Gun Contol

This post isn't really based on an event but everyone knows how big the debate on gun control is. I'm just giving my opinion of gun control. Its not the guns fault its the person who shot it. People are killing people. People can be killed with anything, guns make it quick and painless. If another weapon is used, like a knife, the victim could get stabbed multiple times before they die and that would be worse then instant death. I'm not saying murder with a gun is okay I'm just saying that the guns are not responsible for the murders. If guns are responsible for killing people then pens are responsible for making mistakes.

Hockey is poisoning

A carbon monoxide leak at a Wisconsin ice rink left 81 people hospitalized -- and a Zamboni could be to blame. The leak occurred Saturday at the end of a minor league hockey game between the Dells Ducks and the Ice Hawks in Lake Delton. Dozens of people were treated at local hospitals for dizziness, nausea, headaches, vomiting and fainting. Delton Fire Department officials said the cause of the leak was the rink's resurfacing machine, also known as a Zamboni. The incident started when several players complained of headaches and dizziness. Some had vomited and one had fainted. The Delton fire company said it recorded high readings of the gas from inside the Poppy Waterman Ice Rink, but at the time of the leak, many hockey players, staff and spectators had left. Fire and emergency personnel went to various locations to seek out those who had attended the game and transport them to hospital. Activities at the ice rink were canceled for Monday. "The good thing about this is a lot of people got sick all at once, so it was recognized quickly and the exposure was pretty limited," Matt Lazio, director of St. Clare's emergency department, told WISC. "But this is a potentially fatal kind of poisoning."

Ugly sweaters

New NFL ugly sweaters. A Cleveland based company is now making "ugly Christmas sweaters" for sports fans to wear to their ugly sweater parties. Fresh Brewed Tees, the company behind all this, thought it was genius. I think its extremely funny and if i was a judge of an ugliest sweater competition i would pick one of these just because I'm a sports fan.

MERRY MANZIEL EVERYONE

The future is here!

The Office of Naval Research reported Wednesday that its laser weapons system, given the acronym LaWS, had performed flawlessly in tests aboard the amphibious transport dock USS Ponce in the Arabian Gulf from September to November. "Laser weapons are powerful, affordable and will play a vital role in the future of naval combat operations," Rear Adm. Matthew L. Klunder, chief of naval research, said in a statement. "We ran this particular weapon, a prototype, through some extremely tough paces, and it locked on and destroyed the targets we designated with near-instantaneous lethality." Klunder said the laser performed so well that the commander of the Ponce is now able to use it in defense of the vessel. The laser could be used to stop threats ranging from drones and helicopters to small patrol boats. The laser weapon is safer than conventional arms that use propellants and explosive warheads, and more cost-effective. At less than a dollar per shot it is cheaper than some hunting rifle rounds. The laser also takes fewer crew members to operate. It can be fired by one sailor using a video game-like controller. The Navy hopes to deploy variations of the laser weapon system in the fleet by 2020. I think this is a great innovation to make ocean combat safer and to ensure that fewer americans will lose lives. I also think it is very cool that it seems like a ship is catching fire out of nowhere due to the fact that there is no visible laser beam.

Time to stop

18 year old Nolan Burch  went into cardiac arrest at the University of West Virginia. Nolan was from Williamsville right around the corner from us in Niagara Falls. and attended Canisius high school in Buffalo. Everybody that knew Nolan said he was a very social and outgoing kid. He liked sports and was a good student. West Virginia University is currently one of the top party schools in the country.

I just wanna play

What was supposed to be just a simple picture turned out to be an epic shot. Amateur photographer Steph Bellamy used her smartphone to take a picture of mothers and their children paddling at an Australian surfing competition. That's when a surprise visitor demanded its 15 minutes of fame. Out of nowhere, a shark pulled off the perfect photo bomb by jumping out of the water at the exact moment Bellamy was taking the picture. Talk about perfect timing. Bellamy showed the picture to organizers, which prompted them to clear the area. After about 15 minutes, the competition resumed. Nearby surfer Lee Winkler said, "It was having a bit of fun. It just jumped up and had a spin, then jumped up and had another spin, then went away." This was supposed to be a family fun trip and there was a shark?! I mean i know we can't control nature but its still outrageous that it could happen. I think it's pretty cool but it must have been terrifying for the people in the water. It looks to be a pretty big shark too.

Back to hitting players?

Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice won his appeal of his indefinite suspension for domestic violence and can now sign with any NFL team. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued Ray Rice, number 27 on the Baltimore Ravnes, a two game suspension for punching his at the time fiancee Janay Palmer unconscious in an elevator knocking her unconscious at an Atlantic City, New Jersey, casino in February. But after the elevator security video came out in September of Rice's one-punch knockout, the Baltimore Ravens released the three-time Pro Bowler, and his $35 million contract, and the NFL suspended him indefinitely. The appeals officer argued that Roger Goodell "double punished" Rice. He gave Rice a second, harsher punishment based on the same facts and knowledge of the case. Former U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Jones said "I do not doubt that viewing the video in September evoked horror in commissioner Goodell as it did with the public. But this does not change the fact that Rice did not lie or mislead the NFL at the June 16 meeting." Rice said in a statement he made Friday that this is an "inexcusable mistake" and he accepts full responsibility for what happened and he will work to become a better husband and eventually father while still giving back to the community. The NFL said in a statement that it respects the judge's decision, and that Rice is a free agent and would be eligible to play upon signing a new contract. Although Rice is now allowed to return to the league, the likelihood of him getting signed right away is highly unlikely. I do believe he will become a member of a team eventually but that will only happen after lots of community service and proof that he did it and when the publicity of this case dies down. He is a great running back and has great skills at this position and is also a great football player. I do think he should get signed because of all the other players in the NFL that have had various offenses and are still playing in the league.

He's Free?!

A St. Louis County grand jury declined to indict officer Darren Wilson, 28, for firing six shots that killed 18-year-old Micheal Brown. Crowds of protesters filled streets near the Ferguson police station following the announcement. Riots flared up across the area setting stores and a police car on fire, other stores were robbed, shots were fired and bricks were thrown. Police said they had been fired at and responded with smoke bombs, pepper spray, and tear gas. Protests sprang up all over the country but remained mostly peaceful except for a couple. Officer Wilson should not have been let off. It is more dangerous for him to be free because of all the people unhappy with the decision. He could get attacked and even killed himself. To some protesters even that would not be enough revenge for what he did to Micheal Brown.

AGAIN?!

More danger at the white house but this time the threat was stopped outside the grounds. The Secret Service arrested April Lenhart, a 23-year-old Michigan resident, at about 8:30 p.m. on Thursday on Pennsylvania Avenue near the North Lawn of the White House after she was spotted with a gun holstered under her shirt. It happened just minutes after the President delivered his speech on sweeping immigration changes he'll make by executive order. Obviously people are not happy about the immigration ruling Obama made with executive decision. People were outside of the White House already protesting the decision. It seems like every decision Obama makes backfires in his face in some way with the U.S. citizens getting mad about what he has done. Why cant the secret service keep this violence under control. They are supposed to be the best bodyguards in the world but they cant stop citizens from getting guns by the white house and crazy people with knives getting inside the white house.

Shots fired

Gunshots rattled a peaceful, packed Florida State University library early Thursday, with three students getting hurt as hundreds more huddled between bookshelves before police encountered and killed the gunman outside. One of the injured students is in critical condition and another is stable at Tallahassee Memorial hospital, the hospital said. The third victim, who was grazed by a bullet, was treated and released at the scene. Officers shot and killed the gunman within 3-5 minutes of the first shot fired. The school canceled all classes and exams Thursday in the wake of the shooting, offering counseling services to those directly and indirectly affected. 300 to 400 students filled Strozier library cramming at around 12:30 Thursday morning.

Monsters in synagogue

In a Jerusalem synagogue two Palestinian cousins wielding knives, axes and guns attacked the synagogue on Tuesday during morning prayers. Police responded quickly and killed the attackers inside the synagogue in West Jerusalem's Har Nof area. Six people were wounded, and three dual U.S.-Israeli citizens and a British-Israeli citizen had been killed. This is completely absurd, the fact that two guys busted into a religious building to shoot up the place is completely idiotic. Religious buildings are suppose to be safe places for citizens that do not want to be involved in the violence occurring in many parts of the world. The two guys who attacked the synagogue do not deserve to be dead they deserve to be sitting in prison for the rest of their lives thinking about the type of monster they are.

TOUCHDOWN!!

The European Space Agency (ESA) has landed on a comet. Rosettas Philae probe landed on the comet and will stay there for a few months running tests and discovering multiple things. They landed on the Comet 67P/Churyumov on November 12th this year.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Touchdown!_Rosetta_s_Philae_probe_lands_on_comet

This article has a great heading for the details given. The writer gave multiple supporting details about the landing and has accurate facts. This article makes  me want to dig deeper into more news articles so i can become more knowledgeable on many subjects. I think its very cool that they landed on a comet. They landed on a rock floating in the middle of an abyss, if that is not cool then i don't know what is. I think the writer could have been more straight to the point but overall it was a great article.

