Porn Ban in South Africa

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba has proposed a ban on inappropriate websites and television programs. He proposes that the ban, covering TV but also mobile phones and the web, could be implemented in the form of filters set by Internet service providers. Countries such as Australia and China have already developed filters to block access to certain websites, however Internet security experts have dismissed the idea as "madness". Gigaba's rebuttal was "Cars are already provided with brakes and seat belts... There is no reason why the Internet should be provided without the necessary restrictive mechanisms built into it." Many people in South Africa are against this ban. Craham Cluley of security firm Sophos said "Although their intentions may be honourable, it's barking mad to think you will be able to completely outlaw pornography from the web which, is after all, the modern equivalent of the wild west." Pornography is a big topic of debate in South Africa and no one knows where this proposed ban will take the country.

I agree with what Sophos has said about the Pornography ban in South America. No matter how hard the government tries to ban pornography, people will always find ways around the ban. There is no point in wasting millions of dollars trying to filter something that is unstoppable. It is like a country trying to ban alcohol or cigarettes. As honourable as their intentions may be, it's just impossible to accomplish. I believe it is up to the parents or guardians to censor their children from pornography. The parents control what the child sees and watches on television and the government should not intervene with that. Furthermore, trying to restrict pornography would be against what the public wants. If the government were to make this bill into a law, the citizens of South Africa would be dissappointed, perhaps even angry at their decision. Pornography on the Internet is something the government just can't control. It is up to the parents and educators of South America to teach the children the rights and wrongs of the Internet.

Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10180937.stm

US predicts busy hurricane season

The top US climate agency says that as many as 14 hurricanes could hit the Atlantic this year. NOAA (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) forecasts from 14 to 23 storms. 8 to 14 of these storms could develop into hurricanes, they added. The NOAA stated that this season could be one of the most active one on record, with three to seven major hurricanes. These major hurricanes can reach category three or higher, meaning that they bring sustained winds of at least 111mph (178km/h). The NOAA says the seasonal forecasts have a 70% probability, which might begin on 1 June and until the end of November.

This news would be very frightening to people living on the Atlantic coast because these hurricanes can devastate the towns and cities like previous major storms. Previously in New Orleans, people suffered a severe loss from Hurricane Katrina. Unlike previous hurricanes, I hope that the cities and towns near the Atlantic prepare for a possible category three or higher hurricanes. There was an alert of tsunami threats, and I thought people should prepare for it to avoid great loss. Just like in Indonesia, I think people in the US should prepare for a season of natural disasters. Even if this forecast be correct or wrong, it will be better for us to consider them as correct, as it is better to prepare and have no event than not preparing and having a hurricane when they are not ready.

Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10134964.stm

North Korea 'severs all ties' with Seoul

Pyongyang's official news agency stated that North Korea is cutting all relations with South Korea. On Tuesday, KCNA announced the severing of all ties with South Korea, including communications, ships and planes from its waters and airspace. Also, North Korea stated that they are expelling all South Korean workers from a jointly-run factory in North Korea. This move came from the destruction of Korean Warship called Cheonan. North Korea was blamed for sinking the ship near the border of Korea by torpedoing it. Pyongyang denies the action, but Seoul still announced to end its trading relations with North Korea. US Secretary State of State Hillary Clinton had said Washington and Beijing should work out to "fashion an effective response" to the sinking of the ship.

This was not a good response to the destruction of Cheonan warship. Although there were clear evidences showing that it was North Korea that was to blame for the destruction, I don't think people should be too offensive towards the North. I don't like North Korea's response to the blame that they are only denying what they had done. However, I believe this derives from South Korea and the US's attitude towards North Korea; they were being certain that North Korea committed the action. I think we should slowly discuss the issue and avoid future consequences, because North Korea will go into war anytime. Therefore, this serious issue should be dealt carefully.

Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10156834.stm

World Cup bomb plot detailed by al-Qaeda suspect

An alleged al-Qaeda militant detained in Iraq has given details about a plan he had to attack the World Cup in South Africa next month. Abdullah Azam Saleh al-Qahtani, the Saudi man, told reporters that he had suggested an attack on the Dutch and Danish teams. He said it is in revenge for cartoons drawn of the Prophet Muhammad. It is not sure if al-Qaeda in Iraq has the resources to carry out a complicated attack that far away from their home base. A note detailing the plan and Mr Qahtani's name, was discovered in a joint US and Iraqi operation in which top al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi were killed. Qahtani also said that if they could not target the teams of Denmark and Holland, the fans would be targeted. Now, the threat of terrorism at the World Cup is causing fears from people all around the world who are interested in the league.

I am personally interested in soccer and World Cup is the league I am most interested in, because many teams represent their countries. It is fun watching them play for their nation, but I could also cheer for my country. I've heard people close from me planning to go watch the World Cup. Therefore, this news is a huge concern to me today. I hope this threat is just a threat to get an apology from Denmark and Holland, not to actually bomb South America. In this situation, I cannot say my opinion much because al-Qaeda is currently so secretive. All I hope is that this threat is not an actual planned attack at South Africa, and I hope no one is attacked by the terrorists at the World Cup.

Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/10125271.stm

Why universities should hate the iPad

Recent release of IPad from Apple has been a phenomenon. College students over nations are preparing for the next year, buying different books needed. Like previous years, students will once again swarm into bookstores to purchase materials for courses taken next year. University bookstores are bigger businesses than we think they are. However, as electronic versions of books are being distributed through gadgets like the IPad, bookstore businesses might become a business that existed in the past. The college bookstores are also wary of this fact that new gadgets are possibly diminishing their number of sales. According to a study, last year, 51% of students bought their textbooks at campus booksellers while 18% of the students acquired the book in an electronic version. Opposite to bookstores, sales rates in ebookstores are tremendously increasing by year. E-book sales only accounted for 2~3% of the total sales but last year, it increased to 10~ 15%. Although it is unfortunate for college bookstores, it seems like the future of book sales will most likely change.

With the new release of iPad and new technologies of online books, I have to say, the book market has changed a lot in the last few years. The fact that sales of college bookstores are decreasing will continue to do so until most of the books will be in electronic versions. Although reading books in electronic screens may not be pleasant for some people, it is a good transition if you think about the trees that are being killed when books are made. Will bookstores be a thing of the past? It might be. With crises of saving nature becoming a bigger topic, selling electronic versions of books might be encouraged by environmental groups. On a period of new beginning of e-book sales, I guess it only remains to wait and see what happens to the book markets in the future.

Article: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/05/17/why-universities-should-hate-the-ipad/?cnn=yes

Faraway galaxy cluster found

U.S. astronomers had recently acclaimed that they discovered the farthest cluster of galaxies ever found. This newly discovered cluster was created 2.8 billion years after the Big Bang. According to researchers, its age appears to its modern counterparts, which are much older. This remote cluster is located 15 billion light years from Earth today, and it is named CLG J02182-05102. NASA's Splitzer Space Telescope had identified and examined using an advanced spectrograph from the Carnegie Institution’s Magellan/Baade 6.5 meter telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. One of the postdoctoral researchers at Carnegie Observatories stated, “In this cluster we found a number of surprisingly ancient-looking galaxies. This cluster resembles modern-day clusters, which are nearly 10 billion years older.” In this galaxy cluster, there are approximately 60 galaxies and several large galaxies at its core that holds all of them together.

This is very interesting to me; I was always curious about the universe since I was young. A news that says the farthest galaxy cluster is newly discovered gets me interested. If that galaxy cluster is the farthest one that exists now, it means that we have reached the absolute limit of the universe because the farthest galaxy cluster would be at the very tip of the universe. However, I don't think it would be the one at the tip because the universe is just too big for us to discover everything. The galaxy cluster is 15 billion light years away from us; this proves how eveloped our technology is. In the future when I am alive, I hope to see some more significant discoveries of the universe.

