U.S. destroyer pursuing hijacked ship in Somali waters, military says

A U.S. destroyer was chasing after a ship in Somali waters, which was hijacked by pirates. This is the first time a destroyer has followed a ship inside the 12-mile limit, which marks Somali waters, when they were chasing a pirate. The destroyer sunk the pirate skiffs tied to the back of the boat. The ship which was hijacked was filled with benzene, a human carcinogen, and was a Japanese ship. There have been many instances in the past year in which ships have entered Somali waters and were forced to stop as they can't enter the 12-mile limit.

I thought that pirates and pirate ships were a thing of the past, however this shows me that I was incorrect. There are obviously quite a few differences between the pirates of old and the pirates of today. Obviously, pirates no long use swords and have switched to machine guns, and they don't use huge wooden ships, they use speed boats. Luckily, I very rarily am in a boat, let alone in the ocean so I really don't have to worry.

Outing Dumbeldore sparks fierce conflict

J.K. Rowling, well-known author of the popular Harry Potter series, stated recently that one of her star characters, Albus Dumbeldore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was gay. This announcement has created much furor and criticism amongst both Harry Potter fans and the general public, as many now want the book banned. The Harry Potter series has been controversial having previously been criticized and an attempt made to ban it, shortly after the first book in the series was published. At that time, some critics felt that children would be persuaded to practice witchcraft after reading the books. This current attempt to ban the Harry Potter series is being led largely by religious groups and parents who are against books which promote, condone or exhibit themes involving homosexuality.

I disagree with this ban attempt. Until J.K. Rowling made this announcement, no one would have know that Dumbeldore was gay just from reading the Harry Potter books. There were no blatant indicators or inferences to this effect in any of the Harry Potter books. As well, I don't agreed with or believe in discrimination of any sort and most certainly not when the grounds for the discrimination are so weak. The Harry Potter series of books is tremendously popular with people of all ages and the entertainment they have provided for many is wonderful. Even is the homosexuality content of the book was obvious (which it is not in these books), there are many people who have no problem with that. If some parents do not want their children to read the Harry Potter books then that is up to them and it should be their responsibility to ensure they keep the books from their children. The rest of the world should not be denied these entertaining books because of a few radical critics. It's as simple as that.

Samsung makes mega memory microchip

Samsung, the world's largest manufacturer of computer chips, unveiled a 64 gigabit memory chip. This was constructed using circuit elements that are 30 nanometers wide. This marks the eighth straight year that memory density in computer chips has doubled. Experts say that this will lead to, among other things, music players that are much smaller while maintaining an unbelievable amount of storage space. The mass production of this chip will begin in 2009.

For technology fans, this is probably an expected step in progress but for those of us who do not profess to be technology experts, the pace of development in this area is truly astounding. How far technology has progressed and is progressing with each year is truly amazing. It just makes you wonder what will be next! If technology continues to develop at this rate, the potential for incredible innovations is very high. Those in the technology fields must really be forward thinkers and inventors with the ability to visualize products for the future and how they can improve our lives with great leaps in technology. We have come a long way in the past few years but it appears to just be the tip of the iceberg.

Huckabee likens abortion to a holocaust

Mike Huckabee, a United States presidential hopeful, spoke out recently regarding the very hotly debated topic of abortion and whether or not abortion should be legal in the United States. He argued that over the last 30 years, abortion has killed over 1 million fetuses who would potentially be in the American work force today. Consequently, he felt that there would be less immigration necessary to service shortages in the workforce, had these babies not be killed. Huckabee's arguments also focused on the morality of abortion.
In my opinion, particularly in certain circumstances, I believe in pro-choice, which makes abortion legal up to a certain point in the pregnancy. For example, a 15 year old girl gets pregnant and the father of the baby disappears. If the girl does not want to have the baby, why should she be forced to? The lives of two people may be ruined as the baby will be growing up without a father figure and with a mother who never wanted him/her in the first place. The mother's future may be limited, educationally and work-wise due to her child and her single-parent status.
Other examples of situations in which an abortion may be desired by the mother or parents would be if an abortion needed to be done to preserve the life of the pregnant woman, of if the pregnancy was having an adverse effect on the pregnant women's health - physically or mentally. What if the baby had a serious congenital disorder which would be fatal? Is it fair to rule out an abortion if any of these circumstances applied?
I believe that instead of outlawing abortion altogether and saying it is unethical, each case should be examined individually and a pro-choice approach taken.

Children's health care plan heads to veto showdown

The United States Congress is soon to be the place for a 'battle royale' between President Bush and the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. This battle royale is a result of the Republicans' veto of the popular 'Children's Health Care Bill'. The main criticism of this plan by the Republicans is that the plan may encourage people to move from private health care plans to cheaper public plans. Nancy Pelosi states that the Democrats will keep pushing this bill and there will be absolutely no compromise. The bill, which is proposed to cost $35 billion, will cover medical expenses for up to 10 million children. The current children's health care plan covers 6 million children who come from families with yearly incomes of $41,000 or less, for a family of four. The cost for the expansion of this health care bill would be covered by a 61 cent increase in the federal tax on every pack of cigarettes sold.

