Haiti mourns uncounted dead

             Haitians piled bodies along the devastated streets of their capital Wednesday after a powerful earthquake flattened the president's palace, the cathedral, hospitals, schools, the main prison and whole neighborhoods. Officials feared thousands, perhaps more than 100,000, may have perished, but there was no firm count. Death was everywhere in Port-au-Prince. Bodies of tiny children were piled next to schools. Corpses of women lay on the street with stunned expressions frozen on their faces as flies began to gather. Bodies of men were covered with plastic tarps or cotton sheets. The sheer terror in the eyes of the survivors showed the desperation and sorrow they felt after the tragedy. President Rene Preval said he believes thousands were killed in Tuesday afternoon's magnitude-7.0 quake, and the scope of the destruction prompted other officials to give even higher estimates. Leading Sen. Youri Latortue told The Associated Press that 500,000 could be dead, although he acknowledged that nobody really knows. "Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed," Preval told the Miami Herald. "There are a lot of schools that have a lot of dead people in them." Even the main prison in the capital fell down, "and there are reports of escaped inmates," U.N. humanitarian spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said in Geneva. Life is already so fragile in Haiti, and to have this on such a massive scale, it's unimaginable how the country will be able to recover from this.


            This is an unbelievable tragedy and i cannot begin to imagine how much turmoil and despair must be occurring in the already fragile nation of Haiti. I can start to imagine how I would feel if my entire community was turned to rubble in a mere matter of minutes. Everything I knew, my school, my home, my family gone. It is impossible to comprehend how much sorrow these people must be feeling right now. The government of this already fragile governed island nation has also been largely effected by this disaster. All of the islands parliament buildings were reduced to rubble by the earthquake leaving the government scrambling to land on its feet and deal with this disaster. At this point in time Haiti needs a strong government to pull them back together but with the destroyed facilities they are finding it extremely hard to do so. I feel that unless the Haitian government can rebound back from this disaster it will leave much of this part of the island in extreme poverty for the time being and cause negative feelings towards the government. I feel extremely bad for the people on this island knowing that helping their cause will be hard to do.

Toronto's newest bishop once a vietnam refugee

            Vincent Nguyen has known since he was a little boy, playing the organ in church in his native Vietnam that he has wanted to be a Catholic priest. He knew this path would be hard to follow, for this job was few and far between in his native land of Vietnam. He was always determined to become a priest, but his path to this was long and hard and full of interruptions. He first went through his career as an electrical engineer. "I was good at math and science," Nguyen says, "so I studied electrical engineering." It might seems like an odd path into the priesthood, especially for a man who will become Canada's first bishop of Asian descent tomorrow, but the move was made on the advice of an advisor with the Toronto diocese when Nguyen was still in high school. Nguyen will be an auxiliary bishop for the archdiocese of Toronto, responsible for Scarborough and the Durham Region. "The idea was that boys aspiring to the priesthood should also explore their other loves, as a way to ensure that those who commit to being a priest are more comfortable with the choice they've made." This is what Nguyen said pertaining to his journey in becoming a priest and gives his advice to others who are following in his footsteps. He believes if you are truly meant to be a priest god will call upon you only after you have done something else that you love. His ordination tomorrow will also mark the first time in some 30 years that Nguyen and his eight siblings have been in one place at the same time. Two of his brothers live in Canada, while the rest of his siblings are still in Vietnam. They've been arriving over the last couple of days. This will mark a dream come true for Nguyen after a hard life of fighting for what he wants.


              I believe that this is a very heart-warming story of a man achieving his lifelong dream after a life of hardship and hard work. Imagine growing up your whole life knowing what you want to be, but realizing how far out of reach that goal is, and how lucky you would have to be to fulfill that goal. This man is a true warrior and was willing to fight for his entire life in order to do what he has always dreamed of doing. He didn't care wither it would take him 5 or 50 years to achieve this goal, he would never give up and he would do anything that needed to be done. We can all learn from this inner strength and determination and learn what it truly means to fight for what you believe in. I also believe this is a great showcase of Canadian multiculturalism. Religion is one of the most sacred things in our world today and for an immigrant to be able to hold such a prestigious position in a Canadian church shows how much immigrants are appreciated and accepted into our everyday lives. This is a great story of self accomplishment and we can all learn from his inner strength.

