Category: general news

Stuff having to do with the news in general.

The Fogel Family

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Over the weekend, Israel experienced a heavy blow.  An entire family was brutally murdered in their sleep by a Palestinian in the settlement of Itamar near Nablus.  Both parents Udi and Ruth were stabbed in their bed, the killer then slashed the throat of 11-year-old Yoav, knifed 3-year-old Elad in the heart, and slit the throat of their three-month-old baby, Hadas.

At present the Al Aqsa martyrs brigade, the military wing of Fatah has taken credit for the attack.  Nothing though is conclusive yet because Al Aqsa frequently takes credit for acts they did not actually commit to strengthen their own popularity.  Prime Minister Netanyahu has started a huge military operation to hunt down the man responsible.  The IDF has already arrested twenty people.  We can only hope that the perpetrator for this heinous crime be caught.

Mani Pulite

vabenissimoLeave a comment

A 74-year-old man paid for a 17-year-old teenager girl prostitution.

Who is this man?

He is Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Known for his notorious behavior strictly against morals, he has been in office since 1994 and dominated the Italian government.

But, how does he remain to hang onto his power?

This golden strategy lies within his prosperity. His stunning ability to manipulate the Italian political system with his power abuse sealed the lips of victims for years, until now.

Since this teenage Moroccan belly dancing prostitue called Ruby Rubacuori has been presented to the shocking public, his troubles finally spilled out on the table.

Italians have desperately waited for this moment. I remember during a dinner, two Italian college students suddenly yelled out his name in joy for having him tried on court officially and finally.

At another time, this woman from Rome complained about his terms through a story; because previous Italian politicians relied excessively on bribery, the citizens voted on Berlusconi, a wealthy man who could not possibly ask for more materialistic possessions. Then, she went on about how the old times are much better than this snobby man worsening the already inefficient government system.

And, she ended her story by repeating “Mani Pulite” (Clean Hands)–an Italian way to investigate the corruptions within the political world through an official judicial process.

As a response to his frustrated citizens, Berlusconi says he is not worried about trial.

Well, his trials will be run by a panel of three women judges. And, he has recently completed a plastic surgery for his nose and teeth that have been badly ruined by his protesting crowd.

Perhaps, he should be prepared a bit better for his worst nightmare.

Amen, Berlusconi.

A Lady In What?

Paloma SpencerLeave a comment

A lady-in-waiting.

Yep, that’s right.

And no, that does not mean a lady waiting in the line to the restroom or in any line perhaps.

A “lady-in-waiting” is the classic English term deemed for the right hand women of a royal princess.

In this case, I am referring to the British princess-to-be Kate Middleton. The upcoming wedding has brought about much interest in the royal family and specifically into the life and rule of Prince William’s beloved wife.

Serving as basically the princess’s assistant, this “lady in waiting” is responsible for handling mail and traveling with the royal family during official visits.

Past princesses have given this position to a close family member or friend. However, rumors have circulated that Kate will follow in the footsteps of Diana and bring in an expert in “castle culture” for the first few years before bringing in her own family.

For now, the famous pair of William and Kate are looking forward to their wedding day and acclaiming more and more fame for their soon-to-be lovely royal family.

Dangerous Water

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The recent earthquake in Japan has created a huge tsunami, which has already killed more than 10,000 people. And the death toll is increasing. We usually think of water as soothing and caressing. However, it can be surprisingly destructive. Imagine that there is a body of water that has the same volume as a car. This water body is nearly 1700 pounds! And when this water body is moving at 30 miles per hour, like the tsunaminulli

 

in Japan, it can be extremely dangerous. And when the tsunami happened, it is not only a car that runs over you, it is a fleet of them. In addition, the tsunami will also bring dirt, rocks, cars, and trees, which will largely increase it’s destruction. So even if the wave only comes up to the knees, the force is enough to knock a person down. According to Harry Yeh, a professor of ocean engineering at Oregon State University, the energy of the tsunami is only a little bit less than an atomic bomb. Despite of all these negative characteristic of water’s power, we use this enormous power to generate much electricity!

Expulsion Expulsion Expulsion…

Paloma SpencerLeave a comment

So I am currently listening to an abundance of voices discussing their opinions regarding our school’s interdisciplinary policies. In other words, expulsion.

Before I entered high school I had always believed that one must do an absolutely horrible crime in order to be expelled. A knife fight or a drunken rendezvous were the kinds of things that occupied my mind regarding this subject.

I could blame my middle school; it was small and thus expulsion or any other type of disciplinary action was rare. In addition, my own innocence allowed me to believe that the on-screen fighting seen in popular movies was only met by, at the most, suspension. And let me not forget my belief that drugs and alcohol were common in high school and were thus somehow accepted.

However, throughout my years in high school I have realized a lot regarding this subject. My ninth grade year I recognized how serious bullying is through a classmate’s expulsion after expressing harm towards a fellow peer. My tenth grade year I realized the significance of violence when I experienced a dangerous brawl between two seniors. I had understood why these people were expelled and completely sided with the schools in their decisions.

It wasn’t until my eleventh grade year that I did not quite agree with the disciplinary action at my high school, and truthfully believed expulsion was used as more of a strict ultimatum rather than an agreeable decision.

