A phone call for the history books

Every night I sit in the couch relax and watch some TV. As I sit there sometimes the phone would ring. Many times it is telemarketers, sometimes it would be someone who got the wrong number, and once in while it would be someone who is playing a prank call. For a local pizza restaurant, a prank call is probably as common as people ordering pizza. Some of the prank calls received is probably someone ordering a pie and giving the restaurant a false address.

For Vifill Atlason, a 16 year old in Iceland, took the prank call scheme to a whole new level. He called President Bush’s private telephone line in the White House and pretended to be the President of Iceland. He requested a private meeting with Bush. Unfortunately for Atlason he didn’t get the chance to speak with Bush. The call was passed through several people who asked him questions about Iceland’s president.

Later the police showed up at his house and took him in for questioning. He was probably treated as if he were a spy. They even went as far as threatening him that he will not be allowed in the U.S. and he will be placed in the no-fly list. Luckily he wasn’t tortured or placed in Guantanamo’s Bay.

In Ireland, Bush isn’t too popular with the people there. Atlason is considered a hero in Ireland. It is a prank call that will be put down in the history books. He may be a hero in Ireland, but a foe for the U.S. government. Now that he is probably banned from entering the U.S, the only he can get in is sneaking in from the Mexican or Canadian borders.

If I knew Bush’s private phone number I would probably call him and say oops wrong number. Or maybe I might give the number to telemarketers, so that they can call him and annoy him.

What would you do if you had Bush’s private phone number?

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Story?id=3973925&page=2

Down With Homework!!!

Life for a child is suppose to be all fun and games. It is a time that no matter what you do, you can get away with it. It is a time where you have little responsibilities and almost nothing to worry about. You are still young and have a lot more to learn.

Today, as a child, fun and games are over once you start school. With the pressure of standardized testing and getting good grades to get into a good school, the pressure is intense for students. For many kids it is almost impossible to go out and have fun because they are too busy studying. To make things worse, teachers from each class piles tons of homework at you.

Peter Vallone Jr., a New York City council member and also a father of two daughters, proposed a plan that will limit the amount of homework teachers can give. He propose 2 ½ hours of homework a day.

His plan is a great idea. If the kids are spending most of the time sitting behind a desk doing homework, then they wont be able to go out and exercise. As a result, more kids will become obese. By giving less homework, kids would have more time to play or join a sports team. For the parents who sit and help their kids with their homework, will now have more free time. They can use the time to do more things as a family.

Sometimes getting too much of something can be a bad thing. Like staying out in the sun for long time can cause sunburn. The same thing applies for homework, the more homework you get, the less leisure time you have and weight problems start to become a issue.

For Howyda Othman and her 7 year old daughter, the stress of doing homework reached the boiling point when Howyda attacked her daughter for not doing her homework. She threw books at her 7 year old daughter and she bit her in the arm. This proves that there is a lot of pressure for doing homework. For Howyda’s 7 year old daughter she has to face a failing grade from the school and a beating of a life time from her mother.

From experience too much homework can be a bad thing. From kindergarten to 8th grade I attended a private school. The school treated us like college students. They gave us homework assignments that took almost the whole day to complete. For me it felt like I had 2 full time jobs. The first job is doing work in school and the second job is doing homework after school. Despite all the homework my grades weren’t the greatest. I was in the border line between failing and passing. Because of all the homework I lost my focus and I wasn’t motivated in my work. When doing my homework I was half a sleep, so I pretty much didn’t know what I was doing. For high school I decided to go to a public school. It was a great choice. They gave the right amount of homework, not too much and too little. I had plenty of time to enjoy life. I even had time to join the baseball team which made me a happier person and more motivated to do well in school. My grade skyrocketed from barley passing to a 90 average in high school.

I would love to see this plan go into effect. If I had kids (luckily I don’t), I would hate to be sitting at home for the whole day helping them finish their homework. I would rather see my kids athletic and smart, not fat and depress from all the homework. Hopefully this plan gets approved and it will be even more better if the plan includes college students.

http://www.nysun.com/article/67144
http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1197031539287990.xml&coll=1

The Unlucky Winner

You are more likely to get struck by lightning then winning the lotto. This expression may be not so true for Timothy Elliott who struck gold when he won $1 million jackpot. He can use this money to pay his bills, buy a new car, take a vacation, buy a house, or other things that you want to do.

At the time he won the lotto he is probably thinking that he is the luckiest man in the world, but in reality his luck is about to run out. Before he bought the winning ticket he was arrested for robbing a bank in 2006. He was sentence for five years in probation.