I believe that expansion of this plan is great and the method of paying for it it smart also, as the whole idea really 'kills two birds with one stone'. Not only does the bill gives 4 million more children health care but the increased cost of the cigarettes may deter some smokers and consequently, 'help' them quit smoking. The fact that some people may wish to change health insurance plans should not enter into the argument, as the health of the many children who will benefit from the new plan should be the priority.

Ruling Overturns Library Closings

Financially, the City of Toronto is in poor shape. Mayor Miller is again under fire as another of his cost-cutting plans has been deemed wrong by an arbitrator. Mayor Miller had proposed closing some branches of the cities libraries on Sundays. The move was to save $400,000. To date, Mayor Miller has not been popular or successful with his cost-cutting plans as other proposed reductions in city services have been overturned, also. These include closure of the Sheppard subway, closures of some community centres and ice rinks. As these proposed cut-backs never went before city council, Mayor Miller has been the subject of much criticism.

In my opinion, this criticism is rightfully due. In a democratic society, it is not acceptable that significant decisions affecting all of the citizens of the area or city be made by one person. A council was elected to discuss new proposals and after much consideration, decide if the proposals are truly in the best interest of the people or whether other alternatives should be investigated. Therefore, that elected council should be involved in these decisions or what is the point of democracy?

Income Tax Cuts Among Conservative Promises

This evening brings us the throne speech from the Federal Conservative party. The Tories have a substantial surplus so many feel this will be an evening of nice surprises for tax payers. A promise to lower income tax is one announcement Canadians are waiting for. As well, the speech is expected to include some positive news regarding the governments approach to cutting greenhouse gases. This may be tied with a job-creating proposal for Canadian industries. Other areas to be included in the speech are Canada's role in Afghanistan, ways to reduce crime and arctic sovereignty. This is an important speech for the Conservatives as it will set the stage for an early vote of confidence in the government and could set the stage for an election.
This is an important speech as the opposition parties could force an election if an early vote of confidence overturns the Conservatives. Hopefully, Prime Minister Harper uses his financial surplus in some positive ways to reduce taxes for everyone and to make other positive and popular steps in the areas of employment, the environment and crime.

Movie theater bombed in India

Recently, a packed movie theater in Northern India was bombed, killing six people and injuring thirty. This was the second apparent terror attack in the past week in Northern India. A few days ago, two people were killed in the bombing of a venerated Muslim shrine. The Shringar Cinema, where the bombing took place was full and held about six hundred people, who were watching a newly released Bollywood comedy.

Unfortunately, this type of senseless attack occurs more often in developing countries, such as India. Radical religious groups think little of bombing innocent, unsuspecting people. These bombers justify their actions in the name of their religion and therefore, it is very difficult to make them understand the senselessness of their brutal actions. If this type of crime occurred in our country, there would a huge uproar about it, loud public outcry and the guilty parties pursued and prosecuted. Such news would be front page all around the world. Yet a bombing in India gets almost no attention because unfortunately, it is more commonplace. How is convince terror groups that their murderous tactics are not acceptable is a huge problem in the world today and one that many people are trying to solve. Hopefully educating the young in more moderate, less brutal approaches to reach their goals may be a start.

Family of teen killed in Indiana crash sues police

Last month in Gary, Indiana, two teens were killed in a car crash. Now, more then a month later, one of the teens' families is suing the police for $50 million dollars. The family is suing the police for negligence because hours after the September 15th crash, when the police had failed to find the bodies of the two teens, the father of one of the boys, Dominique Green, discovered both bodies himself, in a nearby wooded area. Dominique's family believes that had the police found the bodies earlier the boys may still be alive. The attorney for Dominique's family, Ken Allen, said that Dominique Green "had a chance to live and that chance was taken from him and his parents by the Gary police."

If I were in this situation, I believe I would do the same, although the amount of the law suit seems very high. A law suit seems to be justified in this case. If Dominique Green's father could find the bodies of the boys, then why could the police not find them? Did the police not look carefully? Was there negligence on the part of the police? I feel that the police should be accountable for their carelessness and lack of thoroughness. However, the amount of money involved in this suit seems extreme as there is no guarantee that even if the police had found Dominique Green earlier, that he would be alive today.

Man Wanted To Trade Football Tickets For Sex With Girl

Last weekend, a 56 year old man named Daniel Barron was chatting on the Internet with an undercover cop, attempting to trade football tickets to a Miami Dolphins game, in return for sex with an 11 year old girl.
This type of pedophilia is despicable and disgusting. I don't believe I am alone in my assessment of this situation. What if the person Daniel Barron was chatting to online was actually willing to trade a young girl that he knew, for these football tickets. To think that there are adults with power and influence over children that would treat these children like belongings to be used and misused is so disgusting. The young girl's life would be ruined before she hit puberty. The fact that police are in those positions and are actively trying to catch sick perverts like Daniel Barron is at least a bit encouraging. However, until these sickos are punished severely and thoroughly for their revolting behaviour, innocent children everywhere are at risk of abuse. I hope that the penalty for such crimes becomes severe enough that even the sickest perverts will think twice before hurting innocent children.