Nevada School Shooting:

The tragedy happened right before the morning bells rang for class, when several students were on their way back to class, returning from their fall break.  It was early this Monday morning, at Sparks Middle School in Nevada, where a student opened fire, killing a teacher, and wounding two students.  The student stole the handgun from his parents and brought the weapon to school.  After opening fire, the student put the gun to his head and took his own life.

Sparks Middle School, located in Nevada, welcomed back several students from their week off during fall break.  Right before school started and the bells rang, students ran out of the school in terror, after realizing that the pops they heard were from a semi-automatic pistol.  The shooter wounded two students and took the life of a math teacher.  After this, the shooter put the gun to this head and shot himself.  Authorities are still trying to uncover why exactly the shooter did this and if they were targeting anyone specifically or just going on a shooting spree.

Mike Landsbery was the math teacher at sparks middle school who was trying to help out when he was shot dead in the tragedy early Monday morning.  The teacher was actually a marine and served in Afghanistan.  The brother of Mike said that Mike was probably trying to talk to the shooter and trying to get him to put the gun down.  He also added that he was a great teacher that was loved by all of the kids and was always willing to help them out with anything they needed help with.

One girl that was interviewed said that she knew the shooter and said that the was actually a really nice kid who would make you smile often.  She also added that he would buy you something to cheer you up.  The two students that were wounded were said to be friends of the shooter.  This makes you wonder if the kids did something to the shooter and he decided he wanted to bring gun to school.  It seems weird that the shooter would shoot two of his own friends.  The girl said that she thought the shooter had been bullied in the past.

Another student said he was walking out of the cafeteria after eating breakfast when he saw the student with a gun.  He said that he saw the teacher trying to get the shooter to put the gun down when he heard a pop, then ran back to the cafeteria, then heard another pop from the gun.  An emergency dispatch team says that the teacher was shot on the playground.  The two boys who were injured, were in stable condition Monday night.  One boy was shot in the shoulder and the other was shot in the stomach.

This is not the only shooting this year, there have been several others across the United States.  Since there have been several shootings this year at schools, people are trying to figure out how these can be stopped. There is no way to stop them for good, but that doesn’t stop people from thinking.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/24/justice/nevada-school-shooting-survivor/

Elam, Stephanie. "'Please Don't Shoot': Wounded Survivor, 12, Recalls Nevada School Attack." CNN. Cable News Network, 25 Oct. 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.

Chris Brown Arrested for Assault:

Chris Brown is a very popular song artist and many of his songs or featured on the radio.  Brown was in DC because he performed at the Howard University Homecoming party Saturday night.  Brown was arrested early this Sunday morning outside of his hotel in Washington DC.  Brown was said to be in “physical alteration” late Saturday night outside the hotel.

Chris Brown and a man named Christopher Hollosy, were both taken into custody after allegedly assaulting a man who is still unidentified at this point.  The victim of the assault was taken to a nearby hospital where he was later released and in stable condition.  The run in was said to be around 4:30 AM early Sunday morning in front of the W Hotel in Washington DC.

Police said that there were no weapons involved but they are still investigating the case.  There is still no motif as to why Brown and Hollosy beat the man but it is still being investigated as well.  Brown and Hollosy are to remain in custody until Monday morning when they have a court appearance.

This, however, is not Chris Browns’ first assault charge.  In June of 2012, Brown was in a fight with another music star named Drake.  Chris brown and his posse were arguing with Drake and his posse, when someone that was with Brown started to make death threats.  It was then said that a fight broke out and a bottle of alcohol was thrown by Brown, which hit drake in the face leaving a nasty cut.

However, there is yet another assault charge that Brown has gotten that I can think of.  In 2006, when Brown was dating another popular music star, Rihanna, he assaulted her as well.  The argument started in the car on the way home from the Grammys when brown stopped the car and Rihanna threw the keys out the window.  Brown responded by choking and beating her until she was unconscious.  Brown was just 19 at the time of the incident, Rihanna was 20.