I go to a private independent boarding school and thus I understand that students are expected to properly follow specific guidelines or otherwise face consequences. I understand the arguments that the school is giving you an opportunity, that this is a privileged experience, and that each student has signed a contract. I believe that it is more than fair to kick someone out for drinking, drug use, violence, or cheating, especially in a school that is aiming to create a campus filled with intelligent and mature young adults.

Though as a second semester high school senior awaiting those lovely letters of college acceptance and rejection, I would like to bring one argument up for questioning.

“EXPULSION.” These words plastered upon ones college resume is, to state lightly, not a very good addition.

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Honor’s Ski TRIP

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UGH! My mittens were filled with snow…again. I dusted my jacket off as I strained and struggled to get on my two feet. My poles dug deep into the white, icy powder and my body pushed itself up. Finally, I was standing and all I could think was “I need to get back to the cabin.”

Cross country skiing was not what I thought it would be. I jumped at the opportunity of going on the Honor’s Ski Trip, thinking it would be a breeze, especially because of my love for downhill skiing. Little did I know that cross country skiing had nothing in common with downhill skiing…except for maybe the poles.

I struggled to keep up with the rest of the group my first day. I was falling here and there, into deep pits of powdery snow. Even when I was standing up, I would somehow manage to fall over.

However, I had a lot of time to contemplate life, just as a I do every camping trip. It’s something about being isolated from technology and being beset in nature that makes the mind flow so clearly. Letting the mind flow was very refreshing and well needed, although now quite the opposite is happening with all of the backed up school work that is calling me. Regardless, for the time being, the trip allowed me to unwind and have some quality thinking time.

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Dear Gangsters, Please Go Away

Paloma Spencer3 Comments

You know who I have a problem with?

Gangsters.

Those people who think they are so tough.

Those people who speak in such arrogant tongue.

Fine, so I’m being completely judgemental, but I dont care. I’m not saying they are not good people and I am definitely not defining all of them with these characteristics. But I have sadly yet to see one that has proved my opinion wrong.

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O Music, Where Art Thou?

theycallmedame1 Comment

Okay, rant time.

Music Appreciation.

I am currently sitting inside the journalism classroom between fourth and fifth period with three other students and “thebrownguy.” (by the time you read this I probably won’t be in the classroom, but whatever)

I am playing Queen on my computer.

One of students raised their head from their computer screen with a confused look on her face, “What band is this?”
I look at her, stunned.
“You don’t know what band this is?!?” I’m shocked.
“Um, no, should I?”
“Um, YES!” I exclaim, “Queen only wrote We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, Bicycle Race, Fat Bottomed Girls, Bohemian Rhapsody, and that’s just naming the famous songs!”

The rest of our time goes like this:

“Do you know who Aerosmith is?”
“No.”
“Guns N’ Roses?”
“No.”
“Led Zeppelin?”
“No.”
“Oh my god what is wrong with this generation?!?”
“I know Drake and Rhianna, that’s pretty much it.”
“WHAT?”

I want to cry.

How can we live where the only music people appreciate is written by someone who isn’t the artist, the chord progressions are so generic you can find 100 other songs with the exact same ones, and that the voices are doused in auto tune and pitch correction the listener doesn’t even know how the artist really sounds like?

What ever happened to real musicians?

The Beatles, Bessie Smith, Queen, The Turtles, Tom Petty, Michael Jackson, Andrew Anderson?

Have we really reached a point in history where those who are “musicians” have a pretty face and cheap software to make their voice sound like a robot on crack?

Oh world, please come back to your senses.
Please?

Never Let Me Go

vabenissimoLeave a comment

We want to avoid death and accomplish to live a “perfect” life which explains why plastic surgery, organ transplants, and other genetic modifications are taking place in our current society.

These practices may prolong our lives, give temporal aesthetic pleasure, and also blindfold us from understanding how much our only life genuinely worth.

Finishing the film “Never Let Me Go” directed by Mark Romanek, I was moved by every inch of its messages, especially of one regarding mortality.

It is never safe to play with our human nature. Drug abuse such as increase usage of botulism, operations, and test tube babies all give a chill to my backbones and frowns my eyes.

But, we constantly try to achieve “perfection” and underappreciate our flaws.

Our issues of insecurity and death should be readdressed. Then, we would more likely to become happier.

I see life as a fleeting beauty. Because life destined to end at a given point, it shines and worth like nothing other.

Perhaps, we first need to learn how to let some things go.

Invasive Amphibian Species Contradict a Darwin Idea

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nullFor many years, one of Charles Darwin’s theories has been contradicted by recent research. Darwin believed that when an invasive species entered a region where a closely related species already existed, it would not likely be successful because of the competition for resources. “Instead, we found the opposite pattern with amphibians,” said Reid Tingley, a biologist at the University of Sydney in Australia. “When frogs and toads and salamanders invade an area where a similar species exists, they are more, not less, likely to establish themselves.” one explanation for this phenomenon is because for amphibian, if their close relatives are already doing well in the region, it is a positive sign for the new amphibian that is also a suitable region for them. The research could help conservationists to predict the risk levels of introducing specific alien species into a new region