Buddhist Nun Burns Herself to Death

Mon, 7 Nov 2011 10:52:45 -0500

Buddhist Nun Burns Herself to Death
By Brianna DeCesare
Buddhist nun, Nin Qiu Xiang of Beijing, was found dead along a road in the province of Sichuan this Thursday, November 3rd, 2011 after setting herself on fire and burning to death. The nun was a part of a prestigious Tibetan prefecture in Ganzi. Xiang's death is recorded as being the the 11th case of self-immolation among Tibetans within Western China in the past few months.

The Chinese state media and official Xinhua News Agency documented that the 35 year old nun's justification for killing herself is yet to be confirmed, although it is likely to be similar to that of the 9 other men and 1 other woman who also set themselves on fire since March. Though self-immolation is not known to be a tradition form of protest in Tibetan culture, the recent suicides are seen as a cry of desperation for the freedom and return of the Dalai Lama, Tibetan's exiled Spiritual leader.

BBC News reports that spokeswoman Kate Saunders said those a part of this particular Ganzi prefecture were "strong in their religious beliefs" and the area had "been very restive for some time". An additional three men were arrested for their alleged attempts at self-immolation in March. The men, like most other angered Tibetan people, have been protesting about the diminishment of Tibetan culture and the unfair ways in which they are treated by China. They are also aggravated with Beijing for their refusal to engage with the Dali Lama. Chinese authorities believe that it is the Dali Lama himself who is the main source of encouragement for the self-immolations.

Tibet of course argues against this claim, stating that it is China who is responsible for pushing Tibet to depression. The recent increase in self-immolation proves what strong effects culture and politics can have on a group of people, even if that group of people lends itself to being a prestigious group of monks and nuns.

The Jobs Bill and the Division of Congress

Mon, 7 Nov 2011 09:55:30 -0500

The Jobs Bill and its Division of Congress
By Sarah King

This week a new jobs bill was introduced to Congress, a bill put together by house Democrats. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) who is a sponsor of the bill was recently quoted as saying, "With almost five unemployed Americans for every job opening, too many people remain jobless because of a lack of work, not a lack of wanting to work." The urgency of this bill is in light of the fact that the government will seize payments on an individual’s extended unemployment claims. This would take affect in January, the only way this could be stopped is if Congress expands the benefits authenticity, by passing this bill.

The extended unemployment as this generation knows it started in 2008 after people began to be laid off through no fault of their own. Such people then became contenders for the extended unemployment. This is as opposed to the standard 26 weeks of payments provided by states. Congress has provided extensions during every recession since the 1950s. The current extensions, give the unemployed an unprecedented 73 additional weeks of aid. January is set to be the end of these benefits. If Congress is unable to pass this jobs bill and the benefits do expire it will result in nearly two million American citizens who are out of work to be without compensation. This would be detrimental to the economy because, the theory remains that when people are working, they have more money and will spend more money, therefor the more unemployed citizens the less money will be circulated into the economy. However, if the American Jobs Bill is passed by the Congress the legislation would provide tax breaks and eliminate the need for states to pay interest on unemployment loans from the federal government if they agree to not cut the benefits, as several states have done this year.

While President Obama and many other house Democrats have been working diligently on fine tuning their American Jobs Bill, house Republicans are being accused of focusing on the frivolous. These frivolous ideals include examining the country’s motto of “In God We Trust” and debating a commemorative coin for baseball. These are the issues that Congress chooses to focus on even though their approval rating is at a devastatingly low 9%. The President strongly suggests that this is the bill that will put Americans back to work and stimulate the economy, this leads him to frustration with his GOP counterparts. The President had some harsh criticism directed at Congress, he was quoted as saying "When 72 percent of the American people support the ideas in this bill -- 72 percent of Americans agree with this, Republicans, Democrats and independents -- there's no excuse for 100 percent of Washington Republicans to say no.” When Obama said this he is hinting at a disconnect between politicians and citizens they should be representing.

In the current state of affairs the United States has a highly ineffective Congress, this is because the President is a Democrat and the majority of Congress people are Republicans. This puts a blockade on anything that the President tries to pass. The divide in belief systems leads to a lack of improvement and a lack of progression. This is an issue that will only be solved if the majority of Congress people and the Presidential party match up. Which will not be determined until the presidential elections of 2012 occur.

The political division of Congress is an extremely devastating impact on American Democracy. The American tax payers, spend their hard earned money to pay these politicians. What they believe they are paying for is reform, effectiveness, and communication. However, what they are receiving in return is petty bipartisan attitudes and a lack of cooperation. The disconnect formed by Congress is not only political one amongst each other, there is also a disconnect between politicians and the citizens they are supposed to be speaking for. Somewhere along the line the average American lost their voice.

Dinner or Drugs: What’s on the Menu?

