Steven Schroeder's Article

Norwegian Mass Killer Declared Insane

I stand for all serial killers, mentally unstable or not, to have to be put on trails just as any other accused person under the law. Throughout history there has been no lack of mass murderers. But Norwegian born Anders Behring Breivik is accused of setting off a car bomb in Olso then shooting up a youth summer camp killing 77 people. Now however he is facing not even having to go to jail because he’s been declared mentally insane and being kept in the care of a psychiatric ward. Personally I think he should be put in a prison just like everybody else since even if their in a psychiatric ward they still can hurt someone better than if they were in solitary confinement. Although someone would definitely have to be messed up in the head to kill teenagers at a youth camp, but if he’s competent enough to do that he should be competent enough to sit through his own trail. If this had occurred in the U.S, I myself would have been shocked about this occurrence because it’s not something you would believe a person to do. What in this world is that bad for someone to do that, nothing, because everything can be overcome. I would not understand how someone can come to terms with themselves after doing an act such as this and therefore I have no sympathy for murderers such as this, I would require he go to a trail.

- http://www.voanews.com/english/news/europe/Norwegian-Mass-Killer-Declared-Insane-134674738.html

- http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2011-11-29/norway-killer-insane/51458494/1

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204449804577067932038978526.html

Nathan Hagemeyer's Article

Football Too Aggressive?

I stand for football not being too aggressive!

                Football is ranked the third most dangerous sport in America with 418,260 injuries that required hospitalization. There have been many cases of football players that have been paralyzed or seriously injured due to the lack of protection in football.  For instance Eric LeGrand, former Rutgers football player, has been paralyzed from suffering a severe spinal injury during a game against the Army Black Knights.  Mr. LeGrand still has hope though; he is currently recovering and now has movement in his head and neck and is hopeful that he will someday walk again. However, given these occurrences football should stay how it is.  Football is football because of its roughness.

Football is a full contact sport, and it is suppose to be rough. We need to make more technological advancements in our sports. Football needs to keep its roughness, but more precautions are needed to insure the player’s safety. Yes, changing the practice times to prevent heat stroke is good, but more advancements are needed to prevent knee and ankle injuries, since knee injuries are most common in football. Scientists need to create some sort of sleeve or something that prevents torn ACL’s and knee blowouts. We need to make more substantial advancements like Helmet companies putting more padding into their product to prevent concussions. If we were to change football into a less aggressive sport it would be known as panzyball.

Scarlet Holvenstot's Article

A Kardashian Fairytale wedding

I stand against ridiculous celebrity marriages.

On August 20^th Kim Kardashian tied the knot with the NBA player Kris Humphries. The total cost of their wedding was estimated to be six million. Kim has had many relationships in the past; Kris Humphries was thought to be the key to Kim’s heart. It turns out he obviously was not the key. Kim divorced Kris after 72 days of marriage. The cited reason for their divorce was irreconcilable differences.

 The short marriage validates that heat of the moment commitments end badly. Love has become entertainment and temporary satisfaction. 50% of marriages in America end in divorce. Huge commitments such as marriage should be taken seriously.

Kim began dating Kris in October of the previous year; they knew each other for about 10 months before getting married. It’s hard to be sure of your true love within a year. Celebrities like Kim, make love look glamorous and easy like a fairytale. Young viewers watch their role models and begin believing love is easy and if it doesn’t work you can always just get a divorce.

 Relationships require an immense amount of work and time.  In wedding vows couples often say statements such as, “…in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, for all eternity.” Marriage must be taken seriously in order to have successful families and healthy relationships. It helps to have role models that exemplify good relationships. Kim could have tried harder and her short marriage proves her lack of good decisions and endurance. Celebrity marriages are a joke.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Kardashian

Harly Ryder's Article

Blog about Black Friday and the economy:

                Black Friday is going to help the government because billions of American peoples’ money is being places directly into the economy. Also the jobs that people working at till early morning hours will pay more which in turn will put more money into the economy. These employees may be getting paid even more than regular hours of the day. All these companies that are receiving the income will possibly make it possible that they can hire more and more employees. This will make the unemployment rate go down which will also help the economy bounce back from the recent down fall and the most recent deficit that the country has been through. The people that are working and spending is what makes the economy grow. This black Friday 9.1 percent of the American people spent an average of four hundred dollars each person spent reaching almost 11.4 billion according to New York Times. 11.4 billion is a huge influence on the economy. But this is only what people spent. There is always the other side which the workers are getting paid an average of 10 dollars an hour. This will also make an impact on the economic condition. These employees are not just cashiers they are police and many other people. CNN predicts that the profit from this holiday season can reach about 44 billion. Looking at these figures 11.4 billion is a huge percent of the total income of the holiday season in one day. All in all black Friday is a huge event that occurs that has a large positive effect on the economy that can potentially jumpstart the economic situation enough to put us on the right path to recovery.

Sources:

CNN) http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/28/news/economy/black_friday_impact/index.htm

New York Times) http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/r/retail_stores_and_trade/black_friday/index.html

Herkimer Telegram) http://www.herkimertelegram.com/highlight/x1715259786/Economy-not-expected-to-effect-Black-Friday

Albert Evarts' Article

I stand for stricter regulations on offshore drilling. It is appropriate that governments around the world facilitate proper measures to safeguard the oceans and health of the people living on and depending on them. Furthermore, stricter offshore drilling regulations assist in the prevention of disastrous oil spills that cost millions to fix and that can have long term, detrimental affects.

Attention in the world has recently turned to Brazil, a rising power in a world transformed by the Great Recession. Two-hundred miles off the coast of Brazil’s second largest city, Rio de Janeiro, an oil leak was discovered in a deep-water well operated by Chevron, a Californian oil company. Brazil was quick to suspend the drilling rights of Chevron in Brazilian waters until the cause of the leak was found and a proper solution could be found to make deep-water drilling safer. Though analysts suggest it was Brazil’s ambition that played a part in the spill, the oil-company is the only accountable party simply because they maintain the responsibility of monitoring the facility and conducting research.

Stricter regulations do not equate to unreasonable terms and are not intended to handicap the oil industry. Rather they are meant to responsibly protect investments and, in the case of Brazil, the environment and people in the near vicinity of the leak. While lack of resources and proper technology hinders companies desires to engage in deep-water drilling, regulations still need to be put in place.

REFERENCES

●     http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/27/us-brazil-oil-chevron-idUSTRE7AQ0LH20111127

●     http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/brazils-chevron-oil-spill-a-wake-up-call-to-avoid-their-own-deepwater-horizon/2011/11/29/gIQAtczK9N_blog.html

●     http://www.swingtradingdaily.com/2011/11/25/editorial/an-%E2%80%98alternative%E2%80%99-to-playing-the-brazil-oil-spill/