Syrian Weapon Issue, By: Jon Cope

Summary:
    As you may know, Syrians have been caught using many unacceptable weapons. According to LA Times's article, they have been using toxic gas and chemical weapons. This frustrates many people around the globe, as this action is very inhumane. President Barack Obama disagrees with the Syrians' unsympathetic decision, and this delivers a debate all around the world. The British Parliament takes a vote, and the vote that wins is to just let it be and not get involved. President Obama decides to act and basically says that if it means war, than war will come; yet, many people believe this shouldn't happen because if it does, it may form an even larger crisis.
Analysis:
    I believe that death is always an issue; with these dangerous chemicals and gases, life becomes even more inhumane than it already is. These chemicals provide a slow and painful death, and if survived, it may leave the victim harmed severely for life, and this is unimaginably cruel. Not just that, but I also believe that war is cruel, it's a wicked and brutal waste of innocent lives. I partially agree with Obama that something has to be done, but I don't think war should be an answer. However, I completely disagree with Britain's thought of not doing anything and letting it be.

Jon Cope

Source: http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-us-syria-intel-20130830,0,1708580.story

Slave descendants refuse to give up land to massive company By Kera Mickus

Jacquelin Finley outside her childhood house
(AP Photo/LM Otero)

Not many people are willing to fight a massive coal mining company, let alone when the company offers to buy the said property with well over what it's worth. But that is just what Ida Finley does when she faces the prospect of losing the land she grew up on, and spent her whole life dwelling in.

 "For three years, Luminant Mining Co. has tried to purchase this 9.1-acre plot, which is currently owned by a bevy of relatives spread across the country. The company owns more than 75 percent of the parcel but can't mine it because of a complex inheritance arrangement and the refusal of some family members to let go or accept Luminant's offer." (qouted by Ramit Plushnick-Masti)

But theres more than what the story tells. Not only is this property special to Ida Finley because of her youth and memories, but because she buried her husband there. Going back, Ida and her late husband, Adolphus, recieved the land when his parents died and soon after, the company bought 9.5 acres for a small amount. This bothered Adolphus the last two years of his life, and when he passed, the company came knocking. There was no will, and legally, the  land was owned by the next blood relative, the children, who sold out. But grandaughter, Jacqueline, remains in the trailer, the last thing Ida remains in possession of. Nearing 102, Ida cannot battle the company and remains in a hospice, recalling her younger days.

"Jacquelin said Luminant would have to give her at least $1 million to leave — enough, she estimates, to fix her grandmother's house and care for her there." 
 http://news.yahoo.com/descendants-slaves-hold-against-coal-153636622.html

This story is truly heartbreaking, due to the unfortunate circumstances. Legally, Ida doesn't have rights to the land, but it is still legally in charge of her house, which is not acsessible to her because of the state its in. Her commitment to maintaining her memories of her younger years is obvious, and truly connecting to many people. This seems to be a common thing lately, a big company taking advantage of the legality of a situation and the frailness of the owner. Almost everyone can connect to the suffering and pain one feels when you lose something, or are struggling to keep from losing it. This article can be interpreted two ways; a) a woman and her grandchild are in a legal battle to keep their property or b) what will happen if the companies gains the rights to take away our connection to the past and who we came from? Is this just a matter of Ida and Luminant, or is it a conflict of our rights? 

"Molly" by Madelyn Winkelman

  On August 31st, festival goers Jeffery Russ and Olivia Rotondo died at the Electric Zoo 2013,a annual electric music festival, in New York city, due to drug overdoes of MDMA "Molly". Four others have claimed to have suffered side effects, also suspected to the use of the same drug. The remaining days of the festival have been canceled due to fear of further fatalities.

   Jeffery Russ was 23 and a recent graduate of Syracuse University, Olivia Rotondo was a 20 year old graduate of the University of New Hampshire. Both of these people had their entire lives ahead of them, and it makes me extremely sad to think of the great things they could have accomplished and the people they have left behind, yet they chose to through those things away over a drug. I do not look down on those who do drugs (heck I am related to some) I just feel that there are better ways to find happiness and a good time, or a escape from ones problems in life.

   http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/01/20280304-nyc-music-festival-canceled-after-mdma-related-concerns-officials-say?lite

Indian Child Roona Begum Recovering After Hydrocephalus Surgery by Angelica Fischer

Roona Begum born in a village in Northeastern India was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is a disorder causing cerebral fluid to build up in the brain. Roona had ten liters of cerebral fluid inside her brain. Doctors said that she would only have a few months to live unless she had surgery. Roona's parents couldn't afford to treat her but soon after her picture was posted on a fundraising website, they raised enough money to treat her. After five long surgeries, the doctors drained enough fluid out of her brain so that she could be able to live a normal life.

