Singapore Honors Founding Prime Minister by Bella Dekhtyar

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/29/us-singapore-lee-idUSKBN0MP02V20150329

On Sunday, thousands of people in the heavy rain on the street said their final goodbyes to the recently passed founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew. He was given a 21-gun solute as fighter jets flew through the sky in his honor. Lee had died last Monday at age 91 and ruled from 1959 to 1990. He is known for transforming the poor island nation into one of the world's wealthiest countries.

It made me sad to hear about such an important person to a country being lost. Lee had certainly created one of the best international trade centers in the world; originally the country was a poor British colonial trading port. The importance of Lee Kuan Yew to Singapore, the United States, and the world, will not be forgotten.

U.S. saves by: Emma Wall

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/28/middleeast/saudi-arabia-pilots-rescued/index.html

The article above discusses how the US Navy saved 2 Saudi pilots.  It says that the pilots were ejected from a F-15 aircraft.  They are not seriously injured but they have been found and rescued.  The article said that, "Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition military operation to quell a rebellion by Houthi Militias in Yemen," and The U.S. said that they will not participate in this.

I am proud to be an American.  That's for sure.  I love how America is always willing to lend out a hand to others that are in need of help.  Not every country would do for others like The U.S. does.  It truly is amazing how much we have done for other countries.  We are constantly helping other countries out and it is astonishing that sometimes we do not get the help we need, in return.

Case Cockrell current events- March 30th

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/03/30/8-dead-10-injured-in-florida-van-crash-highway-patrol-says/

A crash report states that a church van crashed on the highway and 8 were found dead at the scene. 10 were injured and said the van basically flipped over and tumbled. The driver was sober and it was a mistake made at the wrong time.

This is scary to me. People need to be as careful as possible on the road. Anything can happen. Especially when you least suspect it. Safety should always be a number 1 priority. 

Advanced Warfare World Championship - Trent Hagar

Call of Duty World Championship 2015: Denial claims victory in thrilling finale

Last weekend, Denial eSports won the 2015 annual Call of Duty Championship, claiming the $400,000 prize. Their team, headed by Chris "Replays" Crowder, is comprised of both veterans and players who are newer to the competitive scene. The runner-up, Revenge Gaming, took home $200,000 in winnings from the $1,000,000 prize pool. Four game modes are played in competitive Call of Duty; Search and Destroy, Hardpoint, Capture The Flag, and Uplink.

Shooting in Göteborg, Sverige by William Perry Esping

http://www.nordstjernan.com/news/briefs/6943/

At a restaurant in Gothenburg, Sweden two masked assailants used machine guns to shoot patrons. Killing two and wounding everyone else, the perps took photos and fled the scene. Gothenburg's Polis   have 3 suspects, but no arrests have been made. This is a suspected gang-shooting and it is likely their will be another one in retaliation of this one.

It shows that gang violence is very common and very dangerous around the world. Dozens of these shootings happen in the U.S. though mainly we don't hear about them unless its in a school or a very popular venue. The two people that were killed were two guys in their 20s and speeding bullets ended their life so short. Hej då(Goodbye)

Kim's North Korean Regime by William Perry Esping

CNN (multiple articles)

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un has been accused of international kidnappings, cyberattacks, and human rights violations. They also have recently been testing new missiles. It looks as if North Korea is trying to build itself into a world superpower. They have kidnapped actress and film producers from South Korea to make films for North Korea. They kidnapped nationals from other countries to train their troops in foreign language and culture. Their bureau 121 has been suspected of hacking Sony as well as a nuclear plant in South Korea. They have been testing new missiles and one of which looks to be a slightly modified Russian missile. Their prison camps have taught guards to treat prisoners as animals and not humans.

In my opinion Kim Jong Un is very much like what Sony's the Interview. James Franco's line was,"He's gonna blow up the world just to show that he's the s***." Support for that would be in the kidnappings of the actress and film producer to make films for North Korea.  This is to boost his countries PR by having movies made with a South Korean star. Also the Sony hack was most likely done to discourage the publishing of a movie that would make North Korea look bad. He's also trying to get people to fear him by suggestion of testing missiles where he knows the Americans and South Koreans can them. He obviously wants attention and sooner or later he's gonna get a lot of attention.... from a prison inmate.

