months before his 18th birthday he was not tried as an adult therefore unable to be sentenced to death.

 Read the full story here: http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/tyler-hadleys-killer-party-20131218

London Theater Collapses and Injures People.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/as-many-as-80-people-injured-in-collapse-at-crowded-london-theater/

At 8:15 p.m., the London theater collapses and injured 80 people. 7 were hurt severely. Click the link for more details.

Mexican Government Has Made A Change With Oil

Recently, the Mexican Congress approved the constitutional reform opening up oil exploration, extraction, refining, transportation, distribution and sale of oil and its by-products to local and foreign private investment. If oil and gas production are stepped up, greater prevention of risks is needed, and companies should incorporate the environmental and human costs of their activities.The reform also allows the government to grant permits or concessions for the exploration and exploitation of oil blocs. How do you feel about this change? Find more about the event with this link.

Obama and his “Deferred Action” Program

In the last fiscal year, according to statistics, deportations dropped 10 % . But this program that Obama had created only worked for some immigrants. Not all were guarenteed a citizenship. 

An article written by Ted Oberg believe that "The program President Obama created last June -- Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA -- is a sort of immigration no man's land. If you get it, you can stay here for two years. But there's no promise it will last and no way to citizenship. For the hundreds of thousands who have it, it is a huge start." 

So, can this program really help those illegel immigrants who came to the US for a better life and better chance to be well educated? 

Many illegel immigrants depend on this program to help change their life in many ways that thier own country can not. 

Nuclear Weapon in Iran

How close is Iran from creating new nuclear weapons?
Over the last two year Iran has been incresing their nuclear capability. Because of all the uranium and centrifuges they have on land, in a couple of months they can create a lot of weapons and nuclear bombs. But if there were a way to stop them, then their time in making these weapons will take longer. It will take them more than a year to finish what they have in mind. On December 7th, Rebecca Shimoni Stoil and Ricky Ben-David wrote the article "Obama: Iran can have peaceful nuclear program, ‘modest enrichment’"  and quoted Obama's speech. Obama stated that "In an ideal world Iran would destroy every element and facility, you name it.” And went on, “We have to be more realistic.”With this in mind, Obama wants to prevent Iran from aquiring any new niclear weapons. A few weeks ago Iran and the P5+1, the United States, Britain, France, Russia, and China plus Germany, signed a deal that a "comprehensive treaty to be negotiated in the next six months.  More than that, it expires in six months." And with this agreement many questions and concerns stirs up. U.S. Representative Ed Royce, the California Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, talks about the agreement between Iran and world powers to limit its nuclear program in exchange for as much as $7 billion in relief from sanctions. Royce speaks with Deirdre Bolton and Peter Cook on Bloomberg Television's "In the Loop."

An Unequal Pledge

An anonymous family from Massachusetts is challenging the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance in the state's highest court. The family, though they will probably lose due to the stubbornness of people about how mention of God isn't religious at all and it's just a traditional and patriotic word (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA) or how America is a Christian nation (it's not, just to clarify), has recognized that their child can skip over the words when reciting the pledge. They are not challenging it on a First Amendment violation though. They are challenging that since the words "under God" have been ruled as patriotic, a violation of the equal protection clause in the Massachusetts Constitution has arisen, making believers more patriotic than non-believers. The article is here.

I Don't Spy With My Little Eye...

The NSA collection of phone data has been deemed unconstitutional by Judge Richard Leon. The judge says that the Fourth Amendment is being violated as the collecting is an example of unreasonable search and seizure. At the moment however, the ruling is pending due to appeal, sadly.

As everyone knows, the NSA has been violating the privacy of people all around the world for some time now. At last, someone in the government has used a little bit of sense to put an end to this gross violation of our privacy. The NSA actions have soured our nations relationship with Brazil and Germany, and probably many others. If the ruling is overturned, then the NSA will continue to spy on us and the world. That would definitely suck, but considering a Second Amendment violation isn't present, I'm sure it has a decent chance of being overturned.