Brown has had a brutal past with violence and he still obviously hasn’t learned his lesson.  You would think after so many assault charges he should get some help to deal with his aggression and anger.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/chris-brown-arrested-in-dc-on-felony-assault-charge/2013/10/27/88739970-3f17-11e3-9c8b-e8deeb3c755b_story.html

Marimow, Ann E. "Singer Chris Brown Arrested in D.C. on Felony Assault Charge."Washington Post. The Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.

Mass Stabbing in Brooklyn:

A woman and four children were stabbed to death late Saturday night inside a Brooklyn apartment.  A man was in custody, who police believed to be the killer, and was being questioned Sunday morning.  Police are still unsure as to why or exactly who killed the woman and 4 children.

The youngest of the 5 killed, was the mothers 18 month old boy. Nine and six year old girls were found already dead on the scene when paramedics arrived. The 37 year old mother and an 8 year old boy were found unconscious but in critical condition.  The two were rushed to a nearby hospital, but doctors were unable to save them.  The names of the 5 victims still have not been released to the public.

The father came home later that night and had to be told about the stabbing and witnesses say that he was hysterical.  A neighbor said that he always saw the four children running and down the street, playing and laughing, so it was heartbreaking to hear about the stabbing.

People at the scene would describe it as chaotic, with several people and emergency vehicles all around on a small Brooklyn street.  Several police men and emergency responders were there late Saturday night, searching for clues and talking to neighbors or anyone who may have seen or heard anything.

This is just sickening if you ask me or almost anyone else.  I couldn’t imagine seeing a one and a half year old stabbed to death.  It makes you question how evil some people really are in the world.  Then you look at all the eminency responders, police men and women, as well as the doctors and it shows that there is some evil, but there is also much more people that do good in the world.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/27/justice/new-york-mass-stabbing/

Stapleton, AnneClaire. "Mom, 4 Kids Dead in Brooklyn Stabbing." CNN. Cable News Network, 27 Oct. 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.

Federal Government Moving to Ban Medical Marijuana:

Medical Marijuana is the use of marijuana to alleviate symptoms and help treat pain.  Without it, it is said that these patients wouldn’t have any other way to treat their sicknesses.  Certain doctors recommend the use of medical marijuana for treatment of several different sicknesses.  The use of medical marijuana is legal in eighteen states across the United States, as well as the District of Columbia.  The real question is, why isn’t the use of medical marijuana legal in all states if it is the best way to treat people?  Also, why do states and the federal government try and ban the use of medical marijuana all over if it helps so many people nationwide?

Many places are skeptical on allowing anything to do with the marijuana business.  The tax law on marijuana is extremely unfair from both the state and federal government.  Also most banks won’t allow the businesses open accounts for their businesses.

The main strategy used by the government to try and ban the use of medical marijuana is to put a huge tax on the medicine.  The government cannot completely control if the use is legal or not, therefore this is their only way of regulating the use, in hope of businesses going down the drain.

Another issue that is faced is the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes or the free use of marijuana to virtually anyone.  This legalization is currently only legal in Colorado and Washington.  Not just anyone can get their hands on it though, there are several laws and stipulations on who can and can’t use it.  You must be 21 and cannot operate a vehicle while under the influence of marijuana.

There are even more tax issues in states where the use of marijuana for recreational purposes is legal.  Under section 280E of the tax code, businesses are denied tax deductions altogether.  This even goes for real costs to the businesses.  The tax part is the biggest of the business worries because the federal government’s efforts could be enough to take down even the largest businesses if they are determined.  Some business are still working on ways to try and go around the federal government but it is extremely hard because several laws can be added and changed be the government.  A bill has already been introduced to prohibit marijuana and allow it to be taxed.  Also the marijuana tax equally act has been submitted and wouldn’t allow any occupational taxes as well as any taxes to workers in the growing field.  Although there is a large conflict and morality issue on the use, it is good people are trying to solve the issue.

http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.subissues.php?issueID=000033

"US Government and Medical Marijuana - Medical Marijuana - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

Transformers Director Michael Bay Assaulted on Set:

The newest transformers movie “Transformers: Age of Extinction” is set to come out at the end of this June.  This movie is the fourth one and is about a mechanic and his daughter that make a discovery that brings the transformers back.  Thursday, the director of the set, Michael Bay, was approached by 3 men and assaulted.

