Current Event for 3/26/07

University revokes graduate's master's degree in plagiarism probe

Ohio University has conducted a year-long investigation of master's thesis papers in the field of mechanical engineering. The investigation has caused one individual to have his/her degree revoked. There are 38 cases of plagiarism pending investigation.

Read the article here.

Do you think plagiarism is a problem in our school? Is the punishment here harsh enough? Not enforced at all? Do you think that OU's revoking of a degree is too harsh for plagiarism?

Current Event for Week of 3/26/07

Students give up social networks for Lent

What do chocolate, swearing, and myspace have in common?

They may all be things that people gave up for Lent this year.

Read the article here.

Many students gave up using social networking sites for Lent this year. Do you think that social networking sites are beneficial? Are they overused? What are the benefits/disadvantages to using them over face-to-face interaction with friends?

Current Event for the week of 3/19/07

Biology Teacher Fired for Referring to Bible

Recently in Oregon Kris Helphinstine a part-time high school biology teacher was fired after incorporating themes from the bible, things about Nazi Germany, and planned parenthood into his power points. Parents complained that the teacher didn't have the right to teach those things in the classroom and that he was preventing the students from learning what they really needed to know. In a phone interview Helphinstine said that all he was trying to do was teach students that there is bias in different sources and how to think critically.

Read the article here

What do you think about this situation? Do you think that the teacher was fired unfairly? Was this really a violation of church and state? Or do you perhaps think that the parents were right?

Current Even for the Week of 3/19/07

Should Driving with a cell phone be illegal?

Driving while under the influence of alcohol or an illegal substance is against the law; however, what if driving while under the use of a cell phone was against the law? Some people today argue that driving with a cell phone is dangerous not only to a driver, but also to a pedestrian.

read the article here

Should driving with a cell phone be banned? Do you agree or disagree with the article?

Current Event for the Week of 3/19/2007

Student free speech vs. school drug policy

in 2002, a student in Juneau, Alaska was suspended from high school for 10 days after displaying a banner that read: "Bong Hits 4 Jesus." The banner was displayed during a parade in which the Olympic torch was carried through the town. The student was standing across the street from his high school, not on official school grounds. The student is suing the principal for confiscating the banner and suspending him from school. The case has worked its way through the federal court system, and is now being heard by the United States Supreme Court.

Read the article here.

Does the student deserve the suspension for his actions, or did the school administration react too harshly? Are school officials correct in believing that this case will significantly harm their abilities to host a drug free environment in their buildings? To what extent to individuals have the freedom of speech?

Current Event for the Week of 3/12

Lawyers: Grand jury indicts at least 3 officers

A grand jury Friday indicted at least three of the five police officers whose 50-shot barrage killed an unarmed man on his wedding day, lawyers for the officers said. It was not immediately disclosed if the other officers were also charged.

Read the article here.

Do you think what these men did was morally correct? Do you think they did it as a hate crime? Should police be allowed such freedoms? How do you think his fiancee and child will deal with his loss?

current event week of 3/12/07

Lohan is released from jail!

According to CNN.com Lindsay Lohans dad was finally released after spending almost two years in the New York state prison for driving drunk. Now that he is out he is awaiting to spark back up his relationship with his daughter Lindsay Lohan.



Read article here.


Do you think Lindsay Lohan should give her dad another chance? Do you think he even deserves a second chance? Do you see Micheal Lohan as a threat?

Current Event for the Week of 3/12

Kyle King looks forward to full recovery

Kyle King was a survivor of the March 2 bus crash in Atlanta. He and his baseball team was traveling to flordia to play games. The crash killed 5 of his baseball mates, the bus driver and his wife. Many were injured.

Read article here.

What do you think of the story? Do you think he should go back to school? Do you think someone should be responsible for the crash?

Current Event for the Week of 3/12

Kyle King looks forward to full recovery

Kyle King was a survivor of the March 2 bus crash in Atlanta. He and his baseball team was traveling to flordia to play games. The crash killed 5 of his baseball mates, the bus driver and his wife. Many were injured.

Current Event for the Week of March 12th,2007.

Is having Graduation Ceremonies in Churches wrong?


A School District in Trenton, New Jersey is being sued for holding their graduation ceremony in a Baptist Church when many of their students were Muslim. According to the Muslim religion, they are not allowed to enter a place with other religious markings.

Read the article here.



Do you think that Graduations should be held in churches? Is it right for the school to be sued, or should the punishment be more? If you were or are of a minority religion, how would you feel being made to graduate in the majority's churches?

Current Event for the Week of 03/05/07

Alleged child abductor refuses life sentence plea deal

Man accused of abducting two boys and making pornagraphic videos of them. He also sexually assualted them. Man was then sentenced to life and prison and is trying to revoke the ruling.

Read the Article here.

Do you think that he should still be sentenced to life in prison? Should he be able to get out? What do you think should be done?

Current Event for the Week of 3/5/2007

U.S. Mint goof creates 'Godless dollars'

An unknown number of the new gold dollar coins made it past the inspectors without the edge inscription of "In God We Trust." Matters are being investigated by the company however the 'Godless' coins have stirred up controversy.