Arrest in B.C. pipeline bombing

         RCMP have arrested one man and are conducting a massive search of a rural Alberta farm in connection to a series of bombings of B.C. gas pipelines. Insp. Tim Shields says a man in his 50s or 60s was taken into custody around 8 a.m. this morning on a farm about 25 kilometers east of the B.C.-Alberta boundary. The lawyer for convicted gas well bomber Wiebo Ludwig says Ludwig's family members have told him that it is Ludwig's rural Alberta farm that is being searched by about a dozen officers. Police did not release the name of the suspect, saying he has not been formally charged. "It was a peaceful, low-profile arrest, as low key as we could make it," Shields says. Shields then went on to say that soon after the man was taken into custody, a dozen Mounties began searching "a very large property" in Hythe, about an hour away. Shields said the man lives on the property."Evidence in the fall led to a redefinition, where a person of interest became a suspect and we focused considerable energy on the suspect." Ludwig and Richard Boonstra were charged and convicted in two gas well bombings in Alberta. Two EnCana gas wells and one owned by Suncor Inc. were hit in 1998, and another blast cratered a road leading to a Norcen Energy well site. Ludwig, who served two-thirds of a 28-month sentence for the bombings, wrote an open letter to the bomber last fall appealing for peace. There have been six pipeline bombings in the Tomslake area since October 2008 targeting the Calgary-based company, Encana. A letter to local media called the EnCana bombing an act of terrorism and demanded that the company stop operating in the region to avoid any further attacks.


           I feel that this is a very frightening story because it promotes the idea of terrorism in Canada. It is also very frightening that they have chosen to deal with something so vital to society not to mention extremely dangerous, in oil. They could have been doing it to cause an explosion or to cut off gas lines, both of which would cause huge distress. Terrorism is something Canadians here about a lot being close neighbors of the United States, but we never expect it to happen in our country, for we act with a peaceful demeanor and treat the people with great respect. No one would ever think someone would target Canada except for the terrorists themselves. This thought is frightening because being naive such as this leaves us vulnerable for a terrorist attack, and if a large attack happened we would suffer large damages. Another factor is the men arrested looked like normal members of society and had no resemblance to terrorists. This means that anyone could be a terrorist and you should always be aware. I believe this is a good wake up call for the people of Canada.

1,000 New GM jobs in works for Oshawa

           General Motors will build a replacement for the Chevrolet Impala and produce a Cadillac sedan at its Oshawa car complex, creating up to 1,000 new jobs during the next few years, industry officials say. Since GM has been faltering over the past two years and needs to go to extremes to create jobs for their employees. A senior official for the Canadian Auto Workers said later the addition of those vehicles should generate between 750 and 1,000 jobs in an extra shift at GM's Oshawa complex. They feel that they have the appropriate facilities to make this change effective and can thrive making an entire new shift creating these Cadillac vehicles. An official at the site claims that this plan is not official as of right now, but he feels it makes a lot of sense and would create more jobs for the company, producing a car that is in higher demand. In his eyes this shift is a win-win situation. The manufacturers association's disclosure follows recent auto production announcements by GM in Ingersoll and Toyota in Woodstock that will boost employment in southern Ontario's recession-ravaged manufacturing sector. The Oshawa car complex is one of the few GM manufacturers that are still producing this model and it is planned that it will be totally out of commission by the end of the year 2011. GM has also announced that it will be creating several new flexible assembly lines in the next couple of months, creating thousands more jobs. GM also has many more plans for several other Manufacturing units across the country.


           I feel that these measures being taken by GM are a great sign of the rehabilitation of the Canadian economy and the auto industry which was hit especially hard by the depression. When the depression struck the auto industry was struck extremely hard and GM was on the brink of going out of business. For GM to now have the power and resources to start to do their part to restore the economy are a very calming sight and are showing the final stages of the full recovery. This was one of the worst recessions our country has had in a very long while and it is gladdening to see that it is recovering and that our economy is strong enough to build itself back up and prosper once again. It is also great to see an influential company; which has control over so much of the auto industry back at its best and supplying the people of Canada with vehicles. This article makes it very apparent that the recession is coming to an end and strong companies such as GM will once again prosper.

Holding charities to business standards

            Just in time for Christmas giving, Charity Intelligence Canada, which compiles an annual list of non-profit organizations that offer donors "the biggest bang for their buck," has released its 2009 recommendations. Twelve Toronto charities made the cut. Most are well-known, deliver quantifiable services and have influential corporate or institutional backers. The twelve winners of the prestigious contest were Second Harvest, Fort York food bank, Evangal Hall Mission, Salvation Army Gateway, Red Door Family Shelter, Babra Schielfer Clinic, Pathways to Education, Junior Achievement of Central Ontario, East York Learning Center, Gateway Linens, Eva's Print Shop, and TurnAround Couriers. The charities have been recognized for doing excellent work in their fields and this award gives them recognition for all of their hard work. These are all high name charities that many of us are familiar with and donate to. There are many smaller organizations out there that do better work, but don't have the resources or the publicity to get noticed. People also need to give their respect to these smaller organizations because what they lack of in resources they make up for with understanding of their clients and perseverance. The Charity intelligence program was created to help make a name for the smaller charities who take large measures to meet the needs of their clients. It searches very hard to find the most influential small charities and gives them the resources they need. This will ensure the most important charities in our communities can stay prevalent.