 

Germanwings Crash by William Perry Esping

CNN (multiple related articles)

Recently Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz intentionally crashed Germanwings flight #9525 into the French Alps. He appears to have been on anti-depressants and had been in a bad breakup with a girl. This breakup was a stressor for him and caused him to act irrationally. He probably had stopped taking his pills for him to be in a bad state of mind and kill 149 people and himself. Lufthansa's official statement is that Lubitz was very thorough in keeping his illness a secret because they most likely wouldn't have let him fly the plane if they knew.

In my opinion this will force Lufthansa to improve its evaluations so that another person like Lubitz doesn't manage to pass psych evaluations even though he wasn't mentally stable. I can't imagine the pain the family members of the victims must be going through.

Saudi Arabia's coalition against an Iranian Yemen by William Perry Esping

source CNN(multiple articles on the subject)

Radicals such as the Houthi Rebels and Al-Qeada are hold up in Yemen and have managed to stop its central government from functioning. The President of Yemen has fled to Saudi Arabia and has asked for help defeating the insurgents. The Saudi's have been putting together a coalition for some time now in case a diplomatic solution could not be reached. In a press conference a Saudi representative said that the Saudi government was left no alternative, but military action. He also stated that they hope the rebels surrender and that a peaceful agreement can be made. The Saudi's have launched an air campaign that could not have been done without help from the U.S. This help was clearly mentioned in the press conference, but other reporters concluded since Saudi intelligence isn't as precise as our own. Using American intelligence the Saudi's first air strike successfully took out a number of Houthi rebels along with some planes and maybe tanks. The Saudi's have found a link between the Houthi's and the Iranians. They don't know for certain how much support they are getting, but they fear that Iran is trying to take them over by attacking them from two sides.

In my opinion Saudi Arabia is most likely not going to reach a diplomatic solution. The extremists are very stubborn and many have committed suicide for their cause. That doesn't mean that Houthi rebels are different, but it also says that they have a good chance of fighting till the death of their last man. To rational people the deaths thousands of their comrades would be a good reason to surrender, but to extremists it could be used to rally them to fight till the last breath.

Green rooftops becoming popular in France by Vern Blossfeld

Summary: Roofs covered in plants have become popular in France, and while they're also beautiful and nice to have for rooftop parties, they also reduce energy use. France approved a bill last week that requires there to be solar panels or plants on every new commercial building in the country. These roofs, covered in wildflowers and other plants, keep heat in the buildings, thereby reducing the need for air conditioning and heating all at once. Spanish researchers conducted experiments on the impact, the results of which tell us that foliage on the roofs can help reduce loss of heat by 60%, while also acting as a passive cooling system. Green roofs also reduce runoff by absorbing rain water, and keep the air fresher by ridding it of pollutants. "Green roofs cost more to install and maintain, and their price and complexity deter many homeowners and developers. Yet a 2008 University of Michigan study found that their benefits, including a longer-than-average lifespan, more than offset the extra up-front investment." -direct quote from article.
Analysis: Green roofs are both beneficial to the environment AND to the business owner. There's literally no reason not to install them at this point except that the company is too lazy. I really feel like Americans could also benefit from this if we started doing this in our cities. Hopefully we learn from other countries for once on this issue. This involves world history because if we continue to let pollution just kind of happen all around us, our environment is going to get worse, and we need to understand that as a society and improve upon it.
Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/energy/2015/03/150328-green-roofs-france-buildings-energy/

Public Outings - Makenzye Prince

The Duchess of Cambridge made her last official appearance Friday at a variety of spots across London, enjoying tours of a learning center and a church that hosts a youth charity. The former, Stephen Lawrence Centre’s  mother, Baroness Lawrence, escorted Catherine and her husband, Prince William, around the facility.

Catherine is scheduled to give birth in mid or late April, she said this month. 

It will be the second child for her and Prince William. Their son, Prince George, was born in July 2013.

      

Im excited for the family. I hope they are happy with their new child. It's hard for families who are well know to be happy and live normal lives witht heir children so i hope all turns out well for them.