Pedophile Leg

Children evacuated from swimming pool after prosthetic leg mistaken for pedophile

An enitre class of 60 students were evacuated from a swimming pool after a prosthetic leg was mistaken for a peeping tom. "Teachers from Kings Hill Primary School in Kent spotted the leg poking out from a cubicle whilst taking their class of year 4 children swimming at Larkfield Leisure Centre." Upon investigating, they found out that it was an prosthetic leg belonging to a disabled man who went for a swim in the pool.

No comment. You can read more here

What Immigrants Have to Say

The Pew Research Center has conducted two new surveys questioning Hispanics and Asian-Americans about their views on immigration. According to their responses, Hispanics and Asian-Americans are more concerned about immigrants' protection from deportation rather than their access to citizenship, but a large majority still support a pathway to gaining citizenship. Although Democratic and Republican parties have gained support from Hispanics and Asian-Americans because of their "support" for a pathway to citizenship, the number of deportations has significantly increased in the past five years. Democrats have pushed Republicans to quickly vote on a bill on immigration, but Republicans have not sided with any bills because they wish to legislate reform "in increments". Because of the Republicans' lack of initial response to immigration reform, many Hispanics and Asian-Americans blame the Republicans for the gradual decrease in interest for the topic of immigration reform. 

Go here to access more information. 

Quack Quack Quack

     One of Americas most favorite shows is now under pressure. Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson is indefinitely suspended by A & E due to his recent comments about homosexuals. 

    In hopes to save the show, the network said,  "We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson's comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series 'Duck Dynasty'". The network also stated,"His personal views in no way reflect those of A&E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely." I believe A&E made the right decision but they can not suspend him forever. They will need him back.

     Robertson has explained that his life use to be based on sex, drugs, and Rock-and-Role until he hit rock bottom. At that time he turned his life around and accepted Jesus as his savior. He claim his mission is now to spread the word of God, tell about his own personal story and preach the Bible. One of those teachings is that marriage is between a man and woman. Phil says that his family has lost all privacy since the show but is glad because he had a stage to spread his religious beliefs.

     Many people believe Phil is right for saying what he believes in. Many also say that this is a violation of his first amendment right to the freedom of speech. Phil has backed up his statements with text from the bible. Despite these facts, others believe that there should be more punishments for his homophobic speech. Some say he knows nothing about homosexuals and their way of life. 

     People need to realize that he and his family have given up privacy to operate the show we all love. I believe he should know that he affects many people because he is very famous but he still has rights as a human. Everyone has their own beliefs, even T.V. stars. If someone is religious, than they have a right to it. People also have freedom to their speech. Phil is a firm believer in Christ and has a right to be due to the 1st amendment. I believe is just doing what he believes in. Finally, he is just a man on a TV, no one forces you to watch the show. If you don't like his actions, don't follow him.

   

Change the Mascot

Change the Mascot is a national campaign to end the use of the racial slur “Redskins” as the mascot and name of the NFL team in Washington, D.C. Launched by the Oneida Indian Nation, the campaign calls upon the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell to do the right thing and bring an end the use of the racial epithet. Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid has joined President Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to urge the Washington football team to change their mascot from the denounced "Redskins". Other sports teams in the past have changed their controversial mascots, Reid said in an interview, “We live in a society where you can’t denigrate a race of people. And that’s what that is. I mean, you can’t have the Washington Blackskins. I think it’s so short-sighted.” Representatives of the Oneida Indian Nation have recognized Reid's actions to stand up against this offensive mascot name with gratitude.

For more Info about this article, click here

Transgender Student Law?

Have you heard about the Transgender Student Law? If not, KEEP READING!!!

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When we return from winter break, a transgender law is scheduled to go into effect and our school leaders are training teachers on how to comply. Governor Jerry Brown signed AB12-66; giving the transgender K through 12 students the choice of using whichever bathroom matches their gender identity and the option of playing on either girls or boys teams. As mentioned above, the law will be goes into effect by January 1^st.

"Whaley said what’s most important is that all students feel safe and have equal opportunities available to them.”

Believe it or not, our Sacramento City Unified School District is a part of it. Lawrence Shweky (our Integrated Sports Services Director) says, "It would give transgendered students the right to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that corresponded with their gender identity." 