Article: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/05/13/galaxy-cluster-found.html

Strong earthquake hits off Indonesian island of Sumatra

An earthquake of magnitude 7.4 has struck offshore neaer the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The US Geological Survey stated that the earthquake hit 214 km south of an Indonesian province named Aceh. Due to this earthquake, a local tsunami alert was triggered in the region. The region that was struck by the earthquake is very near to the place tsunami was created in 2004, so people are anxious about another disastrous tsunami.

In 2004, Indonesia was not well-prepared for a tsunami; therefore Indonesia was more harshly damaged. After that severe loss due to the tsunami, I think people learned how serious a tsunami is. If they didn't want to suffer the same impact, I think Indonesia should be very careful for a tsunami. Although the tsunami might not strike Indonesia, it is definitely better to be safe than risk it. If the first tsunami that struck Indonesia was a sudden strike that caused millions of deaths, they should be prepared to hide from the tsunami at any time.

North Korea 'committed to disarmament talks'

North Korea's Leader Kim Jong-il committed to end the North Korea's nuclear program. Kim Jong-il secretely arrived in Beijing and met with Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday. Kim said to the Chinese President, "North Korea is willing to work with you to create favourable conditions for a resumption of the six-party talks." He committed to end North Korea's nuclear program. The six-party negotiations to end North Korea's nuclear plan are hosted in China: the two Koreas, Japan, US, and Russia are involved in it. North Korea quit the talks in 2009, but now he is willing to join again. In answer to that, China promised to support North Korea's economic development and improving livelihood.

Today, I think the only trading partner North Korea has is China. That means China would be the only country that Kim Jong-il might rely on. Possibly, the leader of China could suggest Kim to stop his nuclear ambitions. I don't think any other countries can change Kim's idea of nuclear plans, because most countries are North Korea's enemy. However, China can make the difference. This time it was only his nuclear plan and six-party negotiations, but he can then further lead North Korea to internationally involve with other countries. I think it is in Hu Jintao's hands for the world's peace in the future, and that this meet in Beijing can be the first step to peace.

Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8666793.stm

3-D video gaming is coming, but at what cost?

As the movie, Avatar, caused a huge boom in 3-D industries, many game-developing companies including Samsung, Dice, and Microsoft also began to make 3-D video games. While other companies are also preparing to issue their 3-D televisions, companies such as Samsung and Panasonic had already introduced their 3-D home television. For example, Patrick Bach who is the senior producer at game developer at Dice, said that the company will be upgrading their games, "Battlefield: Bad Company 2" into 3-D game. He also predicted that many companies will do extra job on 3-D game such as out-of-screen effects and showing in-game movies. One of the disadvantage will be the expensive price of everything you need to buy. You need all the hardware (3-D TV, shutter glasses), 3-D software, and 3-D designed games. Therefore, it will cost quite much. Also, the health concern cannot be ignored. Some moviegoers reported that they suffered dizziness, headaches, and nausea during watching the 3-D movie. Since it is not a well-developed area, many researchers and scientists are focusing on the health issue of 3-D.

The technology is developing at a very quick pace. In only a few months, new inventions come out, new developments come to our society. However, so many companies are expanding the idea of 3 dimensions and trying to apply them to various areas including video game in this case. Honestly, I am a fan of video games, and I would like to try the games in 3-D, like some movies today. Also, it will be such a huge success if 3-D televions, 3-D video games and other 3-D medias became popularized in the world. In the future, I expect that 4-D might be developed which the fourth dimension is time. I cannot say exactly when it will come, but I think in very close future, we would have medias in 4-D, as I said the technology is developing incredibly quick. I think this is another step to a future high technology.