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:01:03 -0400

Dinner is Served
By Brianna Christiansen
It is only in a teenager’s nature to feel the need to rebel against their parent’s morals and what they know is wrong. Recent reports from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University show that teenage boys and girls who have in frequent family dinners are more likely to stumble down the path of drugs including alcohol and marijuana. A “frequent dinner” is classified as five to seven times a week, so those who sit down and have dinner three times or less a week are at a risk of four times higher to use tobacco. The potential of alcohol use is doubled, and marijuana use is two and a half times likelier.
The ability to get a hold of drugs and alcohol within an hour or less seems to be more likely among the teenagers who do not have frequent dinners, just as ones who do have a perpetual dinner schedule claim to not have this ready access to alcohol, prescription drugs, and marijuana.
Over the last decade, it has become a top priority to enforce parents to engage in their children’s lives because it’s been shown that parents who set aside time to have conversation and discuss issues happening in their child’s lives are more apt to raise healthy kids free of drugs. Teenagers who will willingly have family dinners with their parents say that their relationships with their parents are great and that closer relationships result in a drug free lifestyle for their kids. Parents, who aren’t as concerned with checking in on their kids when they go out, should expect nothing but that their child could be experimenting with drugs. If a teenager knows that they do not have any worries while using drugs, they will usually continue doing so.

Hate Crimes in Mississippi

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 08:50:23 -0400

Hate Crimes in Mississippi
By Martha Sage
In Brandon, Mississippi a young local is being charged with capital murder, and hate crimes for the slaying of James Anderson. Deryl Dedmon is being held guilty for the alleged crime(s), after James Anderson was beaten to death, and then run over by a truck. Those who are associated with Deryl Dedmon, say that he was not, and is not afraid to express his hatred of African Americans, those involved with African Americans, and anyone he suspected of being gay. There were seven drunken white supremacist teenagers in Mississippi that took the life of James Anderson simply for being black.
This wasn’t the first run in that Deryl had trouble with law enforcement. He also had records of harassing students in school, and some people even feared their safety in the presence of Deryl. He was also on probation at the time of the slaying of Anderson, for phone harassment. Locals say that he would commonly use the N-word in his vocabulary, with no conscience.
Deryl’s friends say that he felt untouchable because he had seniority, since most teachers would look the other way as the bullying, racial slurs and violence would continue on. The racial discrimination and tension has gone unnoticed, and unattended for too long. This neighboring community, is full with hatred, and the violence goes unseen, and more importantly unpunished. Unfortunately, it has lead to the loss of lives, and the both physical and emotional torment or locals, and other students.

Reports of Swimmer’s Death Greatly Exaggerated

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:31:47 -0400

Reports of Swimmer’s Death Greatly Exaggerated
By Paige Emery

On the night of October 16th around 7:30pm a man went for a swim at Narragansett Town Beach, and never came back. He is in his early 20s around six feet tall. The man told a local family on the beach that he was going for a swim. The family claims that they saw him enter the water but they never saw him come out. The coast guard, along with local fire departments and police and rescue, searched for nearly 18 hours for the man. They searched 70 square miles, including the water and the shores.

The family started worrying when they lost sight of the man. They called 911 when they saw his green beach chair abandoned on the beach sand. Authorities have no information as to who the man was, and they are asking for anyone who knows who that green chair belongs to, to call the coast guard to identify the man. Waves were calm when he went missing, and beach traffic was low.

The Coast Guard has suspended the search, and will only continue if and when information pertaining to the man is received.

On Tuesday, around 6pm. the man called in saying he's okay. He just left the water at a different location than he entered, causing the family to think he was missing.

Illegal Aliens vs the Immigration and Customs Agency

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:46:21 -0400

Record Year for Deportations
By Zach Coyne
Washington – Nearly 400,000 illegal aliens have been deported in the fiscal year of 2011, The Government announced Tuesday. It has been a record year for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The numbers released by the government are staggering. Of the 396,906 aliens that have been deported, 55%, or 216,698, have been convicted of felonies or misdemeanors. 1,119 of the deportees have been convicted of homicide. 5,848 have been convicted of sexual offenses. 44,653 have been convicted of drug crimes. 35,927 of the aliens have also been convicted of driving under the influence. The numbers get even more sobering as you read the data for cities near the border. In Houston, Texas, 20,450 illegal aliens were deported. Of 20,450, 74% of those people had been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor.
The ACLU’s (American Civil Liberties Union) Joanne Lin, member of their legislative counsel, released a statement regarding the record numbers. “These record-breaking deportation numbers come at a time when illegal immigration rates have plummeted, the undocumented population has decreased substantially and violent crime rates are at their lowest levels in 40 years” Lin says “All told, this administration has deported nearly 1.2 million people, leaving a wake of devastation in Latino communities across the nation.” Lin also bashes the deportations as “uncontrolled, unwarranted” spending of tax dollars.
Janet Napolitano, The chief of The Department of Homeland Security, defended the record number of deportations in a speech at a university. “What critics will ignore is that while the overall number of individuals removed will exceed prior years, the composition of that number will have fundamentally changed.” She said, enlightening the crowd on how the deportees are mostly composed of criminals. Obama recently announced he will be suspending 300,000 deportations, for further review. He will however, continue to deport high priory deportations, such as felons.
While the numbers do seem steep, you would be hard pressed to find anybody willing to defend not deporting illegal immigrants convicted with a crime. They put a strain on our resources and tax dollars by filling our jails and hospitals. One last fact, of the 396,906 aliens deported, 66% of them were being deported for the second or third time.