What’s the big deal about winning the lotto?
Under his probation he is not allowed is not allowed to gamble. This means he is not allowed to go to casinos or buy a lotto in a local store. So for Timothy his winning ticket is a ticket to prison.

Personally I feel that the authorities should let him go. He probably robed the bank because he needed the money. This time he won the fairly and didn’t hurt anyone in the process. The money that he won can change his life around. He probably won’t rob people anymore since he already has money. Besides it is hard to find a job once you have been convicted of a crime.

From the authority’s point of view, I would give him no special treatment. He violated his probation and deserves to go to prison. Even if he didn’t win he should be punish just for buying the ticket. If he gambles a lot he could lose a lot of money and be in debt. If he’s in debt, he might go and rob a bank to get some money.

Look in the bright side; they can use the $1 million jackpot to pay for his stay in prison.


http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1120ap_odd_robber_lottery_winner.html

Students and Guns

A group of 8,000 students propose a plan that students and teachers should be allowed to bring a gun to college campuses. This plan was created in the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting, where 32 people were shot dead. If students and teachers are allowed to carry a weapon, then they could easily defend themselves from the gunman.

I believe that this is a terrible idea. Allowing students to carry a gun to school can end in a disaster. Here are some scenarios that can happen on campus if a student is allowed to bring a gun to school.

A female and a male student are in a relationship. They both go to the same school. The female student "dumps" the male student. The angry male student, who is carrying a gun and is allowed to, may decide to take his anger out or get revenge, and shoot the female student and couple of other innocent students.

Another scenario that can happen on campus is a student that is facing academic and social pressure or problems. The student may be experimenting with drugs and alcohol. When a student is drunk or high on drugs, the student may not be thinking straight. He may pull out his gun and start shooting people. In school campus everyone is living in close quarters, which means a gunman can easily hunt down a lot of students in one area.

These scenarios are things that can possibly happen if students are allowed to bring guns on campus. Imagine there is a gunman in campus. A gunman enters the campus and start shooting people. People who do have guns take out their guns and start shooting at the gunman. At the mist of the gunfight confusion erupts. Distinguishing the good guys from the bad guy becomes impossible. Then a wild shootout begins because one guy with the gun thinks that the other guy with the gun is the shooter. It is like every man for them self. When the police come they will start shooting students that do have a gun. They can accidentally shoot the wrong person or the student that was just defending himself.

In the other hand I believe that some professors should be allowed to carry a gun. Professors tend to be more stable and are less likely to start a school shooting. They can provide safety for the class and others in the area. They can end the guns men reign of terror before it starts.

Besides if a student becomes uncooperative in class, the professor can hold him at gun point, then he will become cooperative.

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/WireStory?id=3896270&page=2

Elder Drivers

Yesterday as I was driving along the highway, there was a car in front of me going about 45 miles per hour. The car started to swerve in his lane and almost side swiped a car in the other lane. No the driver is not drunk or talking in the cell phone, but the driver is old, too old to be driving.

Drivers that are 65 years old and older are accident prone. On July 16 2003 an 87 year old man mistakenly hit the gas pedal instead of the breaks. The car exceeded 60 miles per hour and plowed through a crowded farmers market. The 2 ton car drove two in a half blocks, killing 10 people and injuring over 70 people.

This incident is noting new. Drivers who are 75 to 84 years old 3 drivers are killed for every 100 million miles driven, which is equal to the death rate of teen drivers. Drivers that are 85 years old and older are nearly 4 times more likely to get into a car accident than teens are(National Center of Statistics and Analysis).

As you age your body starts to fail. When your body fails, so does your ability to drive. It takes a longer period of time for an elder to react to danger. Their ability to see signs, people crossing the street, and seeing at night becomes more difficult. Some elders are starting to become confuse or showing early signs of Alzheimer’s . Also their ability to hear sirens or other things starts to go.

But not all old drivers fit the description. There are some elders who are still capable of driving. It will be unfair to take away their license simply because of their age. To find out who is capable of driving and who are not capable of driving, there should be a yearly drivers test. The drivers test can distinguish who is fit to drive and who are not. Also there should be an annual medical test. They should be tested on their ability to hear, see, and their state of mind. This plan will help save lives and will take people who are not capable of driving from being behind the wheel.