I think that if Roona Begum's picture wasn't taken and posted to a fundraising website she probably would have died. This article is very important because it shows how people can help other people in need, even though they might not know them.

Source
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/28/world/asia/india-child-hydrocephalus/index.html?hpt=wo_t3

Girl killed by bulldozer in China by: Shadden Hashem

     A four year old girl named Hong Xiaorou was struck by a bulldozer in Zhangpu county in rural China at about 11am local time on Wednesday, August 28. The grandmother of the girl, Chen Saijiao, had tried to stop the bulldozer that she saw pushing mud onto one of her fields. The driver, who spoke a different dialect than the grandmother, could not understand what she was saying and backed over the girl who was playing behind the vehicle. The girl died in the hospital and the driver was arrested. This event triggered an outrage on Chinese social media and as @yongbao_ai on the popular micro-blogging service Sina Weibo says, "There are so many people killed or disabled because of the land grabs in China, and (the officials) usually resolve these things with little compensation."

    I can very much so understand why this would be a major outrage in the media in China, seeing that events like this happen often. I feel extremely sad for the family and am angry that the officials aren't taking a more aggressive perspective on the situation. I hope that the family is doing okay and that the rural area of China can resolve this issue. 

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/30/world/asia/china-girl-killed-bulldozer/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

Arlington Car Crash Kills Two People: Paige Kutschall

On September 1, a passerby called the police early in the morning to report a car on fire in the westbound lane. Fire officials found a two dead bodies inside of the car that had crashed into a concrete barrier on E Interstate 30.  Arlington police are investigating the cause of this singe-car crash.

I can only imagine how much pain this family is going through. The police have not identified the victims, but I hope they do soon. I also hope that if someone else did cause this crash, that the come out and say it, for both their own sake and the victims loved ones. 

Source: http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2013/09/arlington-car-crash-kills-two-people.html/

What the HECK is going on in Syria. By Nash F.

Syria has been in the news a lot lately but why has it been in the news.  Rather than look around on the internet for a in-depth review here is a more simplistic guide to understanding Syria and you can finally understand why this is important and what the news readers are actually talking about. So here it is a guide to Syria in four parts.

Part I: What is the conflict?

Syria is ruled by an Islamic sect that is the minority in Syria. The people feel under represented and are against this harsh dictatorship so the people decided to hold a peaceful protest in 2010. The government responded by killing four people. This then lead to a series of violent out bursts and eventually the government used chemical based weaponry in 2013.

Part II: What is the big deal with chemical weapons?

In 1920 a lot of nations signed something called the Geneva conventions. These convention gave some rules to how war is done. These rules have been constantly broken by government but one of the most enforced rules was the ban on the use of chemical weapons. This ban was created because chemical weapons are not useful in terms of military combat but they are great at killing people in cities. So they were banned to prevent the killing of innocent civilians.

Part III: U.S., U.K., France, Russia, China, and the U.N.

When the news got out that Syria broke the most enforced rules in the Geneva Convention the United Nations held a meeting discussing the situation. Now the United Nations has five nations that if they vote no on any proposition then the movement fails. The U.N. is not going to do anything but those five major nations opinion go something like this.

United Kingdom: They originally wanted to do something about this but parliament voted no.

Russia: They are actually the people supplying the weapons to the Syrian government because Syria is the only ally Russia has from the post-coldwar U.S.S.R. They also have special interests in Syria because russia uses it as a deployment space for their navy.

Unites States: They want to send two Cruise Missiles off of boats they have right outside syria but Congress needs to vote on this.

France: They will back any choice the U.S. makes.

China: They believe everyone needs to slow down and think about this more.

Part IV: The big question?

Now the United State's Congress has a big question, should they approve the missile strike? On one hand if they approve, this could draw the U.S. into another war. All the U.S wants to do is say we will not stand the use of chemical weapons but this could still suck us into another war. On the other hand by not doing this what kind of message would that send to other dictators, that we are okay with the killing of innocent lives. I personally think that we should fire that warning shot and take that chance of starting another war but we should avoid that war if possible. What do you think the U.S. should do?

Bibliography:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/08/29/9-questions-about-syria-you-were-too-embarrassed-to-ask/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/16979186