Article: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/05/05/3d.gaming.future/index.html

North Korea's Kim 'visits China'

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il crossed the border into China with his private train and arrived the city of Dandong early on Monday. Kim arrived in Dalian and stayed at a hotel of Dalian. South Korean government said it could not confirm the reports, but that there had been rumours of visit to China for several weeks. He is not believed to leave North Korea since 2006 after a visit to China. China, as North Korea's main trading partner, has the most influence on the communist state. The special train Kim Jong-il took and the stations he will arrive are being guarded by 200 Chinese police officers. Currently, analysts suggest that Kim could be seeking economic aid from China in the wake of a disastrous currency reform from last year. Also, China could urge North Korea to return six-party talks on ending its nuclear ambitions. Still, it is unknown whether he will head to Beijing or not.

Personally, I don't think it is that much of a concern when a country's leader visits the other. It is true that North Korea is threatening, but I don't think Kim Jong-il is planning for a greater threat. I think the reason for a visit to China was to seek economic help from China, since China is the most welcoming country towards North Korea. Many countries are suffering an economic problem, and I do not think Kim would seek for another nuclear threat to other countries. I don't think people should worry about a threat from North Korea. As people say, North Korea might cancel its nuclear ambition. In conclusion, I do think this visit would not cause any trouble in the future.

Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8657688.stm

Iceland volcano ash halts European flights

An ash volcano in Iceland forced United Kingdom and Northern Europe to close airspace and ground planes from Thursday. The volcanic ashes had left passengers stranded because it was too dangerous to fly through the ashes. The volcanic ash limitted visibility and it was violent enough to damage the engines in airplanes. The safety agency of United Kingdom banned all non-emergency flights in British airspace until Friday 7 a.m. Currently, it is impossible to determine when the airplanes could resume flying. The hazardousness of the ash cloud is very high due to the additional acidity of the ash. If an airplane flies through the ash cloud, the plane will get grind away and the engine will get killed. In addition to that condition, the volcano is still erupting. This could cause bigger flight disruptions later in the future in Northern Europe.

I think the effect of volcanic ashes are very cruel that ashes can be considered the worst damage at a volcanic eruption. The volcanic eruption on Iceland is a huge disaster in Iceland, but the lava does not affect other nations near it. However, volcanic ashes do. These ashes float in the air and covers the skies of other nations, too. Because the airplanes can be crashed flying through the volcanic ashes, I think this is a huge global issue. Thinking in a way that no one from Britain can leave the country by plane towards the Atlantic, I think it could cause much bigger problems later. Therefore, people should be prepared for after effects in the future so that no further problem occur.

Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8621407.stm

Protests erupt over Pakistan NWFP name change

Protests had acted violently over renaming North West Frontier Province (NWFP) on Monday. At least 5 people had been killed since the trouble broke out in the Hazara region on Monday. North West Frontier Province is a province where many Hazaras, who are different ethnic groups from the majority Pashtuns, are currently inhabiting. The new name for NWFP, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, was approved by the National Assembly, but the Hazaras in the region strongly opposed to the name change.

I do not understand why the Pashtuns are trying to change the name of the region. Why not just keep it the way it was? Why would you have to change the name of a region? I don't get why having a region with a Hazara name would damage the Pashtuns' reputation. However, on the other hand, I believe that Hazaras should be very strong against the Pashtuns this time. I think the action the Hazaras took is the right choice, showing that they cannot just give into the Pashtuns everytime. I have read a book called The Kite Runner, about Afghanistan. It talks about the relationship between the Hazaras and the Pashtuns. So, I clearly understood what the situation was. Pashtuns believe they are too superior over the Hazaras that every region should be named in Pashtun words. Today, I think it is time to be strong against the Pashtuns, and show that they cannot only give in every time.

Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8617719.stm

Animals found that live without oxygen

Scientists have recently discovered the first multiceullular creature that lives its life without any oxygen. These creatures are called new species of Loricifera; they are phylums of tiny bottom-dwelling animals who live in marine sediments. In the Mediterranean's L'Atalente basin, they were found 200 kilometres off the coast of Greek island of Crete, at a depth of more than 3000 metres. Those scientists had also discovered organisms that are could adapt to extreme conditions; they can live on without mitochondria. It was thought that only single-cellular organisms, such as bacteria, that reproduce and live without oxygen before these discoveries

I think this discovery is very interesting, and I think that this discovery could change our science education in the future. With this discovery, we can study these organisms, and learn their ways of living without oxygen. Possibly, we can then maybe apply this "way to live without oxygen" to perhaps our lives. There have been concerns that currently there are too many people on the earth, which will lead to the lack of resources on the earth soon, since humans are using so much resources. One of the resource would be oxygen, and if we find a way to live without oxygen, we can decrease the usage of oxygen, which could save people in the future. In conclusion, I think this discovery is the discovery that I think would be useful to the community and society in the future, and I insist this discovery to advance into researches for the goods of people.

Article: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/04/08/tech-animals-no-oxygen.html

Solar plane prototype in first test flight

A prototype solar-powered airplane had made its first full test flight. This airplane, Solar Impulse, has wingspan similar to a super-jumbo jet but it weighs about the same as a saloon car. It took off from Swiss airfield, and witnesses say both the take-off and landing were successfully done. This project of solar-powered airplane is being led by a "round-the-world balloonist Bertrand Piccard, and he is planning to pilot the plane along with his co-funder Andre Borschberg. The wings of the plane is covered by solar cells which powers four electric motors to fly. It is so far one of the lightest airplanes ever invented, so that the plane uses as less energy as possible to fly. A night flight is planned for later this year, then a new plane will be built based on these test flight results. The pilots will try a transatlantic flight in 2012 before attempting circumnavigating the Earth.

I hope this new invention passes through the test flights well so that we have an environment-friendly plane in the future. Since the solar energy is infinite, we would not have to worry about depletion of sources of energy. However, I am a little worried if the plane would be in similar quality as the planes we have. Today, the airplanes are very fast and could be big or small. The fuel used by the airplanes are very powerful, but I'm not sure if the solar plane could have the similar power. For now, this is all I know. Therefore, I cannot judge whether it would be popular in the future. Overall, I want this invention to improve and get involved in our life.

Article: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/06/26/solar-plane-around-world-swiss-explorer.html

Female suicide bombers blamed in Moscow subway attacks

An incident toook place in Moscow,Russia where female suicide bombers resulted to kill at least 38 people and wounded more than 60 people. "Our preliminary assessment is that this act of terror was committed by a terrorist group from the North Caucasus region," said the Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov after he searched one of the bombed sites. He considers this incident the most likely scenario based on investigations conducted at the site of the blast. Also, it was found out that the suicide bombers were from the North Causasus. As Bortnikov stated, it is most likely that Chechen rebels fighting for independence were behind the strike, even though they have not claimed thier responsibility.

I agree with what U.S. President Obama said about the suicide bombers. I think that violent and terrible terrorist attacks are disregard for human life and they should be stopped. This ruthless assault on innocent civilians of Moscow is a threat to peace-loving people everywhere. Jean-Michel Louboutin, as Interpol's executive director of police services called these actions "despicable and senseless attacks targeting the public"; the assaults that kill or wound innocent people should be thoroughly discussed and solutions to these terrorist acts should be carefully decided.

Article: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/03/29/russia.subway.explosion/index.html?npt=NP1

South Korea's military on alert after ship sinks

On Tuesday, South Korea's president ordered the military on alert for any moves by North Korea after the explosion that sank a South Korean ship. The explosion ripped Cheonan, the ship that was patrolling around Baengnyeong Island not far from the North Korean border. This incident caused many crew members to go missing in the sea. 58 crew members were rescued to safety, but there are still 46 more crew members that are missing. The prospects for their survivial is not clear. South Korea's president Lee Myung-bak visited the wreckage sites to review search operations, meet with marines and console family members. Currently, military officials said that the exact cause of the explosion is unknown because there was no evidence of North Korean involvement. Defense Minister Kim Tae-young stated that a floating mine dispatched from North Korea could be a scenario for the disaster. He also stated that North Korea could have intentionally set up underwater mines to inflict damage on South Korea. President Lee told marines to stay on alert in case of North Korea's military movement.