           I believe that this organization does a great service in recognizing the many charities who have worked tremendously hard to make the lives of people less fortunate than them more enjoyable. Without organizations such as these many small charities such as these would go un- noticed for the great services they provide and all of the people they help. When an organization like this gets recognized it in turn receives a larger amount of money because more people are aware of the cause it is fighting for. This money allows them to reach out to an even larger population and extend the arms of their service to more citizens. By recognizing these small charities we are helping many more people than you could imagine live a more comfortable life. We can make a difference. When we donate to a charity we are saying that we want to help people have the opportunity for a better life; we show that we care about the well being of others. Be a good citizen, a good person; donate money to charities because showing you care goes a long way.

Fiorito: Bedbugs can be beaten

     Bedbugs, many believe they are only a story that parents tell young children before tucking them in for the night. I truth is bed bugs are actually small insects that live in the beds of almost every person on the earth, and cause widespread rashes and even illnesses to the people sleeping in those beds. They have plagued the people since the introduction of mattresses because they can thrive on the bacteria in them. A recent outbreak in a number of old age homes and apartment buildings are causing many people to attempt to find a cure for the bedbugs. Several boards of health have become recently concerned with these sudden outbreaks. One who lived in an apartment building of off Yonge Street showed just how damaging bedbugs can be. She showed us her arms and legs which had hundreds of miniscule bite marks, causing her much discomfort. Several other women in this building have claimed to be bitten several times by these tiny insects. They said that their apartment building is now enacting an anti-bedbug program. This process consists of steaming the mattresses, filling in cracks in wall, washing all clothes, and vacuuming the rugs thoroughly. They said we now know how to beat the bug, its just a matter of consistently paying for these measures. Residents of these apartment buildings and many old age homes are demanding measures to be made so that this bed bug killing procedure can continue. This idea is also backed by the Ontario Ministry of Health; they said it could drop sickness rates down up to 9% from this increased cleanliness. These people have a very important issue that needs to be resolved.


             I found this article very interesting and relevant to St. Andrews College. We live in an environment that can be plagued with illnesses due to the interactive nature of the Andrean Society. At the school we look into every possible measure with regards to keeping all of the students healthy. If there is a new method that will ensure that no one will get a sickness we incorporate that into our life. This helps us fight off illnesses and when someone does get an illness they are treated immediately to limit the spread. This is very much the same as what is happening here. These people have no control over some of the aspects of the cleanliness of these buildings and are just looking to stay healthy. I believe all of the needs of these people must be met in order to maintain a fair society. We have given money for much less important things and shouldn't shy away when people really need it. If this system could be incorporated into many facilities such as this across the country Canada will become a much healthier country.

Caledonia protestors may have had guns, court told

           A Caledonian man is suing the Ontario government for supposedly spying on First Nation's protestors as they unloaded several boxes of what appeared to be full of loaded assault rifles. David Brown, 42, and his wife, Dana Chatwell and their children have filled a $7 million lawsuit against the province and OPP for abuse of power and neglect of duty over a standoff at Douglas Creek Estates, a parcel of land native’s claim was stolen from them 200 years ago. This area is located 20 kilometers southwest of Hamilton and has been a large area of conflict between the town, the police and the native protestors. Since this time the land has been sold back to the town from the original developer because of this dispute, giving the province more control over the occurrences that commence on that land. Brown admitted that he crawled onto the native’s occupied land and saw them unloading crates of what he claimed to be filled with assault rifles. He recognized the type of box and the inscriptions on the side as the type he used to see at the shipyard he used to work for. These boxes were from Russia. "I could see it pretty clearly," said Brown, who was about 20 meters from the men unloading the crates. "I was looking through the grass and my heart was pounding." He first approached the police about this and they said they hadn't seen anything if the sort. Brown knew this to be a lie because he saw an OPP van stationed just off the property observing these activities. Brown feels strongly about this because his family has been put in harms way many times by these natives and the police did nothing to prevent this. Brown is testifying to try and protect his family and assist all other families in his position.


             In my opinion this occurrence could prove to be very harmful to the reputation of the OPP if they are found guilty as charged and lose this case. This man, Mr. Brown, did this for the sake of the welfare of his family. He shouldn't be punished, the ones responsible for the events leading him to do this should be held responsible. If what Mr. Brown is saying is the truth than this situation is one of dire importance for the future of the OPP. These disputes with native Canadians have been prevalent problems for the past couple of years, but the police have always told us they have it under control and the people don't need to take action. If Mr. Brown is telling the truth this proves that the police don't have this issue under control, and the people are being forced to change these problems themselves as a result. Irresponsible is the only word to describe the party that losses this law suit. The OPP have their reputation as a force to help the people at stake, and if Mr. Brown is lying he is irresponsible for putting himself in such danger with no way to protect himself. I believe both parties in this issue have made bad choices that could spite them in the end.