Police Camera

In England the police are trying out a new light weight video camera that can be places on the side of the hat. This new camera can capture everything that the officer sees and hear. It can capture wild scenes such as shootouts, police chase, a fight between officers, and crucial evidence that can be used in court.

I personality believe that the new light weight camera is a good idea. It can be helpful in capturing evidence for the court. Let’s say that a cop is making an arrest and the suspect started to resist. The officer can charge him with resisting arrest, but there is no evidence. The suspect and the officer can play the "he said and she said" game. With the camera all they have to do is replay the video and the truth will be revealed.

Besides capturing evidence and finding out the truth, it can be used as a deterrent. It can prevent a suspect from acting up. If you know that you are being recorded by a video camera, I doubt it that you want to fight the officer or act up in front of the camera. It is like trying to talk your way out of a crime that was caught on camera.

The best part of the camera is we can put some of the wild scenes that were captured by the camera on TV. In the TV show "cops" they have a camera crew following the police officers. But the camera crew on the show "cops" can't be everywhere at once. With the new camera we can use it to capture everything that the officers see any where at any time. If an officer saw something funny, or something scary, it can be put on TV so that the world can watch.

The purpose of the camera is not really for entertainment, but to capture evidence. Besides capturing evidence it will encourage the officers to do a better job. If they are bad cops the camera is there to show it that he is a bad cop. It encourages officers to show respect to others, and make them think twice before doing something bad or something that they will regret.Currently this camera is an experiment. I hope that this camera will become a reality and be used by every officer here in America.

A protest gone too far

For many parents their worst nightmare is to live long enough to see their own children die. For the Snyder family, this nightmare came true when their son died in Iraq in the March of 2006. As they morn for their sons death, a group of people from Westboro Baptist Church disrupted the peaceful funeral by shouting and holding signs of hatred. It is a protest in the middle of a funeral where protesters are yelling and holding signs that say “Thank God for dead soldiers” and “God hates fags”.

This is noting new for families that are morning for their sons who died in Iraq. This group has protested in hundreds of funerals for slain soldiers. They not only got the attention of the families but national attention as well. The majority of the population disapprove what they are doing. It even caused heated debates on CNN.

As a result of the protest the Snyder sued the Westboro Baptist Church for emotional damages that they caused to family and friends; and invasion of privacy. The jury awarded the Snyder family over $11 million for the damages that the protesters have cause.

The church members testified they are following their religious beliefs by spreading the message that soldiers are dying because the nation is too tolerant of homosexuality. They also say that the 1st amendment gives them the right of free speech and the right to protest.

They do have the right to protest and the right of free speech , but the right is not absolute. In the case Schenck v. United States, 249 U.S. 47, 39 S.Ct. 247, 63 L.Ed.2d. (1919) the Supreme Court limited the freedom of speech. This case made it illegal for someone to yell “fire” in a crowded movie theater because there is a “clear and present danger”. For the protestors of the Westboro Baptist Church, they are yelling words that can cause a major conflict between the protestors and the family. It can result in fighting, riots, or people getting killed. It can also cause emotional injuries to people who are going through difficult times.

The protesters are also violating the right of privacy. The funeral is suppose to be a private service for the family. A funeral is for families and friends, not for someone to preach their views of hatred. This is almost like going to a little kids birthday party not to celebrate, but to protest the war in Iraq. A party is time to celebrate and a funeral is a time to morn. A protest should be done without disrupting someone’s privacy.

A new group called “Patriot Guard Riders” was created because of what was going on. Their job is to keep protestors away from the funeral. They have been a real help to grieving families. They not only keep the protestors out, but they play patriotic music to drown out the cruel words of the protestors and they block their signs by putting up the American flag in front of the protestors. They are the heroes and should be recognized for it.

Laws should be passed that prohibits people from protesting during funerals. The people of Westboro Baptist church should be ashamed of themselves. I hope that other families who have been terrorized by this group, will follow Snyder’s family and sue them for the emotional damage that they have caused. It is not for the money but to make them stop so that it wont happen again. Something has to be done about them. If these people don’t like the American policies then protest in front of a government building, not during a funeral for a slain soldier. If you still don’t like the country then get out to make room for the millions who wants to be an American.

illegals driving?

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer proposed a plan that will make it easier to obtain a New York drivers license. The proposed plan does not require future drivers to give their social security number or prove that they are eligible to get your drivers license. This means that almost anybody can get their driver’s license, especially illegal immigrants.

