Current Event for Week of 10/2/06

Did T.O. attempt suicide?

Dallas Cowboy star receiver Terrell Owens put two more pain pills in his mouth after he already has his regular dosage. A friend intervened and Terrell Owens was rushed to the hospital. Before all this happened, T.O. told his friends he was depressed...

Read the article here.

What do you think? A bad reaction to medication? A suicide attempt? Why is this such a big story? Weigh in with your opinion...

Current Event for Week of 9/25/06

U.S. Eases Carry-On Liquid Ban

The US airlines are loosening the ban on liquids allowed on planes. They will now allow liquids, aerosols and gels, providing that they are in small travel-sized containers. They will also allow beverages providing that they have been purchased at the airport.

Read the enire article here.

What do you think? Should liquids have been banned in the first placed? Is this infringing on our rights of freedoms?

Current Event for Week of 9/25/06

To Hell and Back
Its more than a year since hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. This current event is about a man who lived through it and was placed in the Superdome... now a year later they are reopening it. The superdome opens Sep.25,06. It talks about how the people lived in it and many interesting facts about the people there.

Read the article here.

What do you think? Although the Superdome is re-opening, how much work is still left in New Orleans?

Current Event for Week of 9/25/06

Family of 3rd preemie to die of overdose speaks

Three Indiana infants die after being given adult size doses of a blood thinner called heparin. Heparin is usually given to premature babies when they are born. A grandmother of a 5 day old premature infant said that the infant had been breathing on her own before she received the drug. The pharmacy technician accidentally stored adult doses in the neonatal unit. The hospital will offer to pay for family counseling and provide restitution.

Read the article here.

What do you think? Who should be held accountable?

Current Event for Week of 9/25/06

Eat a roach and be the first in line

Six Flags is asking people to eat a cooked cockroach during Halloween-themed FrightFest. Anyone who chows down the entire 2- to 3-inch horned cockroach gets a pass for four people to cut to the front of ride lines through Oct. 29. It starts on Friday October 7th. Park officials insist it's safe to eat the crunchy critters, but health officials are cautioning participants.

Read the article here.

What do you think? Good idea or bad idea? Would you do it?

Current Event for Week of 9/18/06

Animal-Human Hybrids Spark Controversy
Diffrent group of scientist all around the world have been succesfully
combining human DNA to animal DNA and creating human-animal chimeras—named
after a monster in Greek mythology that had a lion's head, goat's body, and
serpent's tail. Chinese scientists at the Shanghai Second Medical University
in 2003 successfully fused human cells with rabbit eggs. they allowed the
embryos to grown for several days before they were destroyed to make stem
cells. At Stanford University scientists have been preparing to create mice
with human brains. Scientists argue that doing these procedures may help in
many medical discoveries and how to treat many fatal diseases that plague
many americans. Many people say that this is ethically wrong but others
argue its for the sake of humanity, where do you stand?

Read the Article here.

Current Event for Week of 9/18/06

Tanning salons give color to Chinese yuppies

This is about how the chineese are starting to tan in contrast with the usuall whitening skin treatments that they do. It used to be considered a sign of poverty but now it is becoming fashionable.

Read the article here.

What do you think? Is this an example of the Chinese "acculturation" to American norms? Is this proof of us eventually becoming a single, global, culture?

Current Event for Week of 9/18/06

Police: College shooter shot self after hit in arm

A 25 year old man went on a rampage at Montreal College. The Suspect
posted pictures of himself with the rifle hours before and said
about feeling crazy and postal. He went from a subway to the college
where he injured 20 people one of which died. The woman died at the
hospital later that day. The police wasted no time in going after
him instead of wait for a S.W.A.T. Team and the suspect shot himself
after being shot in the arm.

Read the article here.

Do you think the post Columbine society is more prepared for an
attack of this nature? Do you think that society is responcible with
the fear created because of Columbine? Do you think that it is
possible that something could happen of that nature here?