I Belive I Can Fly- Makenzye Prince

                  Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz was hiding an illness from his employers and co employees. Lubitz had been told he was "unfit to work" by a doctor, according to German authorities investigating what could have prompted the seemingly competent and stable pilot to steer his jetliner into a French mountain. Investigators found a letter in the waste bin of his Dusseldorf, Germany, apartment saying that Lubitz, 27, wasn't fit to do his job, city prosecutor Christoph Kumpa said Friday. The note, Kumpa said, had been "slashed." Investigators found "ripped, recent medical leave notes, including for the day of the offense, which proves that the deceased kept his illness secret from his employer and his professional environment," prosecutors said.

              Honestly this story saddens me. I belive that the pilot was wrong for flying knowing he wastn suppose to. However, I feel as if the pilot had a love for what he did and didnt want to come to terms with his condition. I hope that the employers take this situation into consideration for other employees and do health tests for others. 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/27/europe/france-germanwings-plane-crash-main/index.html

       

New Peacock Spider species by Vern Blossfeld

Summary: Three new species of the Peacock spider have been identified in parts of eastern Australia, scientists say from the university of Berkeley California. The three new species have been named Skeletorus, Sparklemuffin and the elephant spider. The spiders are all pretty tiny, about five millimeters, or a quarter-inch long. Peacock spiders are a type of jumping spider, and they don't weave webs to catch prey. Instead, they hunt and stalk their prey, and their eyesight is incredible- as good as a cat's. The colorful male spiders make it easy to distinguish among the different types, but many female peacock spiders look the same, making mating confusing to different species of male peacock spider.
Analysis: These new species of spider are fascinating, and also very colorful. It's interesting to learn about new species, and there are still hundreds if not thousands out there humans have yet to discover, and new ones popping up all the time. Hopefully scientists will be able to find all the different variations in species of the peacock spider and many more species of new animals to come. This relates to world history in that all the species we have today were once new to us, and there will continue to be new species as long as we live on Earth.
Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/150324-australia-peacock-spider-sparklemuffin-new-species/

Adolf Hitler's Painting goes to Auction by Bella Dekhtyar

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/24/painting-by-hitler-goes-to-auction

  If you didn't know already, at one point Hitler was a struggling artists around his mid-20's in Vienna. An art dealer, Samuel Morgenstern, sold several of his paintings to wealthy clients in 1911. Eventually, when Hitler rose to power in the 1930's, his forces seized Samuel's gallery and deported him, where he died several years later. The piece thats being auctioned is a blue ceramic pitcher with soft flower, which were actually considered an unusual subject for Hitler to draw. The bidding will start at $30,000, and it's 13.5 in by 10.75 in.

  I have always known Adolf Hitler, at one point, was an artist, but I've never actually seen any of his works until now. I believe that this painting is a truly priceless work of art because it contradicts what we've usually tied our opinions to about Hitler. He was known as an anti-semitic Nazi leader with unrealistic ideals for society, which led to millions upon millions of deaths. However, the exact antithesis of it is seen in the painting. It shows attention to detail, patience, and has soft (not harsh) colors. It really does remain a mystery as to how such an abhorrent person can create such a beautiful work of art.

Children Are Being Sold In Nigerian Refugee Camps - Trent Hagar

Inside A Camp Where Children Are Being Sold

Children running away from terrorism in Nigeria are being sold as slaves and suicide bombers. The video shows that there is literally nothing stopping these camps from these crimes, and children are sold for less than your cell phone.

I find it disturbing that this is so easy to accomplish. The people running these camps know what will happen to the children after they are sold, but they only care about the money. I cannot fathom the fact that it is so common for these people to use these children as soldiers, much less suicide bombers.

ISIS recruits By: Emma Wall

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/23/middleeast/afghanistan-isis-recruits/index.html

The article above provides information on ISIS's new recruit in Afghanistan. There is a video attached that has gone viral because it literally shows ISIS recruiting Afghans'.  Some people in the video are agreeing to join and others are backing out.  There are a lot of concerns about ISIS expanding to Afghanistan at this time.

This does concern me because ISIS is now reaching out to recruit people that aren't even native to their country.  I heard on the radio that some people could be recruited through violent video games based on their skill, which is a frightening thought.  This means that they can recruit people from everywhere including places like The United States.

