Synopsis:
If you weren't already aware, Friday marked a tragic day for the U.S.A. Adam Lanza shot and killed a total of 27 people. Twenty children all the age seven or six, his mother, and some of the school faculty. After this massacre he took his own life in the school. There are several questions that come up from this tragic event, some of which i will address.
Analysis:
There is no doubt that this day was extremely devastating, especially to the families who lost their children. The parents sending their little ones off to school not knowing that they will never get to hold them, talk to them, play with them, or say "I love you" to them ever again. Adam Lanza was said to have a mild form of azburgers, and some people are actually trying to make excuses for him! Azburgers disease isn't something that makes people go onto a murderous rampage, it makes it so they are socially awkward, exceptionally smart, and can get frustrated. The police and doctors say this has no significant impact on this massacre.
There was a total of 28 deaths including the gunman. 20 of these murders were children all the ages of six and seven. These children had no connection with the shooter, so why did he choose that school specifically? Reports say that his mother worked there as a substitutes sometimes, which may have led to it. The articles that say his mother worked their full time are false, she only worked their a couple times.
Nobody really knows what triggered him to do something so violent, some say it was the video games he played, some people base it off of his disease, and some just think he snapped. Some people that knew him said that they didn't trust him, or he was weird. His family said that they could tell he wasn't normal by the time he was five. He would not make eye contact for more than a few seconds at the most, he would look down and not socialize. "A former babysitter, Ryan Kraft, said Nancy told him never to leave Adam alone -- 'Never even to the bathroom or turn your back on him at any time.'"(source at bottom)
Now one crucial question is should fire arms be banned? That if something that i cannot agree with. If guns are banned, then only the criminals will have them! Think about it, if you are a law abiding citizen and this law id passed, you wont own a gun! Now, criminals would smuggle them, hide them, and steal them, which would not be good. It would also cause riots and protests. And given all the recent violence and protests, i doubt we want to trigger anyone else.
There are some bitter heroic tragic deaths also. The school principle (listed below) tried to overpower the gunman, but as she was trying to overpower him she was shot and killed. One of the teachers Victoria Soto, 27, Heard the gun shots and hid all her students in the cupboards and closets. The gunman came in and she lied to him saying they were in the gym. She saved many lives, but unfortunately at the cost of her own.
This is one of the events who got me crying for hours. As i write this i am choking back tears. To think about the loss and the hurt is unbearable. I send my thoughts and prayers to the families. I hope that they can heal over time and slowly get back into the swing of things. As a country, this has definitely impacted us.
The victims are as follows:
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/newtown-shooting-gunman-feel-pain/story?id=17996682
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/newtown-shooting-motive_n_2306876.html
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/12/what-happened-newtown-connecticut-elementary-school-shooting
Synopsis
On December 11, 2012, North Korea launched a Nuclear rocket test without warning. This caused japan to call an emergency meeting with the UN. Even though North Korea says it is to launch a satellite, it still sends a threatening message and shows advances in their weapon technology.
Analysis
North Korea sent out this test rocket and plans to send another one later. Their new leader Kim Jong Un plans to make major steps forward, and this is one of the advancing steps. Stepping up his military arsenal. Japan is especially concerned with this development, and not knowing that this rocket would be launched can be perceived as an aggressive move.
Their improvement and progression is seen, compared to the previous launches in October 2006 and May 2009. "The U.S. believes the space launch test is part of a development plan for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the continental United States with a payload of several hundred kilotons -- 10 to 20 times the size of the bombs that destroyed the Hiroshima and Nagasaki"(source at bottom) A lot of people think the North Koreans are gearing up for when they would need it.
Seeing the quote above, that is an insane amount of power, imagine them starting to bomb south Korea and other countries. It all seems a bit fishy to me, and to not authorize this test just makes me even more suspicious.
I believe that this was a major wrong doing on North Korea's part, there should have been at least a discussion or warning. This is how fights start, and essentially war. This missile would've hurt the community and caused major panic if it landed too close. There is very little information about this topic, so all we can do is sit and wait for events to unfold.
*I will update as things get revealed*
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/12/us-korea-north-rocket-idUSBRE8BB02K20121212
http://world.time.com/2012/12/11/south-korea-says-north-korea-has-fired-long-range-rocket/
http://world.time.com/2012/12/11/south-korea-says-north-korea-has-fired-long-range-rocket/
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/12/ap-south-korea-says-north-korea-fired-long-range-rocket-121112/
http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/13/15875261-north-korean-progress-on-nuclear-arms-long-range-missiles-rattle-us-and-allies
Date: 12-5-12
Recently there was a proposed solution for bullying and discrimination toward bisexual, homosexual, etc. Which is to make an entire separate school for them. This way they will be separate from the bullies and near the people like them. There are some positive outlooks on this as well as many negative outlooks. This blog will highlight the main reasons to agree and disagree with this "Solution".
"Being segregated doesn't help gay kids learn, it doesn't help straight kids
learn, it doesn't help bullies learn," says Ritch Savin-Williams
This statement is completely true. If there are separate schools for homosexuals, bisexuals, etc. People will grow up with the illusion that they aren't like them and they wont associate with them. The less they are associated with the less likely they are to be accepted. It can also be a self esteem issue, one young boy or girl might not want to tell anybody about their sexual orientation. If they do they might be self conscious and they wont even want to go to school at all. Some parents are even forcing their children to attend these schools, because they believe it is protecting them from discrimination. The problem is, only conflict can spring from segregation.
We all know bullying is a problem, especially for gay young adults. In fact people who are gay, or bi were more likely to skip because of the bullying problem. The illusion that a special school would eliminate this problem is awesome in theory. It may help with the school problems, but what about the cyber bullying? or the out of school bullying? or the hate crimes? The problem isn't the kids who are being bullied, it is the bullies themselves. I believe that this special school will put the gay or bi kids under a microscope. They would be targeted because this school is drawing more attention towards them. People would only be more inclined to hate and discriminate, therefore causing more pain to the victims.
Now what are some of the positives?
It can create a temporary safe environment from the bullying they face in everyday school. In some cases it is a life line. This attention they would draw from the separate school wouldn't be entirely bad, it could excite alliances and support groups. These groups fund raise camps, activities, and therapy sessions to those in need. The attention would make them more apparent and more kids would be willing to join. They could be happier when they are surrounded by people who wont judge them, or beat them. I also believe if the schools are successful, it might lower suicidal rates among gay,bi,etc. teens.
In my opinion i think these schools would do more harm than good. People will protest because they don't want their tax dollars going towards something they might not agree with. If it is done right, with private fundraising i believe it could help the teens in need. As i said previously it would attract both positive and negative attention. The attention is basically like this, one step forward and two steps back. For every bad thing that happens in one minute can take weeks to recover from. One message can be the breaking point, and putting them under this microscope would inevitably end in disaster.
http://www.usnews.com/education/articles/2008/12/31/gay-high-schools-offer-a-haven-from-bullies
http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-37-spring-2010/homo-high
http://www.autostraddle.com/toronto-decides-whether-it-needs-separate-gay-high-schools-or-just-gay-equality-147048/
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2095385_2096859_2096805,00.html