Fast food, coffe to escape new blended tax

              As many of you know the government seemed set on imposing a new HST tax on things like coffee, newspapers, and fast food. This would bring in huge tax dollars for the government, think of how many coffees you drink, newspapers you read, and fast food you eat. Thankfully for us citizens the government has withdrawn from this proposal because they fear the reaction of the people would be much too large for them to handle. Although Ontario's Premier Dalton McGuinty is very strained about the fact that the province of Ontario has a $25 billion deficit, he feels that he can't follow through with asking for more than the already inflated 13%. Revenue minister John Wilkinson ensures that everything from newspapers, to Tim Horton’s donuts will continue to be charged with the regular 5% GST tax. He also ensures that the 8% HST that is already charged will not increase in the future. The Liberal party was a big decision changer on the subject. They felt that waking up and having to pay a heavy tax on something that used to be so inexpensive could cause a distrust and strain towards the government. They feel these in-your-face taxes are not the appropriate way for the government to get their money. The idea of these taxes was viewed as ridiculous by many members of government. They felt in this time of financial uncertainty any unnecessary taxes will just anger the people. The government made the right decision to abolish the idea of these taxes.


              I believe this is a promising time for the minority government of Canada. This dispute shows the true strengths of having a minority government in Canada. The purpose of having this type of government is to stop a government who doesn't have the majority from making the wrong decision, and it did just that. If a minority government had not been established the Conservatives would have been left without a second opinion and would have followed through with the introduction of this tax. They would have then faced the unhappy wrath of millions of Canadians who don’t want extra taxes on their morning necessities. This would have caused a country wide uproar leaving no positives. I feel this also illustrates the irresponsibly of the Conservative party which currently runs our government. I feel that this issue truly demonstrated the strength of the Canadian Minority Government.

Jobless rate spikes as manufacturing hit hard

                    As everyone knows we are in a time of financial recession in the world at this point in time because of the mortgage crisis, causing a crash in the stock market. This in turn has caused a worldwide manufacturing crisis. People are losing their jobs all over the world because of this recession because companies are closing down at alarming rates. Recently the recession has slowed and has caused many companies to go back into business giving thousands of people who were laid off a second change. Unfortunately this recent prosperity was short lived and the companies are now on the downhill. Over the past few months there has been a 8% increase in unemployment rates across the country, which translates into a loss of over 30 000 jobs. This is caused by companies reopening, but unable to support near as many workers as they did before. With the economy as unstable as it is right now none of the companies want to invest a lot because they know the risk of losing everything is quite prevalent. The United States has also been hit from this dip in the economy and is suffering at a 10.2% unemployment rate, the highest since the depression in the 1930's. Many of the job losses in Canada are the young people of the population working in newer franchise businesses that quickly went under. This is good and bad news. It means our core economic working force is still intact, but at the same time our new and upcoming core is not working. This financial crisis is very serious and needs to be addresses by both the Canadian and U.S. government.


             I believe this financial crisis is becoming a very serious problem and needs to be addresses before it causes any irreplaceable damage. It started off as a small crash in the market and has been blown way out of proportion, which in turn caused the real damage. People became very tight with their money and no money was going back into the economy causing the whole issue. If people were to shake the first sign of trouble off and kept investing as they normally did than the market would have recovered in a matter of days and wouldn't now be a global issue. This entire issue was caused by the sheepish nature of today’s investors and the selfishness of the business men of the world. Money should rule our world, but this is just absurd. The whole world goes into debt because a few greedy billionaires won’t give a million of their fortune up to ensure the stable economy of the entire world. I believe the human race has become much to focused on money and are missing the true values of life.

Dying mom keeps online diary for baby

             Natalie Ritchie is a 30 year old woman who has been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and she realizes her time on earth is not a lot. She has a 3 month old daughter named Scarlett. Ike any mother she wants to see her child grow up and witness their accomplishments and fulfillment of their dreams. Unfortunately for her the condition she has been cursed with doesn't allow her much more time to live and she may never get to see her only child grow up. The only chance that this poor lady has to survive is to have a double lung transplant, an operation with a 0.01% success rate. It would take a modern day miracle for this woman to be with her child for the rest of her life. Ritchie has spent the last couple of weeks in the hospital and is fighting her toughest battle yet. When she was deciding to have a baby she was very hesitant because she didn't want to cause the baby any unnecessary stress that would come from her death. It is a very sad day today because she realizes that she will cause this baby pain. She needed a way to make it up to her, a way to make her feel better when she realizes her mother isn't there. They are keeping an online diary to allow her to know what was happening when she was a baby. This will allow her to connect with her soon to be deceased mother and to share something with her. This will allow her to feel normal when it is her against the world. Give her an opportunity to connect with her mother .