On the set in Hong Kong, director of the movie, Michael Bay, was approached by three men, who were reported to be brothers and all intoxicated at the time.  One of the men had a welded air conditioning unit and used it as a weapon to try and beat the director.  The man tried to strike Bay with the unit while he ducked and fell to the ground.  The men demanded for and equivalent of $13,000 and Bay refused.  Bay managed to gain control of the air conditioning unit and threw it to the side.  Security immediately fled to the scene and seized control over the three men and arrested them.

What doesn’t make since is how the three men got onto the set.  Transformers movies have been very popular so they definitely have the proper funding for a good security.  It is still unknown how they managed to make it onto the set.  Thankfully security heard the men and fled to the scene and no one was badly injured.

Reporters say that Bay suffered little injuries to the face but denied and medical treatment whatsoever. Although reporters say Bay suffered injuries, Paramount reports otherwise.  In a report by Paramount directly proceeding the incident they say that no one was injured at all on the set.  They also came out and said that they immediately started filming after the men were arrested.  While reporters make a big deal about the run in, Paramount dismisses it as nothing.  They most likely do this because they don’t want anyone thinking there will be any delays in when the movie will come out.

Paramount made a statement later saying that Bay had a “bizarre” encounter with a man.  They also say that the man was under influence of a narcotic substance at the time.  News reports say the man was intoxicated, not under the influence of narcotics.  Paramount also says that Bay avoided what could have been a “serious incident”.

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/10/17/director-michael-bay-assaulted-on-transformers-set-in-hong-kong/

"Director Michael Bay Assaulted on 'Transformers' Set in Hong Kong." Fox News. FOX News Network, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.

Mystery Girl Found In Greece:

Just last Thursday, police found a four year old girl with a couple who claimed to be her parents.  The girl didn’t look like the couple’s daughter at all which raised suspicions of the police.  A DNA test was conducted which ended up resulting that the girl wasn’t related to either of the two she was found with.  Police put of her photo in hope someone would recognize her but still no one has come forward.

The girl was first found during the search of a home in Greece near the town of Larissa.  Police officers first because suspicious of the girl when police saw the blond haired and blue eyed girl with very pale skin with a couple with none of those features.  The couple was immediately questioned about the girl.  The couple kept changing their story of how they got the child which led police to believe that she had been abducted.  Later DNA test were taken after the couple were taken in.  The DNA tests resulted in no match between the girl and any of the couple, meaning that they couldn’t have been the biological parents of the girl.  After this, the girl was immediately taken away from the couple and they were arrested for abduction of the child.  The girl was temporarily put under the care of a group called the “Smile of the Child” where she will be looked after until her biological parents are found.

The couple who were first with the girl were arrested and charged with abduction of a child.  The couple was also charged with several counts of falsifying identity documents of the girl.  The woman also had several other fake documents from other children and under the documents is the mother of more than 6 children.  The father has documents that say he is the father of more than 10 children.  The strange part is why anyone would want to have all these fake birth records that the woman has.  Also, where the other children at that she claims to be the mother of is a question that’s still being asked.  Also why the couple would want these children and what they intended on doing with them is what authorities are still trying to figure out.