Spitzer’s plan is not only unpopular with New York residents, but nationwide as well. If his proposed plan goes into effect, New York will join 8 other states that allows illegal’s to drive. Currently, only Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, andWashington allow this.

What makes this plan so controversial?

Giving away license, like giving out candy during Halloween, can cause a lot of chaos. The first problem is voting. When you vote you can use your drivers license as a source of identification. If an illegal gets their drivers license they can vote and get away with it. If they do vote they would probably vote for a candidate that they will benefit from, instead of voting for the candidate that is best for the country.

The second problem is security reasons. Just imagine a terrorist from a foreign country, like Iraq, comes here illegally. The first thing they would probably do is get their drivers license. With the license, they could use it to get into our airports. This could make it difficult for law enforcement agencies to track them down. After 9/11, you want to make our airports safer not insecure.

Another problem is unemployment rate. If illegal’s can drive, this means that more business will hire them instead of legal residence. Businesses look forward to hire them because they can pay them less money than a legal citizen. Also business doesn’t have to pay them health care or give them any benefits. If they get caught, the business can say that, I didn’t know he is illegal. As a result of this, the middle-class and the poor suffer from this. There will be fewer jobs available for legal citizens and unemployment rates are going to increase.

For the legal citizens, they came here and had to go through the process. They had to study hard and pass a written test to become a US citizen. After becoming a citizen, they have to work hard to support themselves and their families. People that came here illegally have more of an advantage over legal citizens. Businesses are looking forward to hire them for lower wages. Illegals are taking away jobs from the legal citizens. This is unfair for the legal’s who worked so hard just to come here, only for an illegal to take it away.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/21/illegal-immigrants-will-be-allowed-to-obtain-drivers-licenses/

Outrages Lawsuits

In America, when you do something wrong, on purpose or by accident, you get sued. It is the new trend now. People sue one another over the littlest things. It is like playing the lottery. To buy a lotto you have to pay what it is worth. When suing someone you pay lawyer fees and other expenses. Wining the case can result in millions of dollars, just like winning the jackpot. And like the lotto, there is a chance that you might not win.

Some of the cases that we hear today is almost like a joke. One particular case that was made famous is the McDonalds lawsuit. A women and her grandson went to McDonalds and bought coffee in the drive-thru. The women spilled her coffee and suffered 3rd degree burns. As result of what happened, she sued McDonalds and won the case. She received $2.9 million in damages. She won because the coffee is too hot.

Another case that I found interesting is the $67 million dollar pants. A man claimed that he took his pants to the cleaners, but he never got it back. Apparently, the cleaners lost the pants. So, like many Americans hoping to cash in from damages caused by others, he decided to sue the cleaners for $67 million. He claims that he has endured mental suffering, inconvenience and discomfort. He also said that he is unable to wear his favorite suit to work and he needs money to pay for car rentals, to drive to another cleaners. The store owner offered him $12,000 to compensate for the pants, but he rejected the offer. I wish my pants is worth 67 million dollars.

My personal favorite, is when a student and her mother sued the school after she failed her class project. The teacher failed her project because she handed in the project past the due date. The student claims that she was on a school trip and was unable to give it to her. The failing grade ruined her 4.5 GPA. Maybe if she handed in her project a day earlier, than there would be no problems. She also could give her project to a friend to hand it in.

The purpose of suing someone is to composite from damages, pain, and suffering one caused. Today people are suing and asking for too much money, especially “Mr. Fancy Pants”. These outrages lawsuits is hurting the economy. According to the US Chamber of Commerce, a law suit can put a small business out of business. Just to pay for lawyer fees can be a difficult task. Like “Mr. Fancy Pants” he can put the cleaners out of business even if he loses the case.

Suing has become so common that it changed our culture and how we live. Parks are now taking down swing sets, schools are not allowing kids to play tag, teachers refuse to break up a fight in school, or ice skating rinks making you sign papers that will not make them responsible if you get hurt. They fear that if something happens they will get sued.

http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Nov/1/129862.html
http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=60979
http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/Story?id=3121086&page=2

Robber Cleans Victim's House

Tiffany and Adrian McKinnon arrived home after spending a week away, only to find that there house has been robed. The robber made a huge mess in the house. Unfortunately for the robber, Tiffany and Adrian arrived home at the same time he was there. To make things worse for Tajuan Bullock (the robber), they had a gun.

Adrian held Bullock at gunpoint. He didn't what to do next. So the first thing he did is forced Bullock to clean the mess that he caused. He had to pick up the draws and cabinets that he threw on the floor. There were probably piles of clothing on the floor. Probably it took him a while to clean the place.