Read the article here.

Who do you agree with? Do you think they purposefully left off the lettering or was it an honest mistake? Why do you think the coins are going for so much on EBay? Do you like the new coins or do you prefer paper dollars?

Current Event for the Week of March 5th

How do you cheat at NASCAR?

With the Daytona 500 less than a week away, four crew chiefs were suspended yesterday after inspectors discovered modifications to their cars that violated NASCAR rules. The cars apparently had holes drilled in the wheel wells and in the back to make them more aerodynamic.

Read the article here.

What do you think about NASCAR cheating? Do you think they should be penalized for it or is it unnecessary?

Current event for the week of 3/5/07

Man found dead in Green home with guns, explosives, drugs

In green a Vietnam veteran was found dead on his living room floor when his brother came to check on him. along with a dead body the Green's shierff department discovered more than 100 guns, explosives and drugs. it is still under investigation.

read this article here
i know there is not much to think about in this article, but i guess if your going to comment on this, what are your feelings on this article, and how would you feel/react if you were faced with this situation?!?

Current Event for the Week of 3/5

Britney Spears rehab suicide bid

Britney Spears attempted suicide in rehab last week, according to The News of the World.

The paper claims Britney also wrote devil's number, 666, on her shaved head and began screaming "I am the Antichrist!" at frightened clinic staff.

"She was crying, and shouting, 'I am the Antichrist!' a source told the paper.

"The clinic people just didn't know what to do. Then she started screaming, 'I'm a fake! I'm a fake!'

Read Article Here

Do you think this is just a cry for help or attention?

Do you think this act is just a cover up for the reasoning why she shaved her head?

Mom pleads guilty to using baby as a weapon

A woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to swinging her 4-week-old son like a bat to hit her boyfriend during a fight, fracturing the infant's skull in the process.
Chytoria Graham, 27, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child under a plea agreement with prosecutors.


Read the article here.


What do you think about this story?
How would you react if you saw this taking place?
How much punishment do you think she deserves?

Current Event for the Week of 3/5

March 5, 2007 - Nearly four out five children in U.S. hospitals receive drugs, including morphine, that have not been tested and approved for pediatric use, according to a study that reviewed over 355,000 cases in 31 hospitals. Study leader Dr. Samir S. Shah, a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, says that over the past five years, the prescribing of so-called "off-label" adult drugs for children has been growing. "What we want is to shed light on the magnitude of this problem," says Shah.

Read Article Here....

How do you feel about this?

Do you think its wrong to five children adult med.s?

Current Event for the Week of 3/5

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — Officials have tried poison, gassing and euthanasia to control a breeding frenzy among squirrels in a city park here. Now, they plan to give birth control a shot.

Under a new program to start this summer, squirrels in Palisades Park will be injected with an immuno-contraceptive vaccine to stunt their sexual development.

"We don't want to kill them if we don't have to," said Joe McGrath, the city's parks chief. "I personally like squirrels, but we also have to be receptive to the county's concerns."

Read Article HERE...

Do you think this is a good idea?

Is the birth control going to harm the squirrels?

Current Event for the week of 03/05/07

NASA is running low on funding.

According to CNN.com NASA is capable of tracking killer asteroids that have the potential to decimate almost every living organism on this planet. Even though know what they need to do to track the asteroids the U.S. government says that the program cost way too much for its significance.

Read the article here.

Do you think that the government should fund this program? Are you ever worried about killer asteroid one day ending life on this planet as we know it?

Current Event for the Week of 3/5/07

Critics denounce Pizza Hut reading program


You've read the book, now eat the pizza. Since 1985, that's been the gist of Pizza Hut's Book It, an incentive program used by 50,000 schools nationwide to reward young readers with free pizzas. The program is now under attack by child-development experts who say it promotes bad eating habits and turns teachers into corporate promoters.

Read the article here.

Do you think Pizza Hut is the cause of childhood obesity? How do you feel Book It helps, or harms our yungsters of today? Does the educational aspect of Book It out weighs the pizza unhealthy reward? Please comment and voice your oppinion because I know all of us participated in Book It.

Current Event for the Week of 3/5/07

Suspect arrested in Michigan dismemberment murder

A man suspected of killing and dismembering his wife was arrested Sunday nearly 300 miles from his home. Stephen Grant had been the subject of a manhunt since police discovered what they believe to be the torso and body parts of his wife.

Read the article here.

How do you feel about this story? What do you think Stephen's punishment should be? Should the punishment be even worse because he ran from the police?

Current Event for the Week of 2/26/07

In New Brunswick, NJ, Ahmed Rashed, a 27 year old doctor admitted to having severed a hand from a cadaver (dead body) as a medical student and giving it to a stripper he befriended. He pleaded guilty to his charge of third-degree theft and was, rather than being charged, put on a fifteen month unsupervised probation, during which time he will not be able to practice medicine. In court, Rashed apologized for his actions, saying he "meant no harm" and that he has outgrown the immaturity he displayed.

Read the article here.


What do you think about what Rashed did? Should his sentence have been greater? Do you think he should ever be allowed to practice medicine again?