The girl is currently being helped by a mental psychologist who is trying to figure out what happened to the girl.  The government or Greece had promised to help the child find the rightful parents.  The girls’ discovery leads officials to believe that she has been trafficked or kidnapped.  Authorities will continue to investigate this case to try and find the girls rightful parents and family.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24589614

"Greek Police Appeal over Mystery Blonde Girl." BBC News. BBC, 19 Oct. 2013. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

Long Island School Bans Balls at Recess:

All schools want to keep their kids safe, especially during recess, but exactly where the line is drawn could be too far.  Webber Middle School in Long Island New York is choosing to ban balls during recess.  Things like footballs, basketballs, baseballs, soccer balls, tennis balls, and anything else that could put a child in danger are being banned from the school.  The school is also choosing to ban games of ‘tag’ and even doing cartwheels because of the possible danger they may have to children.  The only exception is if a coach is peasant, otherwise everything is off limits.  Also, if a coach is peasant, students can’t use anything besides a ‘nerf’ ball.

Although there are benefits to this, there are several negatives to it just as well.  First off, kids aren’t having enough time to just play and be with their friends and do what they want to do.  Isn’t the point of recess to have fun and take a break from school anyways?  Also, there has been several groups and organizations that try and get kids active every day.  An example of this that is seen very often is “Play 60”, which encourages kids to get outside and play for an hour a day.  Although it won’t have much of an effect but child obesity is a problem in the United States and if kids cannot play, they’re not getting the exercise they need.  Now some kids are out for sports so that’s not a problem but that is not the case for them all.

Although there are many negatives to this, there are some positives as well.  Even though it is not common, kids usually do not get serious injuries during recess.  In the schools defense, if a child gets hurt there could be some liabilities to the school.  Ultimately, not letting these kids do these things without regulations is best for the school so it is in their best interest to put regulations on them.

Another thing that this new rule is affecting is the kid’s abilities to learn from their experiences.  Recess is a lot more than just playing around, kids learn life lessons and encounter things that happen in the real world which they will have to learn to deal with and learn from.  Things like kids being unfair, mean, and playing rough is not always fair, but then again life is not fair.  The sooner kids get to realize this is the better.  If the school won’t let kids have a normal recess they’re not just missing out on play time and having fun, they are missing out on learning things that they could never learn in a classroom.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/08/long-island-ball-ban_n_4065353.html

Klein, Rebecca. "Long Island Middle School Bans Balls To Protect From Injuries." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 08 Oct. 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

Woman has Meltdown on Plane:

On a recent American Airlines flight to Tampa, a woman passenger has an extreme meltdown while approaching their destination on Friday.  The woman, who is still unnamed at this point, began screaming uncontrollably on the flight and wouldn’t seem to quit.  Before she started screaming, passengers say she was walking down the aisles asking people to pray for her mother who had passed away recently for an unknown reason.  Footage taken on the plane shows the woman screaming “God, you’re my savior” for 20 minutes strait, which sounds like a horror film.

While she was screaming uncontrollably on the flight, many people try to calm her down.  At one point the passenger next to her try’s to calm her down and she says “don’t f****** touch me”.  This could have potentially been a big problem for the crew members because they would have had to calm her down and the other passengers, but luckily the other passengers were nothing but annoyed with the woman.  The crew members tried multiple times to get the woman to try and calm down and many passengers were helping as well.

This situation seems very odd and it doesn’t seem like pilots and flight attendants would be trained to handle a situation like this, so it leaves the question, “what do you do?”.

The best things to do would be to remain calm yourself, as well as to talk in a calm voice the whole time.  Also, be alert at all times and don’t let the person make any dumb moves like go toward the emergency door.  Even getting the passengers to help like the crew did was a good idea.  All together, the flight crew still did a good job in helping the woman and keeping the passengers calm as well.

There is a chance that the woman could be charged for violation of federal regulation for having her phone out while they were on their final decent.  She also could be changed with interference with the fight crew as well.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2454299/God-youre-savior--Woman-epic-religious-meltdown-flight-Tampa.html

Gorman, Ryan. "'God You're My Savior, God You're My Savior'!' Woman Has 20 Minute Religious Meltdown on Flight to Tampa." Mail Online. Ryan Gorman, 11 Oct. 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

Adrian Peterson’s 2-Year-Old Son Dies:

If you like to watch EPSN or try to keep up with any football, chances are you have heard a lot the last few days about Adrian Peterson’s son.  Adrian Peterson, 28, is a professional football player for the Minnesota Vikings.  He is a running back and last year won the NFL’s MVP award.