Shortly after, the police arrived to take him into custody. "The police officer laughed at him when he complained and said anybody else would have shot him dead." Luckily Bullock wasn't armed or else somebody would have got hurt or killed. Bullock faces burglary and theft charges. He is being held on a $30,000 bond.

If I was Adrian I would make the robber clean my house, do the laundry, cook dinner, clean the gutters, do my homework, and paint the house. After all this I probably would let him go, hopping that he learned his lesson.

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/wireStory?id=3748903

Dancing Prisoners

When I think about prison, I think about how boring prison can be. After all you are spending most of your day in a cell. But in the Philippines, prisoners spend a good part of their day dancing.

In Cebu Detention and Rehabilitation Center, the prisoners are forced to dance. It all started when Garcia, the warden, first ordered the prisoners to march, but later the marching turned into dancing. Before the dancing program started, there was at least one violent incident a week. Now there hasn’t been a series incident since a year in a half. So I guess the dancing is working.

"Every able-bodied prisoner -- about 1,500 of them -- must dance" said Garcia. If they refuse to dance some of their privileges are taken away. The problem is does this violates their rights? Probably it is, he is forcing everyone to dance whether they like it or not. But it is working, so why not keep on doing it. Besides in prison your rights your rights are limited. Also laws for other countries may vary.

Some of the dances that they perform is Michael Jackson's hit video "Thriller", "Sister Act," "Jailhouse Rock" and "Radio Ga Ga." With the internet age people from around the world, can watch them dance on the internet. In youtube they received over 6 million views. So they practically became celebrities. There dancing is entertaining and funny.

Besides being internet celebrities, dancing helped them to become better people. The dancing makes them feel like celebrities instead of criminals. "Leo Suico, who's accused of mass murder, says dancing means "we don't think of bad things." Fighting back tears, he says the experience has taught him "love" -- pure and simple." So overall dancing makes the prisoners feel better about them selves. It teaches them self-esteem. Also they learn teamwork, at the same time they get exercise.

I believe that United States should follow the Philippines. It will help prisoners to feel like they are part of something. For those who don’t like to dance don’t commit a crime in the Philippines.


http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/04/dancing.prisoners/index.html#cnnSTCText

Hockey At It's Worse

Hockey is one of the most grueling sports in the world. I consider it to be one of the most violent sports, but an entertaining one as well. This unique sport has fights, brawls, big hits, career ending hits, cheap shots, and the long list of suspensions and injuries.

Here are some of the most recent dirty hits and fights that have caused national attention.
Recently Downie, from the Philadelphia Flyes, gave a big hit on Ottawa Senators player Dean McAmmand, giving him a major concussion. Downie left his feet at full speed, only to give a big hit on unsuspecting McAmmand head. The hit knocked him unconscious and he had to get carried out in a stretcher. Downie received a 20 game suspension.

Downie's hit is noting new to hockey. Earlier this year, NY Islanders, Chris Simon, decide to take his frustration out by slashing NY Ranger, Hollwegs in the head with his hockey stick. Luckily he was not seriously injured. Simon received a 25 game suspension.

Like Simon's slash, McSorley did a similar thing except the outcome was different. McSorley used his hockey stick like a weapon, and took a baseball like swing with his stick, to hit Brashear in the head. Brashear fell back first hitting his head on the ice. He was knock out unconscious and had to get carried out from the stretcher. McSorley was suspended for 23 games, and was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. He served 18 months in probation.

Finally, there is the Bertuzzi incident. Bertuzzi threw a sucker punch at Moore from behind and drove his head into the ice. He lied motionless on the ice until he left by stretcher. It also sparked a brawl on the ice. Bertuzzi was suspended for 20 games. Moore's hockey career was over after that incident.

Hockey is a unique sport. Players are allowed to fight. There are brawls that look like a war between rival gangs on ice. There are career ending hits and the cheap shots. There is the checking, hitting your opponent into the boards or into the bench, goalie fights, and my personal favorite players missing some of their teeth.

I believe that hockey players should be more severely punish for their actions. If we did something like these players did we would probably be in jail and banned from the league. The NHL should make harsher punishments and make a good example out of them.

Wood vs Aluminum Bats

New York City just passed a new law that bans the use of aluminum bats in all baseball games that is under the age of 18. The law was passed to cut down on injuries from the ball bouncing off the aluminum bat at a high rate of speed. The ball bounces off the bat so fast that fielders are unable to react. Now, baseball players in New York is only allowed to use wood bats.