However, of course, there is still some uncertainty amongst administrators about what they have to do to comply and how exactly schools will be affected by the law. 

Opinion: I do agree that transgender children should feel safe and be able to be what they are. On the other hand though, I wouldn’t like it if they let boys/girls and transgenders use the same restroom all at once. I mean, (for girls), imagine seeing a 6'2'' super manly kid in our bathroom. AWKWARD. Maybe if it’s just one room where they can lock the doors (like teacher’s bathroom?), but not all together.  I can foresee that there could be some future challenges that the district may have to solve like they will clearly have to set up a clear policy to identify transgender students from imposters which I think is hard to do. And with that, it could cause a lot more issues with the students. I think what they can do though, that I’ll agree on, is they should add an additional stalls for unisex or transgender kids.
 
HERE'S THE LINK TO READ MORE

Ukrainian Leader Tilts Toward Russia

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, has complied to buy billions of government bonds and has cut the cost of gas sold to Ukraine. Many Ukrainians have protested over this new alliance with Russia, which has drawn them further with the European Union. Protesters have met in Kyiv's main square for almost a month. The Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych is under a great amount of suspicion involving his real intentions for this deal.

New Mexico Supreme Court Rules Gay Marriage Constitutional

The New Mexico Supreme Court  : On Thursday, The New Mexico Supreme Court declared gay marriage constitutional based on it being unconstitutional to deny a marriage license to gay and lesbian couples.

From the ruling: Prohibiting same-gender marriages is not substantially related to the governmental interests advanced by the parties opposing same-gender marriage or to the purposes we have identified. Therefore, barring individuals from marrying and depriving them of the rights, protections, and responsibilities of civil marriage solely because of their sexual orientation violates the Equal Protection Clause under Article II, Section 18 of the New Mexico Constitution. We hold that the State of New Mexico is constitutionally required to allow same-gender couples to marry and must extend to them the rights, protections, and responsibilities that derive from civil marriage under New Mexico law.

Bullet revolution

     Nearly a decade ago, many people believed that led bullets were extremely harmful to the environment. Today, lead bullets are being heavily regulated and even banned. Experts state that in a few years, lead bullets will be replace with green, environmentally friendly bullets.

     Opposers of the idea argue that the changes will cost more and have little effect. However, switching from lead will profit the environment. Currently, ground water is being contaminated by the bullets and harming wildlife. Not only is it harming nature, it is harming humans.  Studies show that lead bullet users have high amounts of lead. Lead poison effects most parts of the body such as tissue and organs.

     Although many people disagree with this new method, i believe it is right. It might cost more, but the money spent is well worth it. We as humans are always evolving to find a better way to do things. I believe this is one thing we can fix to make our world better.

The Obama Administration Permits Eagle Deaths

         Wind Turbines, standing nearly 30 stories tall, spin up to 170 miles per hour. Creating a tornado like vortex they are the cause of approximately 600,000 avian and bat fatalities each year, 83,000 being raptors such as the federally protected bald eagle. Under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act eagles are under the protection of the federal government “prohibiting the take, possession, sale, purchase, barter, offer to sell, purchase or barter, transport, export or import, of any bald or golden eagle, alive or dead, including any part, nest, or egg, unless allowed by permit "Take" includes pursue, shoot, shoot at, poison, wound, kill…”-U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Eagles are also protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, those who interfere with the migration of eagles are subject to “maximum of two years imprisonment and $250,000 fine for a felony conviction and six months imprisonment or $5,000 fine for a misdemenor conviction. Fines double if the violator is an organization rather than an individual.” -U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

        When eagles are killed by windmills, what are the penalties? Do the wind turbine companies have to pay a fine or do their members serve their time in prison for all the eagles they have killed? The Obama Administration recently reacted to these statistics by permitting these companies with a “free pass” to killing eagles without penalty on wind farms. A 30 year permit proposal which will devastate the eco-system and various species of birds and bats. In a "quest" for clean energy Obama has doubled Americas wind power, but why use such an expensive an alternative which lacks efficiency and consistence? A modern wind turbine, which can generate 2 megawatts of electricity (MWe) when the wind is blowing, costs about $3.5 million installed. Five hundred of these turbines installed at a wind farm, to be able to generate 1000 MWe, would cost $1.75 billion. A typical wind farm will produce energy 30% of the time, and not necessarily when energy is needed. The feds decision to permit Eagle killings for three decades have not only wind companies applying but also building companies and the military. 