            I believe this is a great way for the dying mother to connect with her newborn daughter. I can't possibly imagine going through life without a mother and the love and comfort she provides. A mother is a very important in all aspects of life. A child doesn’t fell complete without a mother and can live their whole trying to imagine what their mother was like and will never by satisfied. The ability for this children to read the words and see videos of her mother will allow her to get these impressions. This internet diary will allow a child deprived of one of the most important aspects of childhood and gives her the ability to find what her mother was like to a certain extent. This mother must feel terrible that she must cause her one and only child such pain, but in the end she was the one who gave this child life and she is doing everything she can to show her immense love. This child will one day realize the sacrifice the mother made and appreciate it a lot more.

Health fears grow over Puerto Rico blaze

          After 11 fuel tanks exploded and burst into flames yesterday in Puerto Rico a threatening wind storm is forcing more panic on the residents of this area because of the increases risk of deathly inhalation of the smoke. Another intrusive fear is a rainstorm that is bound to come soon. If the smoke is not cleared by then it could lead to a very bad occurrence of acid rain. Residents of the area are urged not to bring their pets and children outside for a couple of days while firefighting forces continue to battle the ongoing smoke and fire. They have been fighting the fire for 36 straight hours and when the blast occurred it caused a 2.8 magnitude earthquake within a mile radius. Over seven hundred residents of the immediate area were forced to evacuate immediately and spent the night in a nearby shelter. Many of these people were petrified of having their houses destroyed but in the end only 10 houses were permanently damaged. The cause of the blast remains unknown but it is not believed to be a planned attack, just an accident. Many residents who witnessed the blast said that they have never seen something so terrifying, yet amazing in their entire lives. One citizen was standing on his balcony and saw balls of fire spewed into the air. Even though it was an entertaining event citizens still must realize the danger it still poses.


           I believe that this is a very scary occurrence for the people of Puerto Rico and should be taken very seriously. This sort of thing could have taken a countless number of lives if it had happened in a different situation and I believe much more precautions should be taken to ensure that an explosion of this caliber doesn't happen again a pose a danger on the life of innocent people. Things like making transportation trucks safer, making the routes of these trucks avoid suburban areas, and the firefighting units should have plan to combat fuel fires such as this. Puerto Rico is a island full of vegetation from grasslands to rainforest and a forest fire could catch very quickly and is a very serious threat. Further precautions taken will ensure the peoples safety.

Gates says North korea's military "more lethal"

              U.S. defense secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday that the threat of North Korea is becoming more deadly as we speak. Especially to the Washington area where they have received some small threats of nuclear action in North Korea, and are being extremely cautious. They will not tolerate any nuclear activity in that area as they believe the people in this area are extremely hostile, and can't be trusted. The ministry of defence in the United States is seriously considering sending troops to this area in order to protect their country from one of the leading countries in nuclear innovation. We have proof that barrages of small missiles have been launched for testing purposes from a location just outside of Seoul. They have calculated that these missiles are more powerful and accurate than the previous versions investigated, making them extremely dangerous. The U.S. has stated the more missiles that have been tested the more special operations troops they will train to send into the area if the time comes. This means that if the North Korean's keep testing their bombs than we will assume that they are attempting to scale up the attack on Washington. The United States said that they will let a senior representative from North Korea enter the country next week in order to try and negotiate further peace claims than have already been established. The U.S. has also joined forces with China to try and halt this nuclear production. I believe the U.S need to stand up to protect them in this situation.


            I strongly agree with the precautions the United States are taking in regards to the threatening ways of the North Korean's. I feel that if they don't confront this nation about these nuclear threats than they would just be asking to be openly attacked, and could end up starting a war. I don't understand why a nation as small as North Korea would threaten one of the largest, and most powerful nations in the world who has a large number of allies. The acts of the North Korean's in the past have left them with almost no allies, and there is no doubt in my mind that it would soon be most of the world ganging up on North Korea if they did stage an attack. It is just plain idiotic and reiterates there pure insanity and terrible leadership. I feel that North Korea needs to stop trying to instigate war because in the end no matter what happens they will lose and only cause death. The North Koreans need to develop some sympathy for both their own people as well as the people of opposing countries.

First 2 million swine flu vaccines shipped

          Swine flu, the newest pandemic, has forced people all over the world into a frenzy of cleanliness, and awareness for its symptoms. Swine flu is viewed as the next most dangerous pandemic only second to the polio epidemic in the 1950's. But fortunately like polio many years before a vaccination has been created and is now being widely distributed in an attempt to halt the pandemic. During the past few days over 2 million vaccinations have been shipped to the provinces and territories of Canada. Health officials began injecting the rather simple arm shots yesterday in over 10, 000 hospitals and medical facilities across the country. The vaccine is adjuvant at the moment, making it useless to woman who are pregnant and people of the young and old extremes, but they are working on developing a more stable unadjuvanat so that everyone has access to the vaccine. The scary fact about this is that the people who are not able to get the vaccination are the target group of this disease. Tests have shown that woman who are pregnant, people over the age of 75 and under the age of 3 are able to contract the disease earlier, and it can develop into a more serious problem much quicker. A newer prototype of this safer vaccine has been sent out for use on select interest groups before being cleared by the Canadian health association for further distribution. This is a great advancement in the modern medical world, and hopefully the new vaccine will be cleared and we can all have protection from this disease.