Wednesday, the boyfriend of the child mother, Joseph Patterson, called 911 around 6 PM with reports of a child suffocating.  When medical dispatchers arrived at the apartment soon after, the child was unresponsive.  Paterson was arrested soon after because markings found on the head that were likely from abuse were found on the two-year-old child.  The child was said to be in critical condition all through Thursday and still into Friday morning in the hospital.  Friday morning at 11:43 AM, the child was pronounced dead, and the Childs name still has not been released.

Adrian Peterson also has another son who is about the same age, Adrian Peterson Jr., and a daughter.  After many people were getting the two sons mixed up, Adrian tweets “My son Adrian Jr. who lives w/ me is healthy. Appreciate the concern. We respectfully ask to stop tweeting his pics.”

Peterson said in a press conference held Friday that he would be playing in this Sundays game and the he hopes to win.  He also said that “football is something I always fall back on, it gets me through tough times”.

Patterson, who was previously charged with aggravated battery of an infant and aggravated assault, now faces a lot larger consequences.  An attorney from South Dakota said that he will be looking at additional charges because of the Childs death.  Patterson could face up to 40 years of prison if he is correctly accused of  killing Adrian Petersons son.  However this seems like a long time, it should be life in prison because whether he meant to or not, he still killed a child and that is something you should go to jail the rest of your life for.

Peterson is very great full for all the help he has been receiving and tweets “ God bless everyone and thank u so much”. He also tweets later, “ thank you for my family, my fans and fans of other teams for their support” as well as “the NFL is a fraternity of brothers and I am thankful for the tweets, phone calls and text messages from my fellow players”. The case is still under investigation and new evidence will likely come up and the right person will surely be accused.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/11/us/adrian-peterson-son-alleged-assault/

Botelho, Greg, Cristy Lenz, and Shawn Nottingham. "Report: Adrian Peterson's Young Son Dies after Alleged Assault." CNN. Cable News Network, 12 Oct. 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

U.S. Government Shuts Down

Tuesday, the United States federal government shut down because congress could not come to agree on a government spending bill.  The spending bill for the government must be agreed upon by both the democrats and republicans, and neither side will budge.  Obama even talked to the Democratic and Republican leaders in congress Wednesday to try and help resolve the problem.  The U.S. government will not start back up until both sides of congress come to agree on government spending.

Personally, I think that there are much too many problems going on in the United States right now for the government to still be arguing like children over what the spending bill should be.  The only way the problem will be solved is if one side steps up and proposes an offer to meet half way on a certain spending bill. Both democrats and republicans are acting selfish if they have to spend extra time to come up with a spending bill when they could be using that time to solve other important problems that we have in the United States.

The federal government shutdown really has no direct effect on our lives, or so it may seem to most.  National parks are being shut down in Washington DC as well as all around the U.S. until the spending bill is decided upon.  Also, it would be awesome if you would not have to pay taxes because the government is shut down, but unfortunately that’s not how it works.  Taxes will still be collected and also federal bonds are still being issued.  Thankfully, all mail will still be sent and received like always.

One major effect that the shutdown of the U.S. government is having on Washington D.C. is that garbage will not be collected during the shutdown.  Because the government spending bill must have a budget for trash collection, no trash will be collected until the budget is agreed upon.  This could potentially be a big problem because the last government shut down lasted for 3 weeks, which would be an equivalent to about 1500 tons of garbage!  There is no saying exactly how long this shutdown will last though.  The issue could be solved as early as tomorrow but then again could still be an issue a month from now.  Hopefully for most tourists and people in Washington D.C. the issue is solved soon.