A disappointing prediction

Though I would like for republican Thom Thillis to win, sadly, I think democrat Kay Hagan will win. She made a good run in getting more people to vote for her and after that Thillis could not compare to it. He had more boots on the ground and was doing more to try to get votes but Kay Hagan had more money to spend and obviously had more vote. Hagan spent almost 22 million dollars on this midterm election. She has spent on average more money than anyone else has before. Is this the reason that she keeps winning? Apparently so which is very stupid because it should not be about who spends more money, it should be about who gets more votes based on how much they are liked by the state.

Why? Why? Why?

North Carolina has become the most expensive senate race this year. The race is between republican candidate Thom Thillis and democrat candidate Kay Hagan. Together they have spent over 113 million dollars. THIS IS NOT NECESSARY!!!!!!!!!! Candidates have become senators in the past for much less than this. Why do they spend so much when they will not make it back? NO ONE KNOWS!

Democrats projected to win....

Senator Kay Hagan has received boost in North Carolina. Of those who have voted so far, 47 percent have been registered Democrats and 32 percent are registered Republicans. Twenty-four percent of early voters are black. The figures are similar among the voters who did not vote in 2010. Kay Hagan has a great chance of winning this battle. There is only a small chance of Thom Thillis winning the battle but he is  not giving up, which he shouldn't. He has more "boots on the ground" meaning he has more people locally broadcasting about him and what he's doing.

Undecided voters in North Carolina

The undecided voters in North Carolina are becoming a huge factor in this midterm election. They will be the deciding factor to who wins this election. Hagan is up by the narrowest of margins but the race is still up for grabs. It all comes down to who wants it more or who's been trying to get those undecided voters to vote for their side. Even though Thillis is down, he has done more locally so think he will come out with the win. Thillis is a great candidate who is promising many beneficial things that could work out well for North Carolina. North Carolina has been a democratic state but many are unsatisfied with what Obama has done so the chances of it becoming a republican state are very good.

It's all about the money

http://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.php?id=NCS1&cycle=2014

Thom Thillis hasn't spent or raised nearly as much money this midterm as Kay Hagan but the race is still very close. Thom Thillis could spend more money to try and secure a spot but says it's not necessary

Big swing in North Carolina

Democrat Kay Hagan is currently ahead of republican Thom Thillis after a swing in the polls over the weekend. Hagan went from a 45% underdog to a 61% favorite to win the senatorial race in North Carolina. Sadly, North Carolina is projected to stay a democratic state by a small margin. Hagan hasn't clinched the victory Thillis could still come back and win it.

Special Voter ID

The voter ID issue in North Carolina in my opinion is not good. The government is trying to charge people to vote which they cannot do. They want people to buy a special license to vote and they will have to pay for the license required and it can only be used to vote. There will be no impact on the mid-term election because the law will not be established in North Carolina until the 2016 election. Thom Tillis has picked up momentum going into the homestretch of the race. Many things have led to this: Hagan admitted that she missed an Armed Services Committee meeting dealing with the Islamic State of Iraq, dissatisfaction with the Obama administration’s handling of domestic Ebola cases and several new stories about Hagan’s husband prospering from the stimulus law Hagan supported during her first months in the senate. This race is on pace to set a record for the most expensive senate race in history.

North Carolina

Obama won North Carolina in 2008 but the democrats started taxing the rich less and the poor more so there is a high chance North Carolina becomes a republican state. Beginning in 2016, North Carolina will require voters to show a photo ID when they show up to vote in person. Until 2016, most voters will not be required to show any form of identification when they vote. Under the new law, North Carolina residents are required to show a photo ID at polling places. The law was signed by Pat McCrory last month, and civil rights groups moved quickly to challenge it. They said that the law’s requirements will make it harder to vote and that racial minorities will be disproportionately affected because they are less likely to have the forms of photo ID required by the law. Gov. Pat McCrory said the law will protect the integrity of the election process. Voters will not be required to present a photo ID until the 2016 elections and insisted that the law was necessary to ensure that “no one’s vote is disenfranchised by a fraudulent ballot.” The New Law requires voters to present government-issued photo identification at the polls and shortens the early voting period from 17 to 10 days. It will also end pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-old voters who will be 18 on Election Day and eliminates same-day voter registration.