The Occupy Wall Street Movement

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:47:47 -0400

The Occupy Wall Street Movement
By Sarah King

Occupy Wall Street is a grassroots movement created to empower the middle class of the United States. What started in New York has now spanned the entire country and other countries across the world. All of this progress has occurred in a little under a month time period. The American citizens have found enlightenment in the heart of the protests, for they share a common distaste for the greed of the upper-class and corporate nature of the United States. While the everyday citizens or the 99% as they refer to themselves have banned together for the rights and treatment they deserve, politicians see this as an obstacle or campaigning tool for their upcoming campaign. Even in the face of this revolt the government of the United States abuses the calls of the middle class for their own political gain.

The Democratic Party has been searching for a moral or ideal to cling on to in their campaigns to improve their image with the American voter. The Occupy Wall Street movement provided them with this opportunity. The middle class of the United States is in revolt over the coddling of the rich, this is a political approach democrats have been using for years. More times than not the Democrats in any given situation will preach for higher taxes on the rich and less on the middle to lower classes, this ideal has been long opposed by the Republican party. This provides a political gold mine for people like Barack Obama, for he can honestly state that he stands with the Occupy Wall Street protesters, while his republican counterparts have never stood for them and the rights they are not fighting for.

A short few weeks ago not a single member of the Republican Primary race had put forward a economic plan, then this was not an issue, the candidates thought they could breeze over this topic, and stick to standard Republican ideals. However, with the escalation of the Occupy Wall street protests it became impossible to ignore the pressure the candidates had, to provide a solution to the woes of the middle class. Herman Cain who is a presidential candidate for the Republican Party was quoted as saying "It is not a person's fault if they succeeded, it is a person's fault if they failed." He argues the protests are a plan "to distract from the failed policies of the Obama administration." It is beliefs like this that will push the Republican Party further back with the American public, seeing as the majority of citizens side with the middle class or create it’s population.

The Occupy Wall Street movement started and continues to provide a voice to so many people in the United States, however the politicians are taking advantage of the movement for a completely different reason. Political leaders are using the movement as a pawn for their own gain and greed, while the people continue to suffer the consequences of their disputes, and the greed of big businesses. The 99% is fighting for rights and politicians continue to fight for power over them.

Exotic Animals Slain After Release from Zanesville

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:52:47 -0400

Lions, Tigers, and Bears ... To Die.
By Kelsey Morin

On Tuesday evening the Sheriff’s office started getting calls that there were exotic animals loose just west of Zanesville, Ohio. Just after receiving the call, deputies went to Muskingum County Animal Farm. When deputies arrived they found all of the cages and open and Terry Thompson the owner of the farm dead and they found several aggressive animals around his body who needed to be shot, said the sheriff. It is said that Terry Thompson shot himself to death just after having arrived home from federal prison a month before for possessing unregistered guns. It is said that Thompson, 62 has had many run ins with the law and his neighbors. Sheriff said that he has before been charged with animal related offenses and that many complaints have been made aware that animals have escaped onto his neighbors property. Some rumors have been made that Thompson reasoning for his doings was just an attempt to get back at his neighbors and the police, just to spite him.

When alert that there were exotic animals roaming around Zanesville, officers weren't told but ordered to kill the animals instead of using tranquilizers on them. It was said that the animals would still keep moving and that the tranquilizers were not enough. "the animals were moving about in too much of an aggressive behaviors", said the sheriff. 56 animals were shot and killed throughout the night on Tuesday and continuing the search on Wednesday.

By Wednesday afternoon people were still scared in their houses and staying off the roads while schools shutdown, and blinking signs shined to stay in vehicles. After the hunt was finished the officers had killed 18 Bengal Tigers. 18 of them dead. There are only about 1400 of the endangered cats in the entire world. For them to not even try and maybe you a heavier dose of a tranquilizer, they killed 18 endangered cats. While officers and officials say its for the safety of the public, couldn't they have found a better solution than slaying endangered animals?

Swimming Pools Closing

Mon, 6 Jun 2011 09:46:44 -0400

Swimming Pools Closing
By Katie DeBlois
Throughout the entire United States, pools have been closing. Due to the bad economy pools have had to close because there is not enough money to keep them open. The pool raises their price for families to join the club, which makes fewer families go to the pool because they cannot afford it, which leads to less business for the pool club. Summer is the prime time for people of all ages to swim, but without pools it will be harder for them to swim.
Not only are less people swimming, the closing of pools does not help the little kids that are just learning how to swim. It is very important for all kids to learn how to swim because knowing how to swim can stop someone from drowning. When one thinks about summer, most thoughts lead to swimming, they just come together. Not only is swimming fun in the sun, but it is also a very healthy sport to do. It keeps the people active.

Top Ten News Stories of 2011