Case Cockrell- March 23rd

http://centraltrack.com/Music/6783/Turn-Down-For-What/The-Best-Crowd-Shots-From-South-by-So-What-2015

The music festival South By So what was in Dallas this weekend, and it was all sorts of hype! WIth a rock and Roll and metal theme, every band never seized to deliver an amazing performance. Bands like attila, motionless in white, and the legendary Hatebreed hyped the crowd up and made the stadium and crows shake.

I made a lot of memories this weekend. I met my idols and had a blast. I spent it with my best friends and had the time of my life! Until, next year, we will be anticipating the next south by so what!!

ISIS Bombs Tomb Of Saddam Hussein

Iraqi, allied forces try to win back Tikrit, win over hearts and minds of residents

The Article listed above tells about the recent bombings of Tikrit, executed by none other than ISIS. The extremist group has been in control of the area since the summer of 2014.

Personally I am astonished that the world has allowed yet another terrorist group make it far enough to become such a huge threat to a large area. I suppose history does repeat itself.

Environmental Officials Align with Polluters in Texas by Vern Blossfeld

Summary: Houston, Texas, has some of the nation's highest ozone levels, pollution levels that contribute greatly to smog that irritates and causes asthma. The chair of the Texas agency responsible for environmental protection, despite this fact, says tightening the country's smog standard would cost too much, and isn't concerning enough to public health. Though ozone levels are a lot more improved now compared to what they were in Texas, parts of the state, most noticeably the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas, have some of the nation's highest ozone readings. This doesn't seem to concern the Texas agency of environmental protection at all, the chairmen of which continue to push down bills that might help further protect our atmosphere. (All because it would cost big industries too much money).
Analysis: This is very suspicious, and doesn't sound good at all for the future of cities and the health of people living in them. I bet if you checked the chairmen's pay roll, a lot of them are getting money from these big industries who'd be effected by restrictions on the ozone given off by their factories. Hopefully more people will become concerned when they hear about this, and push for the issue to be of higher priority than it is right now in the city. This is a world issue because cities all around the world have to deal with pollution given off by these highly populated areas.
Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/20150317-ozone-air-pollution-clean-air-act-smog-texas-houston-dallas/

ISIS strikes tomb by: Emma Wall

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/16/middleeast/iraq-isis-babylon-safe/index.html

The article above discusses the destruction of what was known as Saddam Hussein's tomb.  ISIS has destroyed precious architecture that was in this tomb.  Locals recall that this was in fact not Saddam Hussein's tomb it was their ancestors, the Babylonians.  Locals are appalled by this destruction because ISIS is destroying their grandfather's hard work and findings.

I totally agree with the locals.  It is wrong that they are destroying what was once and still is their ancestors prize possessions.  ISIS has taken this to a personal level because these are their families that they are now betraying.  This means that they are willing to do anything, which is not a good sign.

Prince Harry quitting army after 10 years. By: Skiler Houston

Prince Harry has decided to quit the British army after a decade of service and being toured twice in Afghanistan.  His retirement from the army is planed to be in June after a 4 week condment with the Australian Defense Force.  Prince Harry stated that this decision was a very hard one but he will always remember the memories of being in the army and he is hugely grateful. Prince Harry is also thinking about his future becoming an official duty for the Queen Elizabeth.








I believe that Prince Harry has made a good decision about quitting the military because it gives him the time to settle down. There shouldn't be armies in the first place. Peace! Prince Harry has decided to help his grandmother, in some way he is still helping his country without the violence.

http://news.yahoo.com/britains-prince-harry-quit-armed-forces-10-years-001053084.html

MCR reunion?- Case Cockrell- 3/17

http://en.mediamass.net/people/my-chemical-romance/new-album.html

Rumors have been circulating that critically acclaimed band My Chemical Romance are staging a reunion to occur later this year. Rumors of the band charting backstage at each others new bands concerts and hidden messages state that the members are making new music and getting ready for a reunion since their break-up in march 2013. Next week will be the anniversary of the breakup. 

