Entry #8 May 18th, 2016

Rougned Odor suspended for 8 games, Jose Bautista for 1 game

May 17th, 2016

CBC News, The Canadian Press

Overview:

   Major League Baseball Player, Rougned Odor has been suspended eight games for his punch to the face on Jose Bautista during the Texas-Toronto game. The punch caused a bench clearing brawl between the two teams at the top of the eighth inning. Blue Jay's third basemen, Josh Donaldson, and Jay's center fielder, Kevin Pillar, were fined for their aggressive actions during the brawl.

   The incident started when Ranger's pitcher, Matt Bush for intentionally hitting Jose Bautista. As Bautista was running into second base, he clipped Odor and Odor punched him in the face. Both benches cleared in a matter of seconds. The huge rivalry between Toronto and Texas started after their playoff series last year.

   Rumors surrounding Odors punched are being traced back to Jose Bautista's famous bat flip.

Jose Bautista punched by Roughned Odor during Rangers-Jays game.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/mlb/blue-jays-rangers-brawl-discipline-1.3585532

Opinion:

   In my opinion, I think that the fight was a good entertainment for the crowd. Fights happen all the time in various different sports. I also think that all of the suspensions given, were fusible under the circumstance. Players in baseball do not get punched in the face very often and this incident needs to be taken heavily.

   Also, the punched can be traced back to last year's playoff run. Odor already was not a fan of Bautista because of the bat flip. He felt like it was unnecessary and Jose was just trying to show off. Until Jose Bautista admits that his bat flip was eccentric, then there will always be bad blood between these two teams as long as Jose stays in a Jays jersey.

   This is one incident that can be viewed where one player's action from a different season can still stick with someone and cause hatred towards another player continuing every time they face each other.

Entry #7 May 1st, 2016

Justin Trudeau will not pay ransom to terrorists

April 25th, 2016

CBC News, Peter Zimonjic

Overview:

  68 year-old John Ridsdel was beheaded by ISIS members in the Philippines. Ridsdel was kidnapped on September 21, 2015 along with another Canadian, Robert Hall. That means he has been in capture of ISIS for more than 7 months. ISIS held a ransom of 8 million dollars for Ridsdel's freedom. He was killed after the deadline for the ransom was not met.

   Prime Minister Trudeau publically condemned the killing of John Ridsdel saying "The government of Canada is committed to working with the government of the Philippines and international partners to pursue those responsible for this heinous act and to bring them to justice." Trudeau expressed his condolences Ridsdel family and friends who will miss him deeply.

   Trudeau also took time to restate that the Canadian Government does not negotiate with terrorists in any way, shape, or form. He firmly told the public that paying ransoms to terrorists will not solve any problems and Canada will continue to expel any transactions made with terrorists whether directly or indirectly.

   Along with the United States and the United Kingdom, Canada stands broad against any ransoms to terrorists for kidnappings. Countries like Germany, Spain, and France however. Do pay the ransom for the return of their citizens. Trudeau continues other countries to stop paying off terrorists.

Robert Hall and John Ridsdel captured by ISIS

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-statement-cabinet-1.3551979

Opinion:

   In my opinion, I think that Justin Trudeau made the right decision to not pay the 8 million dollar ransom for the return of the Canadian citizens. If Trudeau agreed to pay the ransom then the captives would have return home safely and 8 million dollars is not going to hurt the Government. Money is not the issue in this circumstance. A soon as Trudeau decides to pay them, he will have to do the same for every Canadian citizen captured and taken as a hostage.

   Since Canada has a law to not negotiate with terrorists, Trudeau would also be breaking that law as a new Prime Minister. I think he has a sturdy concept on thinking about the consequences through and reviewing the best option. Clearly Justin Trudeau decides the best option for the country and not just for one family.

   I also believe that his approach on abolishing any sort of transactions with terrorists was dealt with maturely. The family of John Ridsdel probably would have paid the ransom themselves if they had the money. That means only wealthy people would be able to have their family members returned and lower income families would not be able to pay the ransom. Trudeau is for getting rid of any payments that could possibly be paid by anyone even if they have enough money to pay the ransom.

   Trudeau lastly did a considerable job sending his condolences to John Ridsdel's family and friends. I am sure that he thought about how the family must be feeling when they know that all the government had to do was pay the ransom. Now if one of Trudeau's family members were kidnapped, this would be a different story. But overall in my eyes, Justin Trudeau adapted well to this unfortunate incident and I think his message towards paying off terrorists was well sent out.Justin Trudeau will not pay ransom to terrorists

Entry #6 April 17th, 2016

Sarah Palin doesn't think Bill Nye is a real scientist

April 14th, 2016

Huffington Post, Paige Lavender

Overview:

   Former Governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican Vice-President, Sarah Palin, stated that Bill Nye is not a real scientist. After the showing of the new anti-climate change film, Climate Hustle, Palin's criticism towards Nye began.

   The event for the film was in Washington, D.C. where it was announced that the documentary film would be I theaters for one day only. The documentary features a clip of producer Marc Morano interviewing Bill Nye about his opinion on climate change. The film focuses a lot on how there is a lot more to consider about climate change than mankind alone. 97% of the world believes that humans are the cause to global warming. The documentary is part of the 3% who do not.