Is there a difference between aluminum and wood bats?

The difference is enormous. The difference between the wood and aluminum is the "sweet spot". The "sweet spot" is the part of the bat that the ball bounces off at a faster speed. It is where you want to make contact with the ball. For the wood bat there is a smaller "sweet spot". For the aluminum bat there is a bigger "sweet spot". This increases the chance of the ball bouncing off a aluminum bat at a higher rate of speed. Therefore, the infielders, especially the pitcher, are unable react fast enough to the hard hit ball.

The wood bat can be just as dangerous as the aluminum. Sometimes the wood bat can split in half, and the other half can hurt someone. Or for the catcher, a splinter from the broken wood bat can hit his eye, causing series eye damage. Then there is the cost of buying a new bat. Every year I play about 50 games over the summer. I would probably have to buy 10 to 20 bats every summer, to replace a broken bat. Many people can't afford to keep replacing there bats. Where as the aluminum bat, it rarely breaks.

I personally support the new law. Lately there has been a lot of cases of kids getting hurt from the ball being bounced off the aluminum bat at high speeds. The game of baseball should be played the way it is supposed to be played. The professionals don't use aluminum, so why use it.

http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/bats-new/alumwood.html

Metal Detector In High School?

On my senior year of high school, the police payed a surprise visit to my high school and they brought a metal detector with them. It is part of Bloombergs plan to crack down on students bringing cell phones and weapons to NYC public school. The detectors stayed in the school for a week. For me this was an awesome week, not that I supported the metal detectors, but seeing the reactions of other students is priceless.

Before the metal detectors came, all the teachers and deans were warning us all month. They even sent us a letter on what to do if the metal detectors come. It is suppose to be a surprise, but with all that waning, they took out the element of surprise. The only problem is when exactly will the detectors come.

Finally the metal detectors came. The cops were covering every entrance in the school and forced everyone to come in from one entrance. It's funny how I saw many students walking to school only to make a bow face when they saw that the detectors is here. Many of these students who turned around aren't bad people, but they just don't want to deal with the hassle of getting there cell phones taking away. Luckily my parents drove me to school, so I just gave them my cell phone.

I got through the detectors without any problems, but the students who did bring their cell phones or wearing a medal object had trouble getting through. Those who did had cell phones had to give it up or face punishment. The officers were also rude. They yelled at us and treated every student like prisoners.

Overall three students were caught with weapons, about two hundred had there cell phones confiscated,and six students received a citation for inciting a riot. Those who got caught with weapons must be high on drugs when they came to school because you can see the detectors before you come in. Maybe they just want to get caught. Only six students protested, but nobody is willing to protest early in the morning.

That week I felt very safe in the school. I support the use of the metal detector only if it is used to prevent weapons from entering the school. But having the metal detector to take away students cell phones is ridiculous. Cell phones should only be taken away if the cell phones is being used the wrong way or disrupts class. Metal detectors should only be used for schools with a high crime rate. Cell phones can be used for emergencies, especially if the student takes public transportation, where the school cannot provide them with protection.

Memories

People have all sought of memories. There are things we just remember for one day and is gone the next day. These memories can include remembering a conversation with a friend early in the day, and forget about it the next day. Then there the memories that last a life time. It can be your first home run, your wedding, or a death in the family.

But what makes our memories last a life time. People tend to remember something that means a lot to them. It can be an event that happened to us that made a significant impact on our lives. These memories can be the greatest moments in our lives such as; winning the championship or graduating college. Finally there is the other memories, the sad memories. The death of a family member can cause someone to recall that person's life.

Our memories can also be a powerful tool that can work against us. For example: On 9/11 many people witnessed the events that unfolded in New York. People saw horrific things. Many people watched love ones die. After that day, some people can't sleep because of their memories of what happen on that day. It is hard to forget such a horrific event, no matter how much you try to forget.

$10 Toll To Cross The Verrazano Bridge

The MTA are planning to increase the Verrazano bridge toll by $1, and add a quarter to the bus fare next year. Next year drivers would have to cough up $10 just to cross the bridge ( Staten Island bound only). For a one-way bus ride, riders have to pay $2.25 and for the express bus, $5.25.

This is outrages! Barbara Cerdeiros, a Staten Island resident said, "it's getting to the point where poor people can't live in New York. The prices are going up but the salaries stay the same." She is right, someone who is only making minimum rage is paying a good portion of their salary just to cross the bridge, or to take public transportation.