I personally think that North Korea did not intentionally float underwater mines to inflict damage on South Korea because I don't see any benefit from damaging South Korea. I think that North Korea was just afraid South Korea might attack them from the West. I know for sure that South Korea will not launch an attack at North Korea, but I think North Korea is just being to protective and worry too much for an attack. The underwater mines would have mistakenly set up too close to the border, or some could have floated across the border. I do believe that South Korea should warn North Korea that in the future things like this should not happen because it was so catastrophic to ignore. However, I do not think South Korea should take a physical action against North Korea because it could result in a much bigger disaster.

News Article: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/03/30/south-korea-ship-sinks.html

Canada sets Olympic gold record

This year, Canada rocked the Winter Olympics that they hosted in Vancouver, British Columbia. This year, Canada has won more gold medals than in any Winter or Summer Olympics. Canada established a record of most gold medals won by a host country in a Winter Olympics. Canada's 11th gold medal was in speedskating; the 12th in snowboarding; the 13th in men's curling; and lastly 14th in men's hockey.

Article: http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/story/2010/02/27/sp-canada-gold-otp.html

SeaWorld trainer dies in killer whale attack in Orlando

A trainer at SeaWorld had died after being attacked by a killer whale. Witnesses say that the orca had jumped and grabbed Dawn Brancheau by the waist from a poolside platform before dragging her underwater. Guests were evacuated while fire crews tried to save the trainer from the whale. Chuck Tompkins, the head of SeaWorld Park, said that she was rubbing the orca's head before it attacked her. Jim Solomons, the spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office said that it was too early to tell if she was being attacked by the orca. However, the witnesses told a different story. One witnessed that the orca took off really fast, then came back and jumped up to grab the trainer by the waist. Then, the orca came up to the glass and "shook her violently". The killer whale had been the problem for accidental deaths in SeaWorld for years.

A killer whale, like its name, is a very dangerous animal to control. It would be good to do great performances with the animal that is intelligent, but I believe that safety comes first. I admit that this animal has an appealing outer look, and that it is very intelligent to follow the trainer's orders. However, it is a killer whale which can still kill anyone at anytime. Although the killer whales are trained to follow its trainer, it had been proven that they might kill people at anytime. There had been many times when a killer whale had killed its trainer during the performance. I think people at SeaWorld, or any aquarium that does a performance with the animals should not have one with a killer whale. Why does it have to be the killer whale? I believe they could still show great performances without a killer whale involved in them.

Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8535618.stm

Obama unveils newest health-care plan

U.S. President Barack Obama has unveiled a new compromise health care plan. The proposal would not include a publicly owned health insurance, but it would allow the governments to cap the health insurance premiums if the rate increase is unreasonable. This new proposal will require most Americans to have health insurance by not allowing health insurance companies to deny people for their medical problems or charging them more. The proposal would insure 31million Americans that have been living without a health insurance coverage. Obama says that the federal government will provide additional financing to all states for the medical insurance reform.

This proposal will give a huge impact to the United States. I have been curious about the health insurance system of the U.S., and I learned how unorganized it was. Since there is no publicly owned health insurance company, private companies had the choice of insuring people or not. If they found out that a person had a medical problem in the past, the companies would just deny insuring them, because they might not make profit off the person. Therefore, many Americans that had medical problems, or were too poor to afford an insurance suffured whenever they went to the hospital. Franklin Roosevelt tried a health care, but she had failed because of strong opposition force. People say that Obama would be the only president that would be capable of having a health care reform. So, I strongly agree to Obama's plan. The part that he compromised and also satisfied health insurance companies is what I like.

Article: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/02/22/obama-healthcare.html

Russian ex-police boss gets life for supermarket murder

A Russian former police officer who shot dead 2 people in a Moscow supermarket is sentenced to jail for his life. He murdered 2 people and attempted 22 murders last April. The CCTV in the store recorded the shooting, which seven people were wounded. Yevsyukov, a former local police chief, was in his full uniform when he entered the supermarket, and he shot people with his pistol at random. Prosecutors say that Yevsyukov was drunk and was not in his right state of mind at the time. However, psychiatrists said there was nothing wrong with his mind. Disregarding the fact that he might not have been in his mind, he is still sentenced in jail for the rest of his life.