                  Where did this come from? What kind of disease is this? How is it spreading so quickly? Why hasn't a vaccine been created for this? These are all the questions people were looking for the answer to. Look at it know about two months later we know all of the answers. It came from Mexico, it is a rare strain of the common flu, it is a pandemic and is being spread through the air and contact with infected objects, and now finally a vaccination has been created. I believe this is important because this shows that the world’s medical forces are able to combat pandemics, and will now be more prepared and have certain precautions immediately if one does appear. This helped the people of the world gain some more trust of their medical staff, and showed society they can adjust and react to a problem such as this. I believe the swine flu, with all the suffering it has caused, has a silver lining and we were able to learn that humans aren't safe from everything and need to prepare for the worst.

Ottawa had early warning of toture in Afghan jails

     
           When Stephen Harper first heard of the allegations surrounding the torture of soldiers on the battlefield in Afghan jails, he dismissed them as false threats and Taliban propaganda. Even after one of their most important officers in the battlefield had provided alarming evidence of these occurrences he still failed to accept them as the truth. This was 2006. Now the threat has once again presented itself and is being taken much more seriously, as it is the second time around. On a report set on May 26th they had addressed many aspects of the human rights documents and have warned the Afghani government if there alleged 71 Canadians thought to be prisoners of brutal Afghan prisons. They strongly believe that these soldiers are being brutally tortured for information regarding future attack plans of the Canadian/American forces. The government is thought to know many more details pertaining to this issue but will not disclose them in an attempt to halt a nation-wide outrage. Nevertheless, they had told the media that they have been able to get several high priority warrants to search for the prisons thought to hold our countrymen. Government officials are not very open to the subject due to the fact that the smallest comment could anger the Afghans into killing the prisoners they hold. We need to help our country men and put an end to the threat of the Afghans.



            I find this discovery extremely disturbing. Imagine someone who had been your lifelong friend is now sitting, starving and being tortured in a musky and disgusting cell in the heart of a foreign country. We need to stand up to the monsters that are the Taliban and show them that they won’t get off easy after committing such perjury to our brothers. I feel that what they are supposedly doing to our men is simply disgusting. How can you live with yourself knowing you have brought so much pain and suffering to an individual as well as his friends and family? Knowing that you are viewed as a monster to the entire world. Hopefully they will realize what they are doing and release the prisoners. I don’t believe there is any way to forgive an act such as this and they should be severely punished. I strongly hope our government succeeds in freeing our soldiers and they can experience the freedom the rest of us do.

Ontario files $50 billion tobacco suit

          $50 billion dollars, which is more than any single man on earth has under his possession, it is more than the annual GDP for over 85 countries, and also the amount the government of Ontario is suing tobacco companies for. This fee is issued for the purpose of paying back all the money that has been spent by various government run health centers, taking care of tobacco related illnesses. This value was determined by taking the amount of sales in the cigarette business in the province of Ontario and finding approximately 30% of this value. The government is trying to regain power over the market from the hands of the tobacco companies, and try and give back to the people who don't smoke by making them pay fewer taxes for the thing that kills their people. The triumph for the government is quite far away though. The cigarette companies are in the process of filing a counter statement, proving their innocence in the matter and to try and free themselves from this hefty fee. This unfortunately could take years to wind itself through the court system because of the large amount of money it is regarding, and the importance of the tobacco companies in the global market. One other province, British Columbia, and some areas of the United States have also started lawsuits against the tobacco companies. Smoking is the #1 preventable cause of death in the province killing about 36 people a day, and costing taxpayers over $1.6 billion annually. This would be a great breakthrough for the people of Ontario if it were to be passed.


             I feel that this action by the government is a wonderful step in the right direction for the people of Ontario, and a great example for the entire world. It was quite unfair that the many people in Canada that are nonsmokers had to pay for the obsessive nature of people they don't even know. Some people disagree with this fact, of these most are smokers, but in reality smoking is definitely unnecessary for two reasons, it kills and is highly addictive. This shows how harmful smoking can be and how crazy people can be for a cigarette. Another reason i think that this is a good decision is because the tobacco companies control the markets, and bring in a large amount of taxes to the government, and to show that the government wants to regain power is promising. They have seen enough people die and are deciding than the lives of their people are more important that the tax dollars. This sets a good example for the entire world and if they were also willing to follow and take action it would save millions of lives and millions of dollars. Imagine how much of a better place our world would be without smoking, but we must remember the key is baby steps.