   In the interview, Nye speaks about the negative effects of global warming and how mankind plays a major part in global warming and climate change. Palin chastises Nye at the event in Washington that she "is just as much as a scientist as he is." She rants on about Nye being nothing more than a television entertainer for kids. She believes his opinion is irrelevant and denies that mankind has any part to play climate change.

   Bill Nye, however, worked as an engineer in Boeing. He received a Bachelor Degree at Cornell University from studying mechanical engineering. Nye now is a visiting professor at Cornell. He also helped with the construction of NASA's Exploration Rover project by deigning sundials for the exploration.

                                          Sarah Palin Criticizes Bill Nye on climate change opinion

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sarah-palin-bill-nye_us_57101cefe4b0018f9cb993a1

Opinion:

   In my opinion, I think Sarah Palin has no idea what she is talking about. She clearly just says the first thing on her mind without thinking before she says and has nothing to back up her redundant statements. How can she say that Bill Nye is as much as a scientist as she is. Bill Nye is a distinguished scientist who loves his work while Palin is a community college graduate. I can't comprehend how a former Governor can make such a false statement.

   This year, it seems that she lends her support to ideas that just don’t add up. She has announced to the public that she supports Donald Trump's Presidency Campaign even though she has not said why she supports him or why she thinks he'll make a good president. The reason she called out Bill Nye for being a non-scientist is because he has a different view of climate change than her. There are even facts about how fossil fuels are the cause of climate change so I don’t know why she denies it isn't.

   Sarah Palin does not have enough common sense to realize what is right and what is wrong. She is so focused on saying what will whatever make her look reputation better. The problem is that she says the wrong things. Bill Nye is an entertainer for children and a well-respected scientist. Taking jabs at an icon is not the greatest plan for someone who is generally not liked by society. Bill Nye shared his concern about climate change and was compensated by a former politician publically trying to degrade his profession.

Entry #5 April 9th, 2016

Gucci advertisement banned after thin model controversy

April 7th, 2016

Huffington Post, Jamie Feldman

Overview:

   Gucci's "Cruise 2016 Campaign" Ad has been banned from the United Kingdom. One of the models in the video advertisement was deemed "unhealthily thin" by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ASA also stated that the model's head and lower body appear to be 'out of proportion' with her arms and torso. The dark make up around her eyes and her somber expression makes her look 'gaunt'. They added saying that the advertisement gives woman a negative attitude about their appearance.

   The Gucci ad first appeared at the end of 2015 in December on "The Times" website. Gucci acknowledged the ASA saying that the advertisement was targeted to mature, sophisticated viewers. They said that they don’t see how someone can be deemed so thin that it's unhealthy.

   The ASA has told Gucci directly that unless changes are made to the advertisement, it will not be allowed to the public's eyes. A new cut of the advertisement has been released showing the "too thin" model at different camera angles.

   The regulations for models have changed dramatically. The ASA has banned a numerous amount of advertisements in the last year simply for models being too thin. Last year, France changed the ruling that a model will be banned if they are not over a certain body mass index. A healthier image of body perception is currently being put into place in the fashion industry.

                  'Thin' Gucci model leaning against wall

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gucci-ad-banned-model-too-thin_us_57067b72e4b053766188dea5

Opinion:

   In my opinion, this article shows the controversy between what is considered healthy or not. Most people think of unhealthiness as inserting toxins into out body or overeating. We don’t think about how unhealthy it is to starve or force ourselves to throw up after meals. I'm glad that there are authorities who take this matter very seriously. When I see skinny models on advertisements, I get one dark image in my mind: the holocaust. The images of holocaust survivors are gruesome. They have almost no colour and you can see their rib cages. How much of a physical difference is there between them and starving models.

   Anorexia and Bulimia are problems in our world that can be traced back to fashion advertisements. Gucci, Victoria Secret, Louis Vuitton, etc. are all examples of companies with models who can be argued as "twigs". When we see these gorgeous 100lbs. models walking around, we feel guilty about how our body looks compared to theirs. To me, it seems like these companies encourage you to starve yourself daily just to get that thigh gap. 97% of women have an "I hate my body" moment once a day. It is because of these stressful ads forced onto people that drive them to the perception of thinking they will always be overweight.

   I cannot say that I endure the gloomy thoughts of having to lose weight, but I do know the negative thoughts that come as you see someone on TV with the "ideal body". Society should not be showing advertisements of feeble people walking around in expensive clothing, but of those who want a positive change in their body. We should promote going to the gym and eating healthy foods simply because we want to live a healthy life. 

Entry #4 March 7th, 2016

Indian Man Kills 14 Family Members
CNN, Harmeet Shah Singh & Tim Hume

Overview:
   Husnain Anwar Warekar allegedly murdered 14 of his family members. His Wife, Father, Mother, three of his Sisters, and six children are reported to have been killed.
   The family had traveled to Warekar's house for a family event and were to stay the night. Warekar slipped sedatives into their dinner meal. Later on, when the entire family was unconscious from the sedatives, he slit their throats. He then hung himself before anyone had realized that the entire family was dead.
   One of the women, who's throat Warekar had slit, survived the attack and was able to call the police.
   The incident happened just outside of Mumbai, India. Mourners gathered around the coffins of the murdered family to pay their respects for this tragic occurrence. The motivation for the killing spree is yet to be determined by investigators.