I for one, am a die hard MCR fan. Their music brings me joy. I would be so excited if a reunion were to take place: the future of rock and roll is looking dark. MCR might be the savior a of the future of punk rock/rock n roll. 

world events by adrianna martinez

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/16/us/california-police-officer-sought/index.html







police officer wanted for murder
by Adrianna Martinez

A los Angeles officer is considered armed and dangerous, according to authorities. The officer wanted is Henry Solis a LAPD rookie. Police have issued an arrest warrant for Solis who is responsible for shooting a man. Witnesses heard gunshots and a struggle between the shooter and victim, shortly afterwards a compact car was seen speeding off. The victim was Salome Rodriguez Jr., 23 years old, he later died at a Los Angeles hospital.


I feel sorry for the victim and his family and friends. Hopefully the officer wanted for the murder of this young man will be found. This incident is very scary because it can happen to anyone at any time. The worst thing was it was a police officer who commited this crime. Police officers are suppose to help and protect people,but incidents like this has occurred many times dealing with officers, can they really be trusted?

world events by adrianna martinez

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/12/world/mexican-tour-boat-hits-whale-canadian-woman-dead/index.html



Tourist killed by whale
Adrianna Martinez



Off the coast of Cabos San Lucas Mexico, a Canadian tourist was killed while on a small inflatable boat that collided with a whale. The victim was Jennifer Karren, a 35 year old woman, and two other passengers were injured. Jennifer Karren  fell in the water and the tour guide and a passenger jumped into the water to get her. She was brought onto the boat and they performed  CPR. The vessel captain called naval rescue officials and she was rushed to the hospital and shortly pronounced dead.


I feel sorry for the woman that died she was just looking forward to a good time but sadly was killed. I also feel sorry for her family and friends. This incident is very frightening, and might have been prevented if the captain was more careful and tried to steer the boat away in time. Also  they need to have a bigger boat instead of a small inflatable boat to prevent incidents like this from occurring again.

world events adrianna martinez

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/15/europe/turkey-isis-british-teens-detained/index.html






British teens face terror charges
by Adrianna Martinez



Three teenagers from northwest London were arrested when they landed in Istanbul on a flight from Barcelona, Spain. Two of the boys were 17 and the other 19, they were arrested on suspicion of preparing to commit terrorist acts. The teenagers were taken into custody and questioned by the Turkish police. They were then put back on the plane to London and were arrested.


This situation is very serious because these teenagers and many other young adults are being persuaded to come join terrorist groups and commit horrible crimes. Terrorist groups need to be stopped because if they aren't they could convince many others to join and the world will become even more dangerous and many people will become afraid.

European Teenagers Traveling to Syria to Join Jihadist Groups by Bella Dekhtyar

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/16/world/europe/3-british-teenagers-detained-on-suspicion-of-plotting-terror.html?_r=0

   Recently, three teenagers in London have been arrested under suspicion of terror offenses. In fact, it's been too common in Europe lately that teens are traveling to Turkey to join jihadist groups; a jihad is a muslim militant in struggle against unbelievers. Europeans have grown weary about the teens traveling through Turkey to get to Syria and create more violent crimes. Turkish officials complained saying that they were not given enough warning about the runaway teens. However, Turkey has also been criticized about not guarding its borders successfully and not preventing people from using Turkey as a way to cross into Syria. The three detained teens have been taken back to a police station in London; Europe's citizens are worried about allowing the violent teens back into Europe in fear of further terror attacks. 

  What I don't understand is why the young teens have decided to join such an extreme group, and how they managed to come this far. It seems that border patrol needs to become stricter and the teens should be further questioned for the reason behind their actions. 

   

Boston Marathon Trials by Victoria Biro*

http://www.infoplease.com/news/2015/current-events/us_mar.html

They have begun trials for the Boston Marathon Bombing this march in Massachusetts.  surprisingly, Tsarnaev's attorneys have already admitted that he is responsible for the attack.  Witnesses are sharing their disturbing memories of that day and they have found more footage to share. Tsarnaev faces a total of 30 charges.  More than half may lead to death penalty.

It is sad that this man has ruined his entire life with this one action.  He deserves what he has been given.  Though he may die, he has caused many other deaths, so it is only fair.  Even though I don't really believe in death penalties, I will not be upset if this is what he ends up with, because he has caused too much pain and hardship on too many families.

white and gold / blue and black dress by Victoria Biro*

http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/the-science-behind-the-black-and-blue--or-white-and-gold--dress-405695555960

The trending dress has been proven to be originally blue and black.  Studies show that there is a difference in everybody's retinas or a nerve in the back of our eyes that makes everybody see a different color.  There has also been an explanation that says the light waves travel differently through everybody's eyes.  Many people even say that it depends on the brightness of your phone.