Iran told to allow inspections

        Armed with ammunition in the form of a secret Iranian nuclear base, president of the Unites States, Barrack Obama and the leaders of Britain and France stated the Tehran nuclear center must reveal its ambitions. French president Nicolas Sarkozy said that the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejadl, has until December to disclose full intentions of the facility, and sanction a search or more several action will be taken. Barrack Obama was quoted in saying "Iran is breaking the rules in which all nations must follow," in regards to this secret nuclear base. Obama is urging the International Atomic Energy Society to provide a thorough investigation of the facility, to find out what is really going on in this secretive base. A former white house employee said that Iran has kept this facility 100 miles southwest of Tehran and managed to keep it hidden from weapons inspections, but the USA has been informed of this for quite a while, and are only now taking action. President Obama is hoping that making this issue a global one will hopefully persuade more countries to oppose Iran if they fail to comply with the inspection, and foreclosure of the base. In regards to using force nothing has been confirmed yet, but many US combat generals feel that everything must be put on the table immediately. The Iranians have recently posted a plea that said they were just enriching Uranium for their many nuclear reactors throughout the country, but many fail to believe this statement. This is a very serious issue and should not be taken lightly.




       I feel that Iran is breaking many of the "codes of honor" that all nations have, by making this affair so secretive. They are making it seem that they do have nuclear weapons when they clearly don't. I think if they had nothing to hide then they wouldn't have kept this facility a secret and they would have issued it as a nuclear uranium plant. This would have avoided the conflict that is arising in the situation. I feel that the Iranians are hiding something because if they didn't have anything to hide they would have let the USA in right away to confirm that nothing was going on that shouldn't be. I believe that the Iranian don't want war but now that their secrets have been revealed I think that it what it will come to. Unfortunately this shows that the world is nowhere near the peace levels we all hope for and conflict will still be afoot.

Rising seas create first climate refugees

           When the sharks started showing up in her garden, Ursula Rakova knew her home and native island of Cartarat off the coast of Papua New Guniea were doomed. Her along with 1 700 other residents of the island are forced to find higher ground in an attempt to get away from the death grip of the rising ocean. Many people like Ursula are not taking this well, and feel very strongly that they have been sabotaged by the rest of the world, and are the first official "climate change refugees". The residents did all they can to stop the overwhelming rain that has come this past year by building several barricades and mangroves, but unfortunately the storms that came this past year were just too powerful. The island has recently started to develop a more modern outlook on architecture and style and had recently built many houses along the coastline. Every single one of the 100 houses were demolished in the several violent storms over the course of the year. "It is especially hard for the older people. Many of them are refusing to leave. We don't want to force them. None of us want to go. But the saltwater is spoiling our ability to grow food. So there is no choice," said Rakova. Many of the older citizens as well as the more educated of the younger population are questioning why this happened. Many believe it is the modern world, and climate change caused by global warming is to blame. They are blaming the industrial world for thier misfortunes, because they contribute little to global warming. This is the first alarming incident of global warming affecting our people.

              I feel that the people of this island do have a right to feel that they have been taken advantage of and have been written off by the industrial countries. Their way of life and home has been destroyed because of the acts of a small amount of people on our earth. The many people who have disregarded global warming as a non-serious issue, and have chosen not to change their ways, have essentially ruined the life of the people on this island. This is the first true warning of how serious climate change is and how we need to change it very soon, or more of us will end up like the people of this island, lost and without a home wondering why people didn't change their ways earlier. They must also feel so powerless because the people of this region have little technology that contributes to climate change, and therefore they had no partaking in the demise of their homes and their current lives. I feel that these people have a good reason to be angry and should vocalize their thoughts to the entire world to show how much trouble we are all in.

Toronto's first balck police chief?

                His supporters, and there are lots of them, say that he is destined to become the Toronto police forces first chief of African American heritage. Although many oppose, Peter Sloly is a strong candidate to become the new police chief of the Toronto police force. This week with a mere 21 years in the police force will be assuming one of the four roles of deputy chief, which is only one rung below the chief Bill Blair. At 43 years old Peter is believed to be one of the youngest police officers in the country’s history to achieve such a high rank, and honor but also a burden for someone with 21 years of experience, which is considered a small amount of time in this industry. He has achieved the rank of someone who has been part of the force for 40 to 50 years. The chairman of the police board says that he does not usually condone such fast moves through the ranks, especially for someone as young as Sloly, but he believes in this case Sloly has been so successful he believes he will one day become chief. Sloly was slightly humorous about the matter but still retained the serious nature of the situation by saying ""Well, for one, I think I'm only a couple of years younger than the most powerful man in the free world," Sloly said recently of U.S. President Barack Obama, who is 48. "If you're required to be in a place for a certain amount of time, I guess I don't hit that benchmark. If it's about experiences, and adding value to help build the police service into the best it can be, then I think I hit that benchmark." Everyone in the force has high hopes for Sloly and he is expecting one day to become chief.