The Obama Administration is willing to sacrifice the National icon for an inefficient form of alternative energy, the detriments of this decision will not only concern wildlife conservatives, patriots, and eagle populations but also Native American tribes who universally look to Eagles with high religious and traditional respect.

For more information: Indian Country & Washington Times

 

Handguns and 3D printers

http://www.longisland.com/news/12-17-13/for-the-first-time-a-fully-operational-plastic-handgun-was-legally-made-using-a-3d-printer.html

Just published today this article  reports the opinions of  politicians on the the manufacturing of plastic weaponry via the use of home 3D printers and the  bill to make them illegal. For those that do not  know a 3D printers are able to print objects out of molded plastic; even objects with such complexity as that of a gun. . They can pass unnoticed by metal detectors  and can be easily printed at home by a (relatively) cheap printer at the price of 4000  dollars. Seemingly the perfect weapon for a would be terrorist.  Not only that but with the power to create a such a weapon at home unnoticed, any and gun control laws would be nullified.
After reading this i'm not sure if a bill could ever be strong enough to stop the plastic guns without interfering with the 2 amendment

Harvard student receives big punishment for bombing the university.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/harvard-student-made-bomb-threats-to-get-out-of-exam-cops-say/

20 year old, Eldo Kim, was fined $250,000 and placed in confinement for 5 years for making bomb threats just to avoid taking an exam. Kim sent emails, anonymously, to get people to flee, saying that the're bombs planted under Harvard. Even though Kim had a sneaky plan, investigators were still able to catch him. Click the link above for more details.

Dog Saves Man's Life.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/blind-man-guide-dog-hit-by-subway-train-in-nyc/

Orlando, a black Labrador, saved 61 year old blind man, Cecil Williams, by helping the man get up when he was struck by a train. The man loves the dog for saving his life and must give him up because the dog is too old and Williams' insurance only covers working dogs. Without the help of his insurance, Williams can not keep Orlando as a regular pet. Click the link above for more details.

Syrian Refugees Flee to Bulgaria

Syrian refugees have fled to Bulgaria, Europe's poorest country. Thousands of refugees have come into these camps, meant for only 400. The camps do not have electricity or hot water. The camp commandant, Pepy Dzurenov claimed, "The camp was full to capacity, but when a family with five to ten children arrive at midnight, they don't have anywhere to sleep, I'm forced to do the impossible and find room for them."  Many Syrian refugees want to go back to their homeland, but after paying 300 Euros to smugglers to cross into Bulgaria from Turkey, it has become impossible. Turkey has already taken in 500,000 refugees while Bulgaria has only taken 5,000. With Bulgarians already feeling overwhelmed, they have begun to protest which has led to racial violence.

Remembering Mandela, without Rose-Colored Glasses

As the world watched the passing of Nelson Mandela, 95, what died with him was the true Nelson Mandela. I ask, "Who is the real Nelson Mandela?" for which there is only one answer. I also ponder how a nation as great as ours can applaud the life of one of the most notorious communist terrorists of his time. With my recollection, I recall that the United States of America was opposed to Communist aggression and terrorist acts such as bombings of buildings and necklacing; however, Nelson Mandela was guilty of all this and more. One is not simply jailed for over two decades for no reason, Mandela was guilty of mass-murder. The real Nelson Mandela I answer is a man who founded and commanded the ANC, a communist organization, and who directed many bombings of public places, killing more women and children than apartheid security, and also directed the necklacing of individuals he deemed guilty. Necklacing is one of the most horrific punishments, filling a tire with gasoline and hanging around one's neck and lighting on fire until the one parishes. Nelson Mandela, the real Nelson Mandela was a mass murderer; his organization killing some 14,000 in 4 years, double that of all of apartheid within all of its years. America and the world must stop listening to lore and learning to obtain their own opinion through unbiased research. How can Mandela be compared to MLK and Gandhi, peaceful protesters, though he used violence? Did the means justify the end, Mr. Mandela? One to I have begun to believe lied his way into the presidency of South Africa. Much more to read is provided here. Lets praise and mourn someone deserving, I know I will. Lastly, if our president praises such a man of those capabilities, why are we spending trillions of dollars against terrorism and communism?

