ISIS at it again

A new, grisly beheading video from ISIS includes a direct threat against President Obama and is one of at least three new warnings from the terror organization, including pledges to kill Jordanian and Japanese hostages if a hostage held by Jordan is not freed. Three Islamic State fighters stand behind a kneeling Kurdish fighter as one of the extremists launches into a diatribe against the U.S. and other Western nations. "Know, oh Obama, that will reach America,” says one of the fighters, clad in black and wearing a balaclava, in a translation from Arabic provided by MEMRI. “Know also that we will cut off your head in the White House, and transform America into a Muslim Province."

“And this is my message to France and to its sister, Belgium,” he said. “We advise you that we will come to you with car bombs and explosive charges, and will cut off your heads.” The video fades to black as one Islamic State fighter brings a knife up to the unidentified Kurdish fighter’s throat.

Current Events Final

1: The candidates were neck and neck for most of the race. The North Carolina ,midterm election was a close one the whole way, republican Thom Thillis was going up against democrat Kay Hagan. They both had practically the same tactic to get voters though Thom did more for the area than Kay. Thom Thillis was not expected to win, Kay Hagan was projected to win. Kay did not do as much around the area and didn't do as much advertising for her campaign. This resulted in an upset. Thom Thillis ended up pulling out a victory. This is an incredible upset and a surprise to me and everyone else. He didn't win by a lot but he still won.

2: The Ferguson incident in the country has become very controversial. There has been many acts of violence because of the decision. All these acts have a few things in common. They are the result of the jury decision not to indite Officer Wilson. Officer Wilson shot a teenage black male after he did not comply with Wilson's demands. African American people in Ferguson, Missouri feel like they were misrepresented in the case. They feel that Officer Wilson was let off because he was white and Micheal Brown is black. The people of the city started rioting because they did not like the decision. They started burning buildings and cars and getting very violent. I don't see the point of destroying your city because of it but i guess that's what they do. There weren't only riots in Ferguson, but there were ones in New York City, Los Angeles, and many other places.

3: Before Al Queada took responsibility for the attacks in Paris I already assumed it was them. Many of the attackers have been found. This was the worst terrorist attack for Paris in more than 50 years. The city and its people were in shock. Al-Qaeda has taken responsibility for attacks and threatened France with more violence.  Obama said,"The United States stands with you today, stands with you tomorrow." Everyone feels that we are all together and stand for freedom. This spirit of freedom will continue endlessly. This was made evident by a march and protest of 3 million people in France against terrorists. Many countries are there supporting with around 40 world leaders present. I know that the police are doing their best and working around the clock, but the risk is too high at the moment and the acts are very random and violent. I would not be going to Paris anytime soon even if i could. 

Spirits deflated... so are the balls.

The NFL has found that 11 of the New England Patriots' 12 game balls were inflated significantly below the NFL's requirements, league sources involved and familiar with the investigation of Sunday's AFC Championship Game told ESPN. The investigation found the footballs were inflated 2 pounds per square inch below what's required by NFL regulations. League sources have confirmed that the footballs were properly inspected and approved by referee Walt Anderson 2 hours and 15 minutes before kickoff, before they were returned to each team. Sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Wednesday that the Colts had concerns about deflated balls after their regular-season game against the visiting Patriots on Nov. 16.

During that game, Colts safety Mike Adams twice intercepted Tom Brady and gave the balls to the Colts' equipment manager to save and both times there were concerns about the balls feeling deflated, sources told Schefter. Yet to be determined is what, if any, penalties may be imposed upon the Patriots. One source described the league as "disappointed, angry, or distraught." I think the Patriots should be penalized severely for what they done. This is not the first time that they have cheated like this in recent years. They should not be in the superbowl because they cheated there way there.

Sir, do you have anything to declare?

Chinese customs officials on Sunday busted a Hong Kong man trying to sneak 94 iPhones into the mainland by strapping them on his body. The man caught the attention of inspectors at the Futian crossing in Shenzhen, a southern Chinese metropolis bordering Hong Kong, when he walked like someone carrying a heavy load despite appearing to travel light. In America we have drugs being smuggled, but China doesn't have drugs they have cell phones being smuggled in. In Hong Kong one of these cell phones is bought for $820 but in the mainland China they sell for over $1,000. The man was carrying three types of iphones, the newly released iphone 6, iphone 6+, and the iphone 5s. I think this is actually funny. I'm sure the United States border patrol wishes that cell phones were being smuggled into our country and not the dangerous weapons and drugs. I'm sure they also wish it was this easy to catch smugglers in the U.S. This man was carrying about $100,000 worth of cell phones on him so it is a good bust but we have shipments of drugs worth over $1,000,000 coming in and sometimes they don't get caught.So, that many drugs or weapons, or both, are then being sold in the U.S. for a huge profit. 

... and it contains?

More than 200 years after Samuel Adams and Paul Revere first buried it in Boston, it took an hour to remove all the objects crammed inside a tiny time capsule. Onlookers anxiously watched the unveiling Tuesday, worrying the items might not have weathered the years very well. Piece by piece, Pam Hatchfield, head of objects conservation for the museum, removed each item, whispering "wow" as she first caught a glimpse of some of them. Among the stash Hatchfield removed from the 1795 time capsule: Five folded newspapers, a Massachusetts commonwealth seal, a title page from Massachusetts colony records and at least 24 coins. And at the bottom, an inscribed rectangular silver plate, "probably made by Paul Revere and engraved by him," Rogers said. It took seven hours to reach the bottom of the capsule to get to the plate. it was a painstakingly slow process as they were trying not to damage anything in the capsule.

More Rambo :D

Sylvester Stallone released in a tweet that there will be another "Rambo" released. Rambo first blood was released in 1988 and was hugely popular. there has been four movies since the first movie. There is no release date for this new Rambo movie but i am hoping for it to be soon. Sylvester Stallone has starred in many movies, most being related to fighting, from the "Rocky" series to the "Rambo" series to the "expendables" series Sylvester Stallone is a very popular name and person and a lot of people like to watch his movies. At 68 years old he is definitely an older actor but he is in great shape for his age and says that he is more than healthy enough to make many more movies even though this will be the last Rambo movie released.

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!