Sydney Hostage Taker Identified

Today in Sydney, the hostage taker has been identified as an Iranian refugee named Man Haron Monis. Prior to this occurence, reports say he has been charged of sexual assault, and was known for sending hate letters to Australian soldier's families who had died overseas. Man Haron Monis was hiding in the cafe up to 15 hours after the initial raid. On the upside of things 5 hostages have escaped from the cafe, but unfortunately as far as reports from earlier today in Sydney go there should be around 8-9 more hostages still being held hostage.

One really sad aspect of this unfortunate event, is that the perpetrator is a refugee, someone who was let into the country. Just hearing about what he's done in the past is sad in itself. I hope that he will soon be detained by police and that all hostages escape.

Social Media Goes Crazy After 12 Year-old Suicide

Ronin Shimizu, a Californian boy, with a great passion for cheerleading and fashion, committed suicide after being previously bullied for years. Since his death, Social Media has blown up with post-death sorrow, outrage, and numerous tributes, as the well as the creation of the memorial web-page Go Fund Me Page, that was able to  raise $10 000 dollars in just two days. Shortly after his death occurred a # was made called #RIPRonin. A similar case occurred in October in Texas when Peyton James, after being bullied since grade 2 committed suicide. 

In my opinion, things like these shouldn't happen. All humans should be treated equally and with the same respect, no matter who they are, how they dress, what they like, what they do etc. We hear so often about how children across the North America are being bullied to a point where they commit suicide, but there is not any drastic changes being made to bullying on social media. 

Canada Winter Forecast Update

Environment Canada is expecting from now until March warmer than usual, throughout the entire country thanks to El Nino, states senior Canadian climatologist. Dave Phillips from CBC says that the good news is that there is no area with a significant population that will suffer extreme weather. Dave Phillips also mentioned that a supercomputer in Montreal has confirmed that the weather will be more mild than last year. That is not saying much as last year was one of the longest and coldest winters on record. Phillips says that the main reason for the milder forecast this winter is El Nino, the warming of the pacific ocean that occurs every 4-12 years.

One good thing I'm sure many Canadian's are taking from all of this is that will for sure not be another ice storm this year. I for one am not too pleased about this winters forecast, at least thus far. Winter is 100% my second favorite season and the fact that there is no snow on the ground yet troubles me. I guess I'm happy that there is no chance of an Ice Storm this year, because losing power isn'
t fun, but I don't like lack of snow this year.

Canadian Teacher in Indonesia Accused of Child Abuse

Jackarta Indonesia, a Canadian teacher and his assistant are on trial after being accused of sexually abusing a kindergarten student at the international school. 60 teachers and parents of students at the school protested outside the South Jakarta District Court supporting the accused teachers. The names of the accused are Neil Bantleman,  and Ferdinant Tjiong. Five janitors at the school are being tried on the same allegations. The family of the victim is suing the school for $130 dollars. Supporters of Bantleman and Tjong say this is the sixth time these type of allegations at the school.

I think that the fact that 6 allegations of this type have been made at this school is both good for the accused and bad for them. It could be considered good because it makes it look like the accusations are false and and just trying to get money from suing teachers. It could also be considered bad because it makes it look like something like sexual assault isn't too rare at that school. I also find it very strange how many cases there are. I mean the school also has five other janitors at the school who are currently being tried at the same time as Bantleman and Tjong. In cases like these I really hope that the verdict given by the court is the right one.

Blackberry offers $550 to any IPhone User who Trades in their IPhone 6

Blackberry recently released news that they will trade anyone who has an IPhone 6 for a Blackberry passport, with a little added bonus of up to $400, plus an extra $150 for American residents and an extra $200 for Canadian residents. Older IPhones are worth much less, for instance the IPhone 4 is only worth $90 with the Blackberry passport.This deal kicks off December 1st.