Budget Deal Now Has Enough Votes to Pass Senate

A bipartisan budget agreement has been passed by the house and now looks like it will likely pass in the senate. Assuming that all 55 members of the Democratic caucus vote yes, they needed the support of only 5 republican members to get the bill passed. Today, Senator Orrin G. Hatch delivered the 5th republican vote stating that the bill ultimately upholds conservative standards and is the best that they could get. Republicans remain upset that the Democrats have changed procedural rules regarding presidential nominees and liberal Democrats aren't happy that the bill does not extend unemployment insurance to many jobless citizens.

This article doesn't go into too much detail on the actual bill itself but does give many senator's opinions on the bill. If you are interested in reading more you can review the full article at:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/12/16/budget-deal-now-has-enough-votes-to-pass-senate/?tid=pm_politics_pop

Danger In Baseball?

About one year ago, Major League Baseball player Ryan Freel committed suicide; researchers and his family investigate reasons why he might have done this. After careful brain analysis, researchers revealed that Freel had stage two chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a disease which is usually associated with  erratic behavior and loss of memory. The disease usually develops because of repetitive brain trauma.
Ryan Freel was the first MLB player to be diagnosed with CTE. Many people fear that, since repetitive brain trauma can be frequent in a sport like baseball, other baseball players will suffer the same disease. Recently, the sport has attracted new educational programs to inform baseball players of the risk of playing the sport. However, some believe that these new educational programs are an overreaction to Freel's incidents, considering that he had several concussions and other head injuries unrelated to baseball.
To read more about this, go here.

Tv shows?

Every season the "it" shows seem to become more and more violent. In fact the media-awareness council reveals, "media violence has not just increase in quantity; it has also become more graphic, sexual, and sadistic."

 Cable viewers and Netflix binge watchers are exposed to traumatizing series like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, Dexter, Weeds, Orange is the New Black, and American Horror. Decapitations, random shootings, and shanking seem like daily occurrences. By the time the average child is eighteen years old, they will have witnessed 200,000 acts of violence and 16,000 murders. Cartoon violence is the worse because every hour they present 20-25 violent acts as opposed to 2-3 violent acts on prime time television. Furthermore, 90% of cartoon violence goes unpunished and does not show the victim's suffering as opposed to 70% on regular programmings. When children under the age of 8 watch violence they cannot distinguish fantasy from reality. All in all it is clear children spend too much time watching violent TV shows.

http://youtu.be/QCaaMSkKWxs

http://www.jacksonkatz.com/PDF/ChildrenMedia.pdf

Video Games?

With the release of the Xbox1 and Ps4 I am not going to sit around and play fire emblem on my Ds. The go-to games this holiday season (parents take note) are so violence-filled you'll want to slap your mama.  Releases like Call of Duty: Ghost, Dead Rising 3, and Assassin's Creed, both of which are Restricted, but the FTC found 70% of restricted games are advertised to children under the age of 17 anyway.

Classics like Grand Theft Auto (initially banned in Austraillia for graphic violence and sexual content), God of War, and Sleeping Dogs are jam packed with gore. Even games like LOL are violent. Children now found that 89% of topselling video games were violent  Alas, if parents don't want there kids to be exposed to violence, stick to Final Fantasy.

Movies?

Hollywood movies are on the big screen, but how big is  their impact on youth? No one can deny movies like the Saw franchise, Human Centipede, Cabin in the Woods, and Kill Bill are gruesome and disturbing. When asked 82% of Americans even agreed movies are too violent. The special effects are a little too realistic. In Django Unchained it is hard not to cringe while watching two slaves fight to the death. But when asked, director Tarantino became angry instead of addressing the issue at hand.