Personally I see black and blue, and it drives me crazy that I cant see white and gold in any way.  Even when my brightness is changed, it looks the same to me.  What i don't understand though, is if it has to do with our eyes, then why doesn't everybody see everything else as different colors?  Why is it just this dress that we see differently - shouldn't some people see the sky as white then?

Blue & Black Or White & Gold Dress By. Ayanna Evans

The latest thing trending around is this dress that to some veiwers looks Blue & Black , but to other appears to be White & Gold. When a professor/ Neuro-olpthalmologist name Joseph Rizzo, 1st took a look at the dress, he explained that the wavelength of light that reflects the back of the eye is why the colors are different to certain people. The light that bounces off of the material of the dress is aslo another reason why it appears to be certain colors. After Rizzo took another look at the dress his entire explanation changed, and he then say white and gold, but the dress is originally black and blue.






I think that the explanation of why the dress appears different to some people is very interesting. I am one of those people that never saw white and gold but only saw blue and black. I wonder if it means that i have normal vision. I also wonder if there are other explanations to why the dress appears different besides this one.

Argentine President Under Investagation By. Ayanna Evans

 On Feburary 3, 2015, Prosecutor Viviana Fein announces that an arrest warrant draft for President Cristina Fernandez De Kirchner among Alberto Nisman's  papers. Meanwhile, prosecutor,Gerado Pollictia suggested that this was a conspiracy against President Fernandez for her role in a possible cover up of Iranian suspects in a car bombing in 1994, in a jewish community killing 85 people. Goverment officials were not happy about this news at all. The presidential secretary, says that the charges are "ridiculous and embarrassing. 







I really dont understand why they think that the president would do such a thing at all, but also i hope that the actual truth is found out to bring alot of tention down. I honestly hope that the president of Argentina had nothing to di with this because and a president your people look to you to do the right thing.

Leader of drug cartel detained - Makenzye Prince

Early Friday morning Servando Gomez was detained in Morelia. Gomez is the suspected leader of "The Knights Templar" which have been accused of drug trafficking, kidnapping, muder, & extortion.  After years of complaints from citizens in Mexico. The Mexican troops got involved last year after a vigilante group started patrolling and protecting the streets from the gangs.



I'm glad that Gomez was caught. I doubt this will make a difference. Gangs are heavily populated now days and I don't think that taking their leader will make a huge difference. It may weaken the gang but if anything they had a back up plan for this, so hopefully they can capture more gang members involved. If not than I hope that this situation won't get worse in Mexico.



http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/27/world/mexico-knights-templar-leader-detained/index.html

.Live Long & Prosper. -Emerald Grant-

http://www.infoplease.com/biography/var/leonardnimoy.html

As anyone should know, there is a show based off of space, galaxies, and aliens. When you think of that, you jumped to the many classics like, Star Wars, Star Trek WAIT! There it is, there's the show we're looking for! As you may know there is a show called Star Trek, with a specific character that most have known of even if they didn't watch the show. His name was Spock.
 Unfortunately the actor of Spock, Leonard Nimoy, died recently on the date of February 27, 2015, from a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. If you look into a biography of him, you will now that he was raised Jewish. Being raised Jewish usually meant ceremonies. As a child during a ceremony where you're not supposed to look, he decided to take a peek, only to see the famous hand symbol we know from him today.  [] Live Long & Prosper [] This symbol is -from some research done- supposed to be the letter "S" in Jewish symbolizing.
 This kind of shows an example of how religious beliefs and symbols are in the media we've watched over the decades. Almost like in other countries in the past few centuries. Where Christianity was brought to Asia, and China rebelled again that, saying only their religions and beliefs were acceptable. Not wanting to civilize like the Americas.