In my opinion this is a really bad idea. I mean in my eperience I have noticed that IPhones are generally more popular than blackberry's. For instance when the IPhone 6 came out I knew it was out and I knew at least 5 people who had one. I do think that this idea will catch the idea of many, its just that IPhone is more popular and trying to change people's phone choice may not be a great idea

12 Year-old Boy Wielding Toy Gun Shot by Police in Cleveland

On Sunday, a 12 year-old boy who was shot by police after apparently grabbing what ended up being a toy gun, died from his wounds. This occurred after an emergency call was made claiming that a boy was wielding a "probably fake" gun at a playground. When the officer arrived at the scene he noticed that the gun the child had on him did not have an orange safety tip, which toy guns all have on them. The officer yelled at the boy to put his hands up, but instead the boy reached for his toy gun, and the officer shot him twice. The medical examiner at the scene identified the boy as Tamir Rice. The officers involved have been put on administrative leave, and the police department is still investigating the case. The weapon the boy was wielding had been identified as an "airsoft" gun. According to the police department, the caller never notified them that the gun was fake.

I myself,  heard a story quite similar to this. A boy was out on Halloween and he had a toy gun as part of his costume. During his trick or treat route he passed by a police officer and pulled out his gun and was shot by the police officer. It is very unfortunate that such a thing has happened again. I truly believe that there should have been more information relayed to the police officer before he arrived at the scene, that way he could have known that the gun was for sure fake and that the boy could do no harm.

Wilf Lloyd Describes Grizzly Bear Attack

 Wilf Lloyd, 56 years old was attacked last month by a grizzly bear. After he was attacked he was accidentally shot by his hunting partner. Fortunately reports say that he is recovering well.Will Lloyd, a taxidermist from Cranbrook, B.C. was on an elk hunting trip, with his son-in-law Skeet Podrasky, when a bear came out of a bush. Wilf described the attack as very sudden, and abrupt. He said that within seconds the bear was on top of him hitting his chest. Wilf says he attempted to shove his arm in the bears mouth, and as the bear started to bite down, Skeet shot him. The bear relented a bit but was not dead. Wilf was flailing his legs around trying to kick the bear off of him, and in the struggle was accidentally shot by Podrasky.

The good news from all of this is that Wilf is recovering quickly and has forgiven Podrasky. This story should really serve as a warning to campers, hunters, or just people going on a hike, that bear attacks do happen and you should always be prepared.

Philae Probe Lands on Comet

On Wednesday, The European Space Agency lands their own space probe (Philae) on a comet during Mission Rosetta. This is the first time this has ever been done. The 220 pound lander named Philae touched down on schedule at 4:00 pm Eastern time, after a 7 hour descent from spacecraft Rosetta about 500,000,000 Kilometers from Earth. Scientists hope that samples from the comets, will help give them a better idea of the planets and even life has evolved as the rock and ice on comets preserve ancient molecules like a cryogenics lab.

I personally am in awe at the fact that the space probe was able to land on a moving comet. I am also amazed at the possibilities that the minerals inside the comet offer us. I hope they are able to learn a lot of the comet. Another thing that interests me though is the fact that I have not heard of there being many attempts like this, I am wondering why if this could answer a lot of questions, that it wasn't tried more frequently. Anyways I am glad that this has happened and am also glad that it was the ESA's drone who landed on the comet because they word along with NASA, and if NASA has access to that information, then we too may be able to learn about it.

8 year-old hockey fan dies after being hit by puck

Last Sunday a tragedy occurred in the world of hockey. An 8 year old hockey fan died after being hit by a puck during FFHG Division 1 game in France. The 8 year old (Hugo Vermeersch) was hit in the ear with a puck during the third period of the hockey game. Shortly after he went into cardiac arrest. A doctor who attended the game performed CPR until firefighters came and took the boy to the local hospital. Unfortunately the boy died from his injuries on Sunday morning.

Personally I think that if this teaches us anything it is that better safety should be installed in hockey arenas. For example mesh above the fiberglass should be extended to the ceiling of the arena around all sides of the rink. Although the loss of Hugo is tragic I think that it has to send a message to those in charge of safety in hockey arenas.

Ice cream truck driver is beaten after killing boy

On Thursday, in Los Angeles neighboring residents beat up an ice cream truck driver after he accidentally hit and killed a 7 year old boy with his truck while the boy was driving his motorized bike through his neighborhood. The collision with the boy, the driver said was an accident. While the boy was driving his bike beside the ice cream truck his bike slipped and fell under the back wheel of the truck. The driver sustained bruises from the beating said that bricks were thrown at his truck and he was also threatened with a knife. A while after he was taken to a police station for protection. One neighbors claims that she stepped outside her house, and saw the boy bleeding on the road. She said that she just tried her best to comfort the family.