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-02/u-s-government-shutdown-threatening-housing-recovery.html

Gittelsohn, John. "U.S. Government Shutdown Threatening Housing Recovery."Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 02 Oct. 2013. Web. 06 Oct. 2013.

Miley Cyrus Growing Up

Miley Cyrus, popular from her old Disney Channel show “Hannah Montana” has been getting a lot of attention lately.  It first started when she cut her hair off months ago, starting a big debate and getting a lot of attention from the media.  There was no saying why exactly she did it but many people have said different things about why they believe she did it.  Some people are saying it was because her parents were getting divorced, others saying she just felt like something new, and the rest saying it was merely for attention.  Whether she wanted the attention for it or not she sure got it, and that was just the start of things.

She was once a positive role model for kids with her Disney show, but now, not as much.  December of 2010, she was caught on video smoking out a bong.  The video went viral and eventually everyone found out about it.  Another dumb and inappropriate move she pulled was later, saying she would do a naked scene for a film.  At this time, she was not even of age to be doing this, but was still talking about it, which eventually went viral as well.  Another dumb move Miley has made is making a “slant eyed” gesture during a photo.  This move has been done by many people to imitate Asian people, but when Miley does it, a woman tries to sue her for $4 million.  Eventually, the lawsuit was thrown out of court but the stunt just showed some of Mileys immaturity.

However these things seem like they are a big deal, in actuality they really are not.  Usually whenever a star does something out of the ordinary they are immediately judged by the media, who we all know exaggerates things and does not say the full truth.  Now almost everything Miley does she is being targeted for and they are making her seem like a lot worse of person then she actually is.  For example, I bet most people did not know that Miley supports 39 different charities and foundations.  This is just one of several things that the media chooses not to focus on to portray her as not as good of a person.

Recently, the media has been targeting Mileys clothing choices and music videos.  This is yet another stunt by the media to try and portray Miley as not so good of a role model.  In her recent music video “wrecking ball”, she is shown almost completely naked swinging around on a wrecking ball.  Although this may sound like a little too much, there have been several other singers who have done things much like it.  Instead of targeting Miley, the media needs to start realizing that she is just growing up like everyone else.

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/oct/04/miley-cyrus-bangerz-review

"Miley Cyrus: Bangerz – Review." The Guardian. N.p., 04 Oct. 2013. Web. 06 Oct. 2013.

9 Year Old Boy Sneaks onto Plane

Without a ticket or a boarding pass, a 9 year old boy made it onto a flight in the Twin Cities headed towards Las Vegas.  To make it through security is one thing, but making it onto a plane without a boarding pass just seems crazy, and the fact a 9 year old boy did it, makes the story sound even stranger.  Without and parent or guardian with the boy, he made it onto the plane headed to Las Vegas.  It took fight attendance a while to finally figure out that the boy was alone and had no ticket.  Once they had made it to Nevada, flight attendants finally realized that the boy was not supposed to be on that flight.

Before 9/11, it would have been a lot easier to do so, but now 12 years later to do that is something completely different.  Many precautions had been taken since then to try and keep people safe.  All in all, mistakes are made and the 9 year old boy would not raise any suspicion to security.  Still, the boy was alone and had no pass and should have been stopped at some point along the way and not after the flight.

Delta, the airline responsible for the boy making it all the way to Nevada says that they are taking the incident very seriously and trying to figure out what went wrong.

One part that makes the story seem even more out of the ordinary is that the boy was recording at the airport the day before as well.  While there, it was said that he took random bags from the carousel and would take them into restraints at the airport and leave them.  This is very surprising because you would think a little boy walking around and airport all day would raise suspicions but evidently not.  Delta reports that the boy did make it on a fight back to the Twin Cities and the incident is still being investigated

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/06/boy-boards-plane-without-minneapolis_n_4054174.html


Gates, Sara. "9-Year-Old Boy Sneaks Onto Plane Without Ticket At Minneapolis Airport, Flies To Las Vegas." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 06 Oct. 2013. Web. 06 Oct. 2013.