Mourners gather around coffins of murdered family

Opinion:
   This is an incident that can't be explained very well on how someone feels about it. No one can even begin to understand how 14 people were killed by someone who they share the same blood with. It's ridiculous.
   There is no good enough reason that a man would have to murder his own family and then himself. The family were gathering together for a family event. If they had done something to Warekar then I don't think his entire close family would be visiting him.
   The real reason this kind of tragedy gets me upset is because Warekar didn't even have enough courage to stand up for his actions. There was no explanation to the cause of the deaths or an explanation of where he would be able to get sedatives from. Warekar is a coward because he knew that he wouldn't be able to live with himself after the inhumane action he had committed.

Entry #3 February 18th, 2016

Nike Ends Endorsement Contract with Manny Pacquiao
ESPN, Darren Rovell

Overview:
   On February 17th, Nike terminated their endorsement contract with professional Filipino boxer, Manny Pacquiao. While appearing in a Filipino television station, Pacquiao stated that people who have same-sex relationships are worse than animals. 
   "Have you seen any animals having male-to-male or female-female relations?" Pacquiao said. "If you have male-to-male or female-to-female relationships, then people are worse than animals."
   Hours later, Pacquiao tweeted out that he was sorry for comparing homosexuals to animals but that he is still against same-sex marriages. In fact, he even said that he was happy that people were shocked by the truth of how he feels about this dispute.
   Nike then dropped him after the comments he made went out to the public. Nike has stated that the comments Manny Pacquiao made were "abhorrent." His endorsement contract was dropped because Nike has history of supporting "rights for the LGBT community."
   In 2012, Pacquiao made other comments about same-sex marriage being wrong because it was "the law of God." Manny Pacquiao is currently the most popular athlete and person from the Philippines. He is the run for a Senate seat which is believed to lead him to Presidency.

Nike cuts ties with Manny Pacquiao after derogatory comments

Opinion:

   I think Manny Pacquiao's comments were discriminating and just unfair towards people who have same-sex relations. Manny Pacquiao is a world-renowned boxer and role-model. Anyone who is a professional athlete and an Ambassador for their country, is highly looked up to. The Philippines do not accept gay and lesbian marriages as easily as North Americans do. For someone that famous, he should know better than do say something discriminatory like that. Even if he doesn't accept gay and lesbians, he can't say something negative towards a certain group of people. The fact that he made the comment that these people are worse than animals is not even the worse part. He said something inappropriate and then apologized right after he said it. It is quite clear that he is not sincerely sorry about what he said. How can some one make a negative comment towards a group of people and then try and make things better by saying something that you they don't actually mean. Manny Pacquiao needs to realize that there are a lot of people out there who look up to him but are having second thoughts because he voiced an opinion on something that did not need to be voiced.

Entry #2 February 8th, 2016

Chicago Police Officer sues victim's family over shooting

BBC News, no author listed

Overview:

   Last December, 2014, a 19 year old Quintonio LeGrier was shot and killed by police officer Robert Rialmo who also ended up killing LeGrier's neighbour, Bettie Jones in the shooting. 

   Over a year later and Officer Rialmo is trying to sue LeGrier's family for $10 000 000 for causing him "severe emotional trauma."

   Rialmo was sent to Mr. LeGrier's residents responding to a domestic disturbance call. The police were called by Quintonio LeGrier himself. Rialmo claims that LeGrier "came charging down the stairs and swung a baseball bat at his head." Rialmo has also stated that he yelled at LeGrier to drop the bat but shot him once he swung repeatedly. He fired six shots which killed Quintonio LeGrier and his neighbour, Bettie Jones, who was watching the event.

   "The fact that LeGrier's actions had forced Officer Rialmo to end LeGrier's life and to accidentally take the innocent life of Bettie Jones has caused, and will continue to cause, Officer Rialmo to suffer extreme emotional trauma, the lawsuit says." 

   LeGrier's lawyers have stated that Mr. Rialmo was at least 20 ft. away from Quintonio when he fired the six shots. The lawyers also asked why LeGrier would attempt to attack the officer when he was the one who called the police in the first place.

Friends and family held pictures of the victim, Quintonio LeGrier, at a vigil in Chicago

Opinion

   This traumatic event is another example of how white police officers act against black civilians. This isn't the first time something like this has happened recently. There has been over 20 other cases of civil right violations in the U.S. in the last few years. 

   If this student had happened to be white then would he have lived that day. Police officers are not the only examples of people being prejudicial.

   People all over the world have to realize when they are being discriminatory. Someone so stubborn like Officer Rialmo might not even realized he acted over stereotypes. I don't think that anyone would want to have to deal with a handful of lawsuits so the faster that everyone can accept another human over the colour of their skin, then lives like Quintonio LeGrier will not be mistreated.