--[] As a little side not, a co-actor that worked along Leonard Nimoy's side for 40 years, wasn't able to make it to his own friends funeral. []--

Isis releases some Christian hostages- Makenzye Prince

On Sunday March 2, 2015 ISIS released 19 christian prisoners. Lately all of ISIS moves have been predictable which is why their most recent move has been shocking to the public. All except one of the Christians released were part of the 220 Assyrians captured. After being released back home by a Syria judge the Christians are back home safely and are keeping quiet for now.



What shocks me about this is the fact that the Christians were released. I wouldn't imagine ones of religion would be released first. This makes ISIS moves unpredictable. If this act was genuinely out of kindness (which I highly doubt) than that would be great and I hope that they continue.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/02/middleeast/isis-hostages-why-now/index.html

Panda population increased suddenly in China by Vern Blossfeld

Summary: The Chinese government has announced that the population of wild giant pandas has increased by 17% just in the last decade. China is home to the world's only population of this species of panda. China held their fourth National Giant Panda Survey, supported in part by the World Wildlife Fund. The Chinese government has not released all of the data they collected, though they released some information to the public. The statistics recorded report that there are now 1,864 wild giant pandas living in China's Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces. This is up from 1,596 estimated animals in a 2003 report, the last time the population of these pandas was surveyed. China has established 27 additional reserves where these pandas can live since the last survey.
Analysis: The reserves worked!! The efforts made to preserve these pandas lives is admirable. And it's nice to hear about a population increasing versus what we usually hear about when it comes to endangered animals, decreasing! Hopefully giant panda numbers will continue to increase as well as the populations of all other endangered species in China.
Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/03/150302-giant-pandas-animals-science-conservation-china/

New Plane Tracking Method to be Tested After Malaysia Flight Incident by Bella Dekhtyar

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/03/01/world/asia/ap-as-australia-missing-plane.html?_r=0

A week after the anniversary of the disappearance of the Malaysia Flight 370 on its way to Beijing with 239 people on board, Australia Airservices are beginning to test a new method of plane tracking. This new method of tracking will allow planes to be tracked every 15 minutes rather than every 30 to 40 minutes. Air traffic controllers will be able to find the planes easily because of the satellite-based positioning technology. Although, it's not one hundred percent full proof, it is still a step closer to preventing such catastrophes like the Flight 370 crash from happening again.

I believe that even though we have not found a complete solution, we are still making progress to prevent history from repeating itself. Not only does it serve the victims' families knowledge that we are moving towards a solution, but it also ensures citizen safety. Based on what authorities have found, the Malaysia flight travelled for another 7 hours before crashing into the Indian Ocean. The whereabouts of the wreckage and what exactly happened is unknown.

ISIS releases 19 Christians By: Emma Wall

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/02/middleeast/isis-hostages-why-now/index.html

The article above discusses how ISIS released 19 Christians out of captivity.  The article states that ISIS is more targeted towards murdering humans who are Muslim that don't follow their specific rules rather than Christians.  There are a few theories stirring about what actually changed ISIS's mind about holding these people captive but nothing has been clarified.

I was relieved to hear that they let some Christians go.  This could potentially lead to a turn of events, possibly peacemaking.  This is definitely a step in the right direction but ISIS is pretty unpredictable so who could possibly predict what their next move could be.

Case Cockrell- 3-1

http://www.vh1.com/music/tuner/2015-03-02/pantera-darrell-abbott-grave-vandalized/

A metal band from Indiana vandalized Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell's grave. He went was far to release a statement on social media calling Darrell "racist" and his whole band "terrible people"
He vandalized Darrell's grave, writing offensive slurs on his grave and disrespecting him. The singer of the group dubbed Pantera as "racist hillbillies".

As a diehard Pantera fan I am LIVID at this situation. Not only has he disrespected Pantera and Darrell, he has made a joke out of fans and his family everywhere. This man deserves what is coming to him, Darrell was murdered in cold blood and the dead should be respected and now his grave has been disturbed.

A Glowing Worm Discovered "Randi Thompson"

in the Philippines, a diver caught footage of a worm like creature later discovered as a pyrosome. The diver posted a video on youtube of the extremely long worm in February off the Ticao Island. It was later discovered that thr worm is actually a colony of animals called tunicates. Yunicates are small creatures but can grow to be more than 20 feet long. http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2015/03/02/Giant-glowing-worm-recorded-by-divers-was-a-colony/1101425315409/?spt=sec&or=on