I strongly agree with the judge's decision that he should be put to jail for the rest of his life. I don't think the fact that Yevsyukov was a former local police chief should keep him out of jail because him being the former local police chief does not affect the consequences of his actions. Moreover, I believe that because he was a former local police chief, he should have received a harsher punishment than an average man would get. A police officer should be responsible for the citizens' safety; and Yevsyukov was the head of all local police officers. In addition to being a murderer, he was not responsible for his duties. Therefore, I think this harsh punishment was the right consequence for his actions.

Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8523592.stm

Harper demands Iran halt uranium enrichment

Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper called on Iran to halt uranium enrichment on Wednesday. Harper said the move brings Iran closer to possessing weapon's grade material. On February 7, Iran said it would begin uranium enrichment to a higher level, in presence of United Nations nuclear watchdog inspectors. This move is now causing friction with Western European countries since Iran could obtain nuclear weapons with highly enriched uranium. Harper said Canada will support its allies on this issue: "Canada will continue to work with our allies to find strong and viable solutions, including sanctions, to hold Iran to account. Canada will use its G-8 presidency to continue to focus international attention and action on the Iranian regime."

This statement from Stephen Harper showed Canada's independent action and active participation of Canada in the World Issue. I think this action taken by Stephen Harper is the right thing to do at this time when the future could depend on Iran's nuclear ambitions. Canada is now one of the wealthiest countries. Although Canada does not have much military power, I think Canada has a huge power because its allies and because of the economic power Canada has. I believe Harper's involvement could highly affect Iran's decision on enriching uranium to a higher degree. In this situation, I believe that Harper took the best possible action on the issue, and I support Harper and his idea.

Article: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/02/10/iran-stephen-harper-uranium-nuclear.html

Making a difference for girls in Kandahar - Afghan-Canadian Community Centre helping women upgrade their skills, find employment

Kandahar is a province of Afghanistan that is controlled by the Taliban. On of the rules Taliban created was that women have to stay at home and cover up from head to toe. Also, girls are discouraged to go to school in Afghanistan, Afghan-Canadian Community Centre is helping girls to upgrade their skills, and find employment in the future. Most students in the school have family problems, and they go there to solve their problems. This school has 50 teachers and 10 staff members, who take care of 1300 students with half of them female. What they fear is the risk girls take to go to the school. Taliban frequently attacks girls schools to impose their strict version of Islam. Despite the dangerous conditions, Afghan girls still attend the school for the education.

This year, I have learned about Afghanistan, as I studied English on the book called, "The Kite Runer". Today, Taliban is in control of Afghanistan, so what they say is what's right. However, most of the things they say is not reasonable, and the regulations they make are useless. Making women to cover them up from head to toe and keeping them at home is a sexual discrimination. Since Canada has much greater power than the Taliban, I think we can establish a school for women. This is a great idea because the Afghan-Canadian school can give women knew knowledge and help them get employed in the future. I strongly believe that women should be treated the same way as men, therefore I think more of these types of schools should be established in Afghanistan, supported by other strong countries the Taliban can't touch. I strongly agree with their idea of the school that also lets girls to get education.

Americans charged with child kidnapping in Haiti - was it the right thing to do?

Ten American Baptists were arrested in Haiti for trying to take 33 children out of the country, to get the children away from the earthquake that took place. They were caught crossing the border, heading to Dominican Republic. Most of the U.S. citizens that were involved in this were members of an Idaho-based church group. However, nine of ten Americans did not understand the situations they were in. One leader, Laura Silsby, knew everything about the plan. She knew that crossing the border was needed some paperwork, yet she still attempted to take children to Dominican Republic. Edwin Coq, the lawyer of those Americans, says, "I'm going to do everything I can to get the nine out. They were naive. They had no idea what was going on..." Kidnapping children carries 5 to 15 years in prison. It depends on the judge's decision, and the verdict might take 3 months.