In my opinion this is such a tragic accident. It is fortunate that the ice cream truck driver was not harmed as the death of the boy was a freak accident. Still I still think that there probably could have been more parental supervision with the boy and I think that the ice cream truck driver could have been more aware. I hope the family of the child recovers from their loss.

Olympic Paralympic Arrest for Manslaughter

On Tuesday, Oscar Pistorius, a man you may know as blade-runner, the famous, Paralympic athlete from the Olympics, starts his five years in prison. Oscar Pistorius was formally charged with manslaughter after murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. This case if very  similar to the case of OJ Simpson. Oscar`s uncle made it very clear that he would not appeal to the judge.
Oscar is expected to serve his time in Pretoria Central Prison. Unfortunately for Oscar, Pretoria Central Prison is home to an exorbitant amount of hardened criminals. Among them Eugene de Cock is included having been the leader of the apartheid death squad leader. Fortunately for Oscar, he had his legs amputated as a baby and will stay in the separate and secure hospital wing in the large complex.

It is sad seeing something like this happen to someone who was such a prominent and symbolic figure in the Olympics. Because of that story, I feel bad for him. But I will also include that I do think that his sentence was a worthy one as he did kill his wife. I hope that people still think back to what he represented when he was in the Olympics, that dreams can come true.

Dollarama 1- Student-Policy Accused of being Discriminatory

In a downtown Toronto Dollarama store's policy is to allow only one student in the store at a time. This policy is not sitting well with nearby high school students who stop by at lunch to pick up a treat. The Dollarama says that they enforced the policy to prevent stealing, as they believe that the more students in their store the higher chance of theft. To enforce their policy the store has hired two security guards, while other customers walk in and out without being stopped. James, a student at Central Technical School says "Everybody's not stealing, we walk in and buy and our stuff. Despite what James says a nearby store owner reports having the same issue with theft, so she has brought her daughter in to help her. Soo Yoo (Dollorama's neighboring store owner) said that she tried telling the students to come in groups but they seemed to just ignore her. Kate Sellar, human rights lawyer, says that Dollarama's actions count as discrimination. She says that Dollarama has to provide equal rights to all of its customers.

Personally I agree with Kate Sellar, the human rights lawyer. It does seem like the Dollarama is being seclusive and discriminatory. I believe that Dollarama should try and find better ways in making sure that the school kids don't steal, for instance installing more security cameras. Or maybe the Dollarama should just have more staff on duty at lunch periods to make sure that the kids aren't stealing. That could be completely manageable, as the kids would only be coming to Dollarama during their lunch break.

Avalanche in Nepal kills Four Canadians

On Wednesday, a blizzard and avalanche in Kathmandu, Nepal killed 12 people of which four were Canadian. The chief administrator of the Manang District, said that since the snow buried the bodies of trekkers, digging them out would take days. Deaths by avalanches and blizzards are not rare in Kathmandu, 3 villagers of Kathmandu were also killed in a blizzard and their bodies were recovered Tuesday. Government official Yam Bahadur Chokyal, said that another 14 trekkers were rescued via army helicopters. The same army helicopters are still rescuing injured survivors from the avalanche. The rain and snow is Nepal has been caused by a cyclone. Another reason all these deaths are occurring is because October is the most popular trekking season in Nepal and more people are on the trails than usual.

I don't understand why trekking is still so popular despite the annual death toll. I feel like these people need to find a less dangerous hobby. Although the deaths of the 12 people is tragic I think people need to let all these deaths sink into their brain. If there are this many blizzards and avalanches in October then why not move trekking season back to September when it is a bit warmer. I hope that the search and rescue crew that the government has sent out succeeds in finding all other survivors.

read more at https://ca.news.yahoo.com/avalanche-blizzard-kill-12-people-including-4-canadians-112511283.html

Freight train driver reported falling asleep on the job

Train operators in Canada's growing freight rail industry have been reported sleeping while operating the controls. They freight train operators were also reported coming to work exhausted at a frighteningly high rate. One engineer of a Canadian freight train admitted that he had instances where he just woke up and for a few seconds did not know where he was. He also said that at that moment the train reached a stop signal so if he had woken up maybe 3 seconds later someones life could have  been lost. In total 75 percent of workers admit to falling asleep on the job. The workers are saying that the core of the problem is more than just the long shifts is also the fact that they have to sleep in makeshift beds far away from their home, or the fact that they are on call 24/7 so they don't really have a set schedule. Investigators say that they think the root of the problem is travel fatigue.