A student who lives in Brooklyn and goes to school in Staten Island, has to pay $50 a week (assuming he/she has to go to school for 5 days a week) or $200 a month. It is hard enough to pay for school and gas, but the $10 toll just makes it a lot harder. Where does the money go? Are they going to use the money to fix up the streets or improve transportation service?

If you look at 2005, when the price went up, did the extra money you pay help? From what I saw it did not. Roads had potholes that can destroy your car, and a long wait just to catch a bus. Once on the bus it takes me 3 hours just to get to my destination, where as if I drive it only takes 10 to 15 minutes. So where is the money really going?

The poor can't keep up with the economy. The prices of gas, food, clothing, electricity, college tuition, and many more items are going through the roof. While the prices are going up, people are not making more money. Soon many people won't be able to send their kids to college or pay their house bills. If you can't pay your bills, you will lose almost everything you got and eventually declare bankruptcy.

An increase in the toll and bus fare can cause series problems. Living in New York City will soon be impossible. In another 3 years, they will just keep increasing the fare more and more, until they have taken every thing out of your pocket and put it in their pockets. Also with the talks of Congesting pricing still looming, living in the city will only be for the rich.
When the prices increase people should protest. The MTA won't stop until people fight back (non-violent). I remember listening to the radio and heard a story about someone protested his electric bill by paying it in pennies. Maybe the next time I cross the Verrazano bridge, I would pay the toll in pennies.

Gun!!

As we watch the events that unfolded on Columbine High School and Virginia Tech, people are thinking, who can do such a terrible thing?

In Columbine, nobody knows why the two students decided to go on a shooting rampage. Some experts say that other students treated the shooters poorly before the shooting, some say they were influence by music or video games, and others say they were mentally unstable.

In Virginia Tech, the signal shooter was mentally unstable. Recently, there was a gunmen in St. John's University, who was also mentally unstable. Luckily he got caught before he could do series damage.

You can't blame the schools for allowing people who are mentally unstable from attending school. Nobody knows who is mentally stable or unstable. The problem is how did these people get the guns?

The students in Columbine had automatic rifles, and carried a whole arsenal with them. They bought there guns in a local Kmart. Getting a gun at Columbine can be so easy that even a high school student is able to buy their weapons there. This means that almost any body can get a gun. It can be criminals, students who are plotting to go in a shooting rampage, or people who buy guns where it is easy to get and sell it illegally in places that bans certain guns.

In order to stop gun violence and school shootings, we should pass strict gun laws, but not get rid of guns all together. Only certain people should be allowed to have a gun. Politicians, farmers, hunters, store owners, and police officers should have the right to own a gun. A regular or average person should not be allowed to have a gun.

Guns have caused many deaths in the U.S. Many deaths are intentionally, and some are unintentional. When it comes to killing people, guns is the primary weapon used to conduct the killing. Guns also make the police jobs harder. A lot of officers died because the suspects are able to get a hold of a gun and shoot the officers, who are trying to make a living to support their family. Finally, there is the "freak accidents". Some people buy a gun for home protection, so they store the gun some place safe in their house. Instead keeping their kids safe from home invaders, one of the kids can get a hold of the gun, and end up accidentally killing others or themselves.

Many people would argue that a gun could be used for home protection. A gun will not stop a someone from breaking into someones home. Many times when someone break into no one is in the house. The robbers are smart enough to wait until it is clear and not take a chance.

Others would say that they have the right to own a gun, the second amendment allows them to. The second amendment was written a long time ago, when the government was just being form. People had the right to own a gun, in case the government got too powerful and the people can revolt. Also back then there is a state militia, and members of the militia has to have a gun. Today the government is stable and the state militia no longer exist. If we don't like what the government is doing, we could always hold rallies, protest or worse case scenario riots.

Finally, the NRA would say "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This statement has some truth in it, but it is not entirely true. People do kill other people ,but what they use to kill other people is a gun. If someone wanted to kill someone else and a gun is not available, killing that person would be a lot harder. The person will have a better chance of defending himself. Also a gun does kill people. A malfunction with the gun can kill someone. For example: if I am cleaning my gun and drop it, the gun can discharge a bullet, and kill either myself or someone else who is standing at the wrong place at the wrong time.

By making stricter gun laws can really help reduce gun related deaths. Incidents such as Columbine or Virgina Tech could have been prevented if guns were harder to get. In order for this to work, strict gun laws should be passed, not just for one local city, but for every city in every state.