Current Event for Week of 9/18/06

Feds to require stability control on all vehicles

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently announced
that it will require all car manufactures to install electronic
stability control on all vehicles by 2012. Electronic Stability Control
(ESC) uses a variety of sensors to detect when a car is a skid or
rollover is happening, or is about to happen, because of hard cornering
or slippery road conditions.
The proposed rule would require all manufacturers to equip passenger
vehicles under 10,000 pounds with ESC starting with the 2009 model year
and to have the feature available as standard equipment on all vehicles
by the 2012 model year. Several studies have shown ESC to be extremely
effective in preventing the most dangerous types of crashes. ESC tends
to prevent more single-vehicle crashes, which usually involve a vehicle
running off the road, the study found, but it also helps prevent the
most serious, high-speed multi-vehicle crashes. The technology had
little effect on less serious "fender bender" crashes, presumably
because those types of crashes usually do not involve loss of vehicle
control.

Read the article here.

About 43,000 people are killed in auto crashes in the United States each
year. The agency estimates that ESC will save between 5,300 and 10,300
lives annually and prevent between 168,000 and 252,000 injuries.
Do you think that ESC will help to prevent major car crashes and save
lives? Do you think that the cost of this requirement will be put on the
consumers?

Current Event for Week of 9/11/06

Some colleges evicting suicidal students

Schools say it sends a message, critics argue it keeps
kids from getting help
A 19-year-old depressed college girl who attempted
suicide by downing handfuls of Tylenol, then called
911, was thrown out of Hunter college because by her
actions she violated her housing contract.
In the past few years, colleges have been trying to
come up with ways in which to decrease the some 1,100
dorm resident suicides every year, and decide what are
the appropriate actions to take when suicide is being
attempted. Specifically, Hunter College in New York,
has disposed of a 3-year-old suicide policy due to the
allegations that evicting students from dorms violates
federal law protecting those disabled from
discrimination.
There seems to be 'no right answer.'

Read the article here.


Will policy scare students from getting help?
What should be the roles of colleges?
What are the proper precautions colleges should take
control of in order to stop these individuals from
thinking that they have only one alternative?
When should colleges step in when they notice a
depressed pupil?

Current Event for the Week of 9/11/06

Bush Urges Congressional Approval of Eavesdropping Program


President Bush is pushing for a program to allow the use of wiretapping on phone calls of suspected terrorists. He contends that his administration's policies on national security have made America safer since 9/11 and defends his position on the war in Iraq. The President strongly disagrees with a Supreme Court ruling against the wiretapping and says it is necessary in order to protect our country against terrorists.

Read the article here.

What do you believe? Is wiretapping necessary for our protection, or is it a violation of our privacy. Weigh in with your thoughts.

Current Event for the Week of 9/11/06

Clemson's McElrathbey raises young brother


This article is about a college freshman (Ray Ray) that not only goes to school full time on a football scholarship but also is raising his eleven year old brother. Due to family problems, Ray Ray has taken on the responsibilities of making sure his brother is fed, dressed, and at school on time. However, because Ray Ray is on a scholarship, he is unable to receive charity to help feed and cloth his brother. The NCAA is working to help him out. This is his story.
Read the article here.

What do you think? Could you accept this responsiblity and still go to school? Should the NCAA allow McElrathbey to accept donations to help him successfully raise his brother. Weigh in with your comments.

Current Event for the Week of 9/4/06

Some stations want cursing out of '9/11'
CBS is planning to air a documentary on 9/11 this coming Sunday. The documentary originally began as a documentary on rookie firefighters, but became a first-hand account of 9/11. This will be the third time the documentary has aired, but the first time it's aired since Janet Jackon's "Super Bowl" incident. Many CBS stations fear showing the documentary because of fines from the FCC for cursing that occurs in the footage.

Read the article (from Yahoo News on Sun. 9/3) by clicking here.

Post comments on your views. What do you think? Should the cursing be blocked out of the documentary? Is this a violation of "free speech"? Is the historical context or meaning of the film lost without the cursing?