I believe that solution to problem would be the head of Canada's freight industry hiring more workers so that the workers they already have aren't always on call. That way they could get a better sleep and then be able to properly operate their freight train. Although there has not yet been any fatalities I still believe that this plan of action would reduce all chances of there even being an accident. They should also be mindful that they don't hire too many people, because the wages will continue to drop due to availability of staff.

Harper has plans for ISIS

On Friday, Prime Minister Steven Harper spoke in the House of Commons about his plans for dealing with ISIS. His governments plan is to send in six CF-18 fighters, one refueling tanker and two surveillance aircraft to join several other countries in bombing Iraq. Harper has made clear that for now Canada will only be involved in bombing Iraq, but says he will still leave the decision for bombing Syria open. He also made clear that he will not be sending any ground troops to Iraq or Syria. Early next week the governments motion will decide whether or not they are going to fight against ISIS for the next six months. The Opposition in this case being Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party directly disagreed with this plan and said they would have no part of it. Justin Trudeau's exact words were, "the Liberal Party of Canada cannot and will not support this Prime Ministers motions to go to war against Iraq."

In my opinion the Government sending over aircraft bombers is a wrong choice. Canada should not get into any wars as Canada has always been thought as peaceful country and a place where war refugees can avoid war, they did not come here so they could be a part of another one. However something does need to be done about ISIS and if Canada's involvement will speed up this process then I guess their involvement is needed.

Mayor of Los Angeles Bell Gardens Shot Dead

Yesterday the mayor of a small Los Angeles suburb (Bell Gardens) was shot dead by his wife. She was later detained and then released without charge stated the county sheriff. Apparently she and her husband were quarreling, her 19 year-old son intervened and she just shot her husband multiple times in the torso. Later that day the mayor was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The case has been referred to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office. Ultimately they will determine whether or not they charge the mayor's wife. According to a biography on the mayor he and his wife were high school sweethearts who have both a son and a daughter.

  Personally this is why is disagree with gun laws in the U.S. You can see firsthand right here that a married couple getting into an argument can be lethal. Why the mayor's wife isn't already charged astounds me, I mean she blatantly murdered her husband, which is obviously illegal so why has she not been charged. I guess depending on the circumstances it may have been in self-defense but the county sheriff stated that the mayor's 19 year-old son stepped in to help so why would she need to use a firearm at all? Unfortunately the Los Angeles County District Attorney has not released any other information on this investigation so we will have to wait and see what happens to the mayor's wife

Ebola Cases expected to Increase Rapidly

Between 550,000 and 1.4 million people in West Africa could contract Ebola by January 20, 2015, according to the U.S centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The top range of the estimate (1.4 million cases) is reliant on the fact that there are more than twice the number of cases that the World Health Organization estimates. The World Health Organization estimates there to be 5,864 cases of Ebola, while the CDC estimates there to be 20,000 cases. The CDC emphasizes that the epidemiological projections that from the World Health Association are based on the data from August. The CDC states that the World Health Association's projections do not account for the U.S Government relief effort.

To be honest this was a big surprise to me. I did not expect a deadly disease such as Ebola to have spread that much in that short amount of time with all of the doctors we are sending over there. In fact the thought of the disease spreading to the rest of the world. I hope that the CDC and the World Health Organization in charge of the Ebola research find a cure and fast as this spreading disease could cause serious havoc.


Original webpage https://ca.news.yahoo.com/ebola-cases-could-reach-between-550-000-1-144829039.html

Scotland Separatists Lose Vote Scotland to Remain a part of the UK

As of last night the polls are out, Scotland is to remain a part of the U.K. Opponents of independence won 55% of the vote while separatists won 45% of the vote. Before the polls were out though, many people especially David Cameron, the Prime Minister of England who thought he would lose his job. Along with David Cameron other allies around the world were horrified about the U.K. splitting up. During Alex Salmond, the Scottish Prime Minister (until he  resigned after) made a speech before the decision was made saying that British politicians better keep their promises of giving Scotland more rights or the 1.6 million separatist  voters will "speak loud." 