Ahmadinejad trip to World Trade: Denied

As world leaders are getting prepared for the annual meetings at the United Nations in New York, Iranian President Ahmadinejad planned to pay a visit to the World Trade Center site. He wants to lay a wreath at the site. Why is his trip to the site so controversial? Why won't the NYPD provide Ahmadinejad protection that is necessary for his own safety?

The answer is that many Americans, especially New Yorkers, consider him to be an enemy of this country. He supports terrorist groups by providing them with weapons to kill innocent people and Americans. By supporting terrorist groups, American troops are being killed in Iraq everyday. Also the attack on the World Trade was conducted by terrorist. So this makes him one of the most hated person in the US.

There is noway in this world that the NYPD will provide him with protection. Instead they would probably kill him. On 9/11, many police officers died on that day. There is a possibility that a police officer want revenge, and that one officer might assassinate Ahmadinejad instead of protecting him.

If he goes to the site, there is no guarantees that he will make it out alive. A lot of people wants to see him dead. If he gets assassinated in New York it would be bad news.The United States would probably be blamed for his death. Terrorist groups would vow revenge and plot more terrorist attacks in the U.S. War between Iran and the United States would probably break.

The World Trade Center site is a sacred land for Americans. It is a place where many people died. Ahmadinajed does not belong there. He should not set one foot at the site.For him being there is like an insult to the American people. It is like Ahmadinejad is adding insult to an injury.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20877717/

Espionage In Sports?

Cheaters, Cheaters, Cheaters.... people will do anything to win. Cheating in a game with your friends can result in losing your friends and being called a "sore loser". But when the competition gets intense, cheating is one solution that will give you an unfair advantage over your opponent.

In 1951, the New York Giants have been accused of stealing the Brooklyn Dodgers signs, giving the Giants an unfair advantage. As a result, Bobby Thompson hit his famous homerun, allowing the Giants to win the game.

Also in the Little League World Series, Danny Almonte (14), who was over-aged, led the New York team to third place, with his great pitching performance.

Today, we reached a new era of cheating. With the help of technology, spying on other teams has become a new form of cheating.

In the World Cup in China, two men were caught video taping (behind a two way mirror) the Denmark women's soccer team during a strategy meeting.

The Patriots were caught video taping the Jets coach, so that they will know what play is coming.

Finally there is the spying in Racing. This time no technology was used. A Formula One team McLaren, used leaked information from their rival Ferrari. They plan to use the information to win races.

As a result of these cases the Patriots coach was fined $500,000, the team fined $250,000,and lost their 1st round draft pick.
McLaren was fined $100,000,000 and lost their constructor points.
The Denmark case was closed.

I believe that the Patriots got off easy. They should of forfeited that game, the coach should of get suspended, along with the fines and the lost draft pick as punishment. In McLaren's case the punishment is too harsh. Maybe less money in the fine. On the Denmark case something should be done, an investigation followed with some kind of punishment could be a step forward.

The only way to prevent cheating is by making the punishment fit the crime.

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=3601469

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=3598167

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/article.jsp?content=20070913_121705_5132

Where were you on September 11, 2001?

On September 11, 2001 two planes crashed into the world trade center. More than two thousand people lost their lives on that horrific day. Today when we talk about 9/11, people tend to ask, where were you on September 11, 2001?

I remember that day like it was yesterday. I was in the seventh grade when suddenly, the principal told all the students to report in the auditorium over the speaker. As I got there the principal came in with an expression on her face, like she just saw a ghost. Then she told us what was happening in the city. My mom came and picked me up early from school. In the car ride home, I realized that my dad work's near the World Trade. I was relieved when my mom told me that my dad was home. Luckily he works in the graveyard shift. After a week passed, I attended a couple of funerals. What I remember most was when I attended a funeral for a firefighter who helped me throughout my life.

Our memories of what happened on September 11, 2001 will always be with us forever.

Why I Write

I write for many different reasons. I write because I like writing. I write because I have to. I write because it helps me think clearly. I write my ideas. I write to express how I feel. I write to remember. I write to inform. I write to make stories. I write letters. I write to share my belief. I write to argue. I write to fight. I write to make peace. I write to create music. I write cards. I write to make money. I write to educate.
For me writing is very important because words can be so powerful that it can have an impact on someones life. By writing a card to congratulate someone can mean a lot to the person. It shows that someone cares for him or her. I write because words can turn someones life around