Entry 15 January 16, 2014

Obama says marijuana "no more dangerous than alcohol"

January 16, 2014
CNN News

This article is about an interview Obama had with New Yorker magazine regarding the use of marijuana in America.  His opinion is that he feels alcohol is worse for you than marijuana.  He does not state that people should use marijuana but he thinks that alcohol and other drugs like cocaine are much worse for an individual.  He thinks that the government should focus on laws that treat users fairly.  Obama said "we should not be locking up kids or individual users for long stretches of jail time when some of the folks that are writing those laws have probably done the same thing".

I would disagree that alcohol is worse for an individual than marijuana as I feel they both have risk factors associated with using them.  I think that if you say it is okay to use marijuana where do you draw the line with other illegal drugs.  To say one drug is okay it is hard to say that others drugs are not.  I feel the government should be consistent.  Drugs are drugs and they should all be illegal.


http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/01/19/obama-says-marijuana-no-more-dangerous-than-alcohol/?hpt=hp_t2

Entry 14 January 8, 2014

Dennis Rodman apologizes for North Korea outburst, says he'd been drinking.

January 8, 2014

CNN News

Dennis Rodman was in North Korea this week to celebrate Kim Jong Un's birthday and to participate in a basketball game between former NBA players and a North Korean team.  While he was there he did a CNN interview with reporter Chris Cuomo.  During the interview the topic of imprisoned American citizen Kenneth Bae came up.  Dennis Rodman made the comment "he may have done something to deserve his sentence of 15 years of hard labor".  This obviously outraged  the family and many other people.  A couple of days later he apologized and said he was very stressed and had been drinking before he did the interview.

In my opinion being drunk is not an excuse for his actions as he should have held off on doing the interview if he was not mentally prepared for it.   I agree with Kenneth Bae's sister that his comments may done more damage to her brother when he could have supported him and possibly helped him be released from prison.   I  don't think that the "basketball diplomacy" idea was a good one. The relationship between these two is something I don't understand and politically Dennis Rodman is way over his head


http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/09/world/asia/north-korea-dennis-rodman-apology/index.html?hpt=hp_t3 

Entry 13 November 12, 2013

Toronto's Rob Ford says he bought drugs in the last two years.

November 12, 2013
BBC News

At a recent council meeting there was a vote between the Councillors of Toronto on whether or not Rob Ford should take a leave of absence from his position of Mayor. The vote was 41 in favor of him leaving and 2 in favor of him staying one of the 2 votes being Rob Ford himself.  These votes cannot be used to force him to leave office but were taken in hopes of encouraging him to step down and deal with his personal issues. A determined Rob Ford stated "I'm most definitely keeping this job...I'm not leaving here" also stating he would run again in 2014 for Mayor.

In my opinion I think it is time for Rob Ford to step down.  I think some Toronto residents supported him initially when he admitted smoking crack cocaine but I think he is quickly losing that support.  He should work out his personal issues before he makes Toronto suffer.  I agree with the Councillors with their comments and votes on whether he should step down.  They brought up good points about embarrassing the city and not being able to focus on his job.  It is too bad that these votes do not mean anything and Rob Ford is too determined to stay in office.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24930133

Entry 12 November 4, 2013

Jellyfish taking over oceans, experts warn.

November 4, 2013
CNN News

Experts are warning people swimming all around the world of the increased possibility of being stung by a jellyfish.  They are saying that global warming, over fishing of it's predators, and pollution are the cause of the rapid increase in population of jellyfish.  In most cases the stings are not lethal.  However there are some types that have a lethal sting.  This increase in population is having a negative affect on tourism in many areas as people are scared to swim in the ocean.  "In Hawaii there have been times that 800 or 1000 people have been stung in a day.  In Spain or Florida it is not uncommon in recent years for a half a million people to be stung during an outbreak.  These numbers are simply astonishing."

In my opinion I think people could help reduce the population of jellyfish.  We could stop over fishing their main predators and reduce pollution in the oceans that also kills these predators.  Without these predators the jellyfish population will continue to increase.  I think if you educated tourists on safe areas to swim as well as what to do if they are stung it may help increase the number of tourists who will risk swimming in the ocean.  This in turn will help tourism.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/04/travel/jellyfish-taking-over-oceans/index.html?hpt=hp_c3

Entry 11 October 21, 2013

Florida shoplifter gets big surprise from cop who nabs her.

October 21, 2013

CNN News 

Last month in Miami Florida a single mom of three children was out grocery shopping when she made the decision to run off with a fully loaded shopping cart in an act of desperation.  Her children were hungry and she had no money to buy them food.  The supermarket called the police and she was confronted by Officer Vicki Thomas who decided not to arrest her for shoplifting.  She then decided to buy  $100 worth of groceries for her and here family.  "I made the decision to buy her some groceries because arresting her wasn't going to solve the problem with her children being hungry" the officer said.  The woman did not have a police record.  She was charged with a misdemeanor.

In my opinion I think the officer did the right thing by not charging her with shoplifting.  She was acting out of desperation to feed her family as she did not have the money to buy the food herself due to employment.  I think Officer Thomas showed good compassion by not only dropping the charges but also paying for groceries.  The Officer did ask this mom to "pay it forward" when she got on her feet and I think this sounds appropriate.  If somebody does something nice for you it is nice to do something nice for someone else.


http://pthumbnails.5min.com/10359653/517982614_3_570_411.jpg

Entry 10 October 17, 2013

Lionfish infestation in Atlantic Ocean a growing epidemic 

October 17, 2013
CNN News

Currently there is a problem concerning the amount of Lionfish living in the Atlantic ocean.  They are not native to the Atlantic ocean but were introduced by humans who dumped their pets into the ocean. The problem being seen is that they have no known predators, reproduce at a fast rate and consume a large amount of fish..  Marine scientists are saying that "the Lionfish invasion is probably the worst environmental disaster the Atlantic ocean will ever face." In an effort to reduce the number of Lionfish people are being encouraged to hunt them and eat them.

In my opinion I think they are making an effort by encouraging people to hunt and eat the Lionfish but I think the focus should be on the female first as they are the one reproducing at such a high rate.  If they could focus on curbing the population this would reduce threat to other species in the ocean.  Also since the problem originated from humans not understanding the impact this fish would have in the ocean I think there could be better education around this issue.  Pet stores and aquariums could assist in spreading the information about invasive species.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/18/tech/innovation/lionfish-infestation-atlantic-linendoll/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Entry 9 October 15, 2013

Suspect saw Los Angeles airport dry ice explosions as a joke, police say.

October 15, 2013
CNN News

A baggage handler at the Los Angeles airport was arrested yesterday after setting off a dry ice explosive inside the airport.  He thought the simple bombs were "a game" and a " funny kind of joke" and he did not mean to harm anyone.  He did not have any political or other motives.  He was just having fun.  There was no damage or injuries in this incident however it has been taken very seriously  by police.  He is currently being held on $1 million bail and has been charged with "possession of an explosive or destructive device near an aircraft".

In my opinion I think that this should not be taken as a joke and that the police are doing the right thing by arresting this person.  Even though there was no real threat or injuries no chances should be taken and also they want to send a message that the airport is secure place to travel.  This may have been a joke but with the increasing number of terror attacks in the US this type of act must be taken very seriously.



http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/16/travel/los-angeles-airport-dry-ice-arrest/index.html?hpt=hp_t3