Personally I am glad that Scotland didn't separate from U.K. One of the reasons I am glad of this is because I am not sure what would happen to things like the NATO agreement if Scotland separated from the UK. One thing I don't understand is why Salmond stepped down from his position as first minister. I mean he was first minister before the vote, so  why would things going back to normal change his ability to be First Minister of Scotland? Anyhow as a recap the United Kingdom will remain "united."

Toronto's Mayor Rob Ford Scheduled to have Chemotherapy

Recently it was discovered that Rob Ford has been diagnosed with a rare, aggressive cancer called liposoma. Last week we found out that Rob Ford had a tumour, somewhere in the abdominal region but now his medical team has confirmed that the tumour is on the side of Rob's pancreas. Surprisingly Rob's medical team is very confident that they can remove the tumour with chemo despite the fact that it is a very rare cancer. Rob's medical team leader Dr. Zane Cohen states that likely within the next couple days Rob will undergo chemotherapy at Mount Sinai hospital. For the two following days Rob will undergo more chemotherapy at Mount Sinai and then after his chemo he will spend most of the proceeding 18 days at home. Cohen also states that this cycle will be repeated again after the 18 days, and then after the second cycle Rob's medical team will see how the tumour is responding to the treatment

I was both surprised and not surprised when I first heard that Rob Ford had cancer. The fact that it didn't surprise me was purely because of Rob Ford's unhealthy lifestyle (from drinking to taking drugs). I was also surprised by the news because for some reason I subliminally saw Rob Ford as someone who was untouchable because of his high up position. I hope that the chemo that he is on kills the tumour and that Rob recovers.

Link to original webpage http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/rob-ford-to-undergo-chemotherapy-for-treatment-of-liposarcoma-1.2768498

German Officials Arrest Alleged ISIS Member

Last Monday a German man who once played for a Jewish soccer team went on trial in Germany for being an alleged supporter of ISIS. The 20 year-old defendant who was identified as 'Kreshnik. B due to Germany`s privacy laws was arrested last December after returning from the Middle East. 'This is the first time Germany has accused any suspected member of a terrorist organization. After doing a background check they discovered that Kreshnik. B previously played for a Jewish soccer team, before he was `radicalized'. Germany's Federal prosecutor believes alleges that in Syria in early July Kreshnik. B joined ISIS. Germany's Federal Prosecutor also alleges that Kreshnik. B had weapon training and fought for ISIS in three battles in Syria. 'German officials estimate there to be around 400 other German citizens that have travelled to Syria to fight for ISIS.

Personally I cannot see the insight behind the actions of anyone who would join an organization such as ISIS for any reason. It also strikes me as odd that German Officials hadn't launched any criminal proceedings against any suspected member of a terrorist organization before this. It also strikes me as odd that if German officials estimate there to have been 400 militants that traveled from Germany to Syria, yet they haven't caught anyone else yet.

Link to original webpage http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/alleged-isis-member-kreshnik-b-goes-trial-germany-n203471

Malaysia Airlines MH17 Shot Down in Ukraine

On July 17, 2014 Malaysian Airlines MH17 crashed in Ukraine killing 298 people. Until recently it wasn't confirmed what caused the plane to crash, until recently the thought of the crash being caused by mechanical or technical failure was still being thrown around. But finally it has been confirmed the Malaysian Airlines MH17 was shot down with 'high energy objects' by pro-Russian rebels. One piece of evidence or lack there of that the plane was shot down by a missile was that there was no emergency situation message recorded from either of the pilots. The investigation is being led by a team from the Netherlands and they are trying their best to identify the bodies in the crash so they get a proper burial. A separate Dutch investigation team is focusing on bringing the perpetrators to justice.

In my opinion I believe that the crash never should have happened. I cannot see the purpose behind killing an air plane full of innocent men, women and children. I also think that the Dutch investigation is taking much longer than it should as it has been 53 days since the crash and they have not caught the perpetrators yet. As for now, unfortunately the perpetrators who committed this crime have not been found and families of those passed on the flight are still in mourning.

Link to original http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/malaysia-airlines-mh17-report-says-jet-struck-by-high-energy-objects-1.2760285