In 2001 2/3 if the movies released were rated R. But of course with the current rating system no one under the age of 17 ever watches rated R movies...right? In fact, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found that 80% of  R rated movies are marketed to children under the age of 17. Movies are exposing children to violence and need to  stop. Does society really need another Saw movie?

http://www.jacksonkatz.com/PDF/ChildrenMedia.pdf

http://youtu.be/gEBkKi90H2Q

More Than Just Pencil Lead

Today marks the one year anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre where 20 school children and 6 staff members were killed; however, it is apparent, the tragedy that moved a nation has led to little to no reform. In today's world children are being exposed to more violence than ever before. In a 2011 survey 33% of children admitted to being in a physical fight at school within the last year. Any given month 6% of high schoolers will stay home fearing violence. Another 6% will bring weapons to school for protection. Clearly there is an overwhelming issue facing today's youth.  Americans are wondering who should take the bullet (pardon the pun) for such an alarming trend. Over the next week I will be submitting a series of post investigating different aspects of media and society and the roles they play in adolescent violence. 

http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-school-violence

http://www.npr.org/2013/12/13/250734629/for-many-urban-schools-gun-violence-remains-a-daily-reality

The Failed Sign Language Interpreter

During the speeches for Nelson Mandela 's funeral, there was a strange unknown man interpreting sign language to the deaf.  There was a huge controversy whether this person can actually do sign language or not.  Paul Breckell, chief executive of the U.K.-based charity Action on Hearing Loss, stated that this fraud isn't actually signing anything but just gibberish. Not only that, but also, it's been found that this  fake had only 1 year of sign language experience. The fraud, 

Thamsanqa Jantjie,  to his defense, stated that he was distracted because he saw angels coming from heaven.

I really don't know what this nutjob is doing during at the speech. What the heck? You can read more Here

Dolphin Slaughter In Taiji, Japan Continues...

Although this is some what not in today's recent news, it is something that I feel is important to blog about and it is the dolphin killing that has had it's annual return at The Cove in Taiji, Japan. The most recent update about what has happened included the return of dolphins being slaughtered. Although not many, compared to previous years, were killed for their meat, this hunt has continued due to the Japanese fishermen's "proud legacy." They still slaughter and skin the sea creatures in order to sell the meat and earn money. It's reasonable to catch fish and eat them, but to kill a bigger animal that is known to be an innocent, friendly creature is something way off the bar. The organizations that have come together are still recording the fishermen at work and are still spreading the word. Day by day, they are gaining support and will continue to fight until this crime has come to an end. If you are interested in helping to put an end to this immoral act, click here to find more about the most recent updates and information.

Budget Deal Reached!

As we all know a budget deal has been the issue in the House and Senate BUT today a budget deal has been reached by the House and Senate budget negotiators averting any future government shutdown in January. The agreement eliminates about $65 billion in across-the-board domestic and defense cuts while adding an additional $25 billion in deficit reduction by extending a 2 percent cut to Medicare through 2022 and 2023, two years beyond the cuts set by the Budget Control Act of 2011. Both sides have worked on this agreement since mid-october and are now in agreement and Congress has approved the deal now letting budget negotiators not worry about any government shutdowns. To read more on the government shutdown the article would be here. 

Apple issues report detailing Government Information Requests

Apple posted a report outlining the number of requests  it has received from Government officials seeking information about individual users and or specific devices. The report replicates all of the information Apple is legally allowed to reveal while specifically noting that they will continue to promote for the ability to be even more translucent going forward. The report says:   “ At the time of this report, the U.S. government does not allow Apple to disclose, except in broad ranges, the number of national security orders, the number of accounts affected by the orders, or whether content, such as emails, was disclosed. We strongly oppose this gag order, and Apple has made the case for relief from these restrictions in meetings and discussions with the White House, the U.S. Attorney General, congressional leaders, and the courts. Despite our extensive efforts in this area, we do not yet have an agreement that we feel adequately addresses our customers' right to know how often and under what circumstances we provide data to law enforcement agencies.” For more information go Here.