           I believe this amazing man is a step in the right direction for the both the police force and equality. When people think of a police officer, the automatic stereotype that comes to mind is a middle aged white man, not someone of African American heritage. To see someone of African American heritage be able to do so well, in a job that is usually controlled by the white population, is a positive look at equality in our future. It is also a step in the right direction for the police force. There have been prior thoughts that the police force in Toronto was slightly racist towards anyone other than the typical white male, and to see them start to make promotions not based on race, but their ability to do the job better in quite refreshing. We the people could not be expected to act without prejudice if the people who govern us and enforce rules are prejudice. That would be extremely hypocritical. I feel that this is a large step in the right direction for equality in Canada, and I hope the best for Peter.

College sold fake diplomas

         $480 and a couple of hours watching sub-par instructional DVD's is all you need to be registered to work with society's most vulnerable people, either as a nurse, doctor, and private care service worker. This is the case at the North York academy. Star reporter Diana Zlomislic uncovered this scam after interviewing several graduates of the so called "academy", on a project in which she was investigation several colleges in Ontairo. Students who attended this school were not taught how to do the job they were interested in but rather a 15 hour crash course of how to fake a resumé, fake porfessional references and lie your way through a job interview. This is quite frightening when you consider that this college covered fields ranging from health care to operating heavy machinery. Imagine someone with only 15 hours of mediocre experience could be operating a crane building the hospital you are registered to. This is far under the needed 490 hours to be resgistered legally in these jobs. Many projects over the years have been created to stop the rogue college industries, making the consiquences steep, but unfortunately the threat was not enough. One student who attended the school was quoted in saying " It is hard with English being my second language, there is a lot of termination." She means terminology, highlighting the lack of education that the students get in this fraud. Authorities and the Union for colleges are working to get to the base of the issue and see how many people have been scammed. The Owner/dean of the school was arrested for fraud. The school is now being transformed into a proper educational facility, under new ownership.

             In my opinion this scam is just disgraceful to colleges all over the world, the students who wanted to get a proper education, and to the province of Ontario. This act of fraud shows just how low people in this world are. I am disgusted with this discovery for two reasons. The first being because the dean of the school has no respect for anyone but himself. He showed that he didn't care for the people attending the school, who were looking for a good education, and the people who's lives could be in jepoardy because of the lack of education from the workers passing through the school, by making this school. He didn't care that he broke the promise he made to the students about providing them with a good education and more importantly, an oppurtunity to become successful. By letting people graduate people in fields such as operating heavy machinery, and health care, he was ultimately putting innocent people lives at stake. I also don't have any respect for the people who attended the school, and went on to get jobs under false pretenses. They must have known that they weren't getting jobs from their hard work, which shows they had no respect for people who work hard to get jobs. I believe in this situation no one benefited, and they should be ashamed for thier actions.

Armed man arrested at Burlington school.

            September 15th, 2009 was a very frightening and eye opening day for the students and staff of a Burlington public school. The Halton Board of Education was forced to close down Brant Hills Public school, that has students ranging from kindegarten to the 8th grade, after a mysterious man with an loaded shot-gun was found lurking around the school at 2 A.M. The man was arrested shortly after he exited the school out of the main entrance just after 2:30 A.M. The police immediately took the man into custody and proceeded into the school to conduct a thorough search of the building and its surrounding areas. They are still in the process of searching through the school in an attempt to find anything dangerous or helpful for the investigation process. The police were first notified of the situation when they recieved a notice from the school security company that the alarm for the school has been set. There was also a lone security guard who discovered a broken window, which was the point of entrance for the strange man, and he saw a man with what looked like a weapon  running throuhg the schools hallways. Chief police man was quoted in saying "he did a good job, confirming that no one else was in the buliding", in regards to the security guard. The man was caught after a short foot race that took place after the police confronted him and he failed to reply. He luckily didn't fire a shot from his loaded shotgun, and no one was hurt. The police believe he was scouring the school for things such as laptops, computers, and any other valubales. They have not yet released the identity of this man due to several legal reasons. This day will be rembered every day by the students and staff of this school, and they will remember this world isn' at safe as they once thought.

               I feel that this story is important to this class and my age group for a number of reasons. The first being that most students think of a school as a safe haven, but we all need to realize that in our society today their is danger eveywhere and we must be aware. We students need to realize that not everyone in the world thinks like us. Some people might stoop down to a level as low and shooting an innocent student so they can steal a computer. I also feel that this article is important because it stesses the importance for added security around schools, not only in this area but everywhere in the country. When you think about the facts the #1 source of child obductions and child abuse related crimes, happen within 200 meters of their school. With the modern age emerging in the school systems there will be more valuable things located in a school, such as computers and smartboards, making it a more worthwhile target for thieves. The final reason I believe this article is important is because it also shows the flaws in the ownership of a firearm situation. Men like this should never be able to own a gun, and this situation should be taken into consideration. Overall, i think this was a very eye-opening article and shows us how dangerous a serine place like a school could be.

            Dylan Hussey