The goal of this action by 10 American baptists was to help the children and provide them better life out of the country. Some parents even handed their children to them, so that their children would have better life and education out of Haiti. Therefore, I believe that they should not be charged for their actions. For sure, they did this to save the children that suffered from the earthquake in Haiti. Even though the action they did was against the law, this was done by Christians in churches to do the right thing. If Laura Silsby, the leader of the ten Americans, has to be punished by the law, I think the punishment should be minimized. In my opinion, the law isn't everything. Some people can get by the law and committ cruel actions, while some can try to help others but can be caught by the law. Regarding the goal of their actions, I think they are justified for taking 33 children out of Haiti.

Article: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/02/04/haiti-baptists-orphans.html

Europe skeptical about Iranian plan to ship uranium overseas

European powers reacted skeptically to Iran's offer o send uranium abroad for enrichment. Iran is sending its uranium to foreign countries in Europe and trade it back with enriched uranium. The president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the United Nations already envisaged Iran sending low-enriched uranium and receiving high-enriched uranium for research reactor fuel in Tehran. Iran's plan is to lower the tensions between Iran and other countries that deal with nuclear problems. However, this action is earning suspicion, since there were several military movements by Iran in the past 2 months. They want to retain at least 1,200 kilograms (2,650 pounds), which is at least a weapon’s worth. Therefore, Europe, as a whole, is currently skeptical about Iran shipping uranium for enrichment, including countries that allow Iran to have highly enriched uranium.

The significance of this news is that we do not know what they are going to do with that uranium in the future. Iran says they are using the enriched uranium for fuel that will be used in research reactors, but who knows what they are going to do with it? Iran could be testing out new weapons, or bombs that they can use as a threat to the world. Enriched uranium is a critical component for both nuclear power generation and military nuclear weapons. That is what its mostly used for; nuclear energy and weapons. In my opinion, countries should avoid uranium enrichment for Iran because Iran is a dangerous country; no offense. There are proofs; military movement was detected, and most of all, they are obtaining critical component that can be a big threat to the world. I believe there would definitely be a plan behind this action. My opinioin is that the world should stop Iran from obtaining highly enriched uranium, since that substance can be very harmful. I hope Iran's action today does not affect our lives in the future.

Article: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/759867--europe-skeptical-about-iranian-plan-to-ship-uranium-overseas

Foot power to light up London for 2012 Olympics

In London, a company named Pavegen systems developed a new technology that uses electricity produced from stepping slabs to power street lights and subway stations. In London, with almost 8 million people, about 11 trillion steps are taken per day. Their idea was to use the steps citizens take in London to light up the city in 2012 Olympics. These green stepping slabs produces electricity every time you step on it. These are planned to cover an entire set of stairs. Kemball-Cook, managing director of Pavegen, says his goal is to provide at least 25% of the stations' power from green slabs. The way how this thing works is that there is a disk that compresses 5mm when the slab is stepped on. The kinetic energy is then converted to electricity that gets stored in an internal battery, or it could be sent through wires to a light source. One of their ideas was to draw people's attention to the slabs by having it glow every time one steps on it. It will also be installed in pedestrian crossings, so that the drivers can see the glow of green slabs clearly.

I think this is a great idea to obtain electricity in a dense city like London. Even though this was planned out for 2012 Olympics, this technology could go on and power up a huge portion of the city. There are many ways of achieving energy: hydroelectric power generation, nuclear power, wind power, solar energy, and fossil fuels. However, this invention generates electricity from such a simple thing; steps. Energy is generated from our steps, but can generate so much electricity, since about 11 trillion steps are taken in dense cities such as London. I hope this idea develops more, worldwidely, so that every country can obtain pollution-free energy from the steps people take every day.

Article: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/758510--foot-power-to-light-up-london-by-2012