Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Typhoon brings Hong Kong to near standstill

Article from Channel News Asia.
Typhoon Utor started out in the Philippines, with 6 left dead. At Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Observatory labeled this typhoon a "number 8," which is the third highest level. 100 flights are to be canceled and 174 are to be delayed. Ferry services to and from outer islands and mainland China were paused, which left passengers at scattered terminals. Trees were blown over, and a satellite dish fell down onto a row of motorcycles. The Hong Kong stock exchange cancelled the morning session and decided at noon whether or not any trade would be going during Wednesday. The typhoon is going to head to Guangdong next, which is in southeast China. There are 17 temporary shelters opened by the government. Utor is predicted to boil down on either Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Disaster prevention teams are requested for the Guangdong area because there are waves up to 36 feet high north of the South China Sea.
An update for the Philippine's statistics: the death toll has gone to 6, and 5 people are still missing. 42,000 people are still homeless. Utor had winds up to 125 miles/hour, which made it the strongest storm this year.

Natural disasters have a huge impact on everybody's lives. Although they can be predicted, there is only so much we can do in terms of preparing. Not only does it create emotional stress for the people, but also financial stress for both the government and the people. Some people may only thing that the financial stress happens in other countries other than America and Canada, but as Hurricane Sandy proved it, that is not the case. Hurricane Sandy left so much damaged that Ellis island had to be closed, as well as some of the dock stores. They are all asking for donations in order to stay open. Many people had to buy new housing. In many cases, insurance cannot simply cover all the costs. We must try our best to help by giving small (or large) donations of money, food, clothing, etc.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Railway in Quebec train to lose license

Article from Chron.
Canada's transportation agency is suspending the operating license of a U.S.-based rail company. Their oil train derailed and exploded, which killed 47 people in a town in Quebec. The certification is to be taken away August 20, 2013. The train had 72 tankers of crude oil, with several of them exploding, destroying 40 building. The train's operator was blamed by the company for not setting enough hand brakes. This specific disaster has brought up questions about the use of rail transport for oil. Dozens of jobs are at stake because of this license confiscation. Since the derailment, 24 out of the 75 employees from Quebec already lost their jobs. Pierre Arseneau, who works for the United Steelworkers, is afraid that the loss will affect more than just the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway, only if there is no solution soon. He says that "It's also the whole economy of the region. There are lots of companies that depend on the railroad." MM&A Railway already announced that they plan to sell their rail line to another party so they can pay off their debts.

I think this is a major problem for that area because pretty much all motor vehicles and airplanes depend on this petroleum. Without the transport, there could be extreme changes for the environment.

British 'drug mules' claim they were forced at gunpoint to carry cocaine by Colombian gang

Article from The Telegraph.
Michaella McCollum Connolly, 20, and Melissa Reid, 19, were described as “weepy and upset” as they were awaiting a court appearance. An Irish-American bishop visited them in their police cell and they told him that they were flown by a gang from Izbiza to Morocco by a gang, before being taken to Peru. The two women have to wait up to 36 months before they even get to stand trial. This is due to Peru's slow legal system. Both of the women were arrested in Lima because they tried to board a flight carrying 11kg of cocaine (worth £1.5 million), which was hidden inside food packets. Reid claims that she "..was forced to take these bags in my luggage" and when asked if she knew if they had drugs in them, "I did not know that." Strange enough, their families had no idea that they had gone to Peru, until they found out that the two women had been arrested. Apparently, the women were taken by Colombians, who threatened them at gunpoint. However, just because the women had the drugs does not necessarily mean that they intentionally or willingly took them. The Archbishop Walsh believes that they have been set up. The family of Connolly is shocked that this has happened, and have arranged flights to see her, and also have arranged for her needs. If they are convicted, they are most likely to have a minimum sentence of 8 years in prison.

Doing drugs or transporting them are such a serious offense if caught, you wonder why people still do it. I don't see the point in drugs, or why they even exist. People can be addicted to them, but they should all be put in rehab because all of this drug business is ridiculous and time after time, people get caught to the point that we have to put a border patrol between the U.S. and Mexico. Nobody should be doing drugs at all. It causes a lot of problems, both for the person and others around them.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Iraq bombers kill 24, 16 of them in cafe

Article from The News: International.
On Monday, 24 people in Iraq were killed, with 16 of them being in a suicide attack in a cafe north of Baghdad. There were also other bombings which hit a football field and a market. Last week, Ramadan ended, which meant that many Iraqis went to cafes after breaking the fast. This Ramadan was one of the deadliest for Iraq; it killed more than 800 people.
The statistics show that:
  • Balad: wounding more than 35 people
  • Muqdadiyah: bomb exploded near a football field, killing 4 and wounding 14, 3 of which were children
  • Baquba: bomb exploded in market, killing 4 and wounding 20
  • The attacks came one day after al Qaeda claimed attacks which killed more than 70 people. It also came weeks after assaults on prisons near Baghdad (also claimed by al Quaeda front group). With all the violence lately, in total, there have been 3,404 deaths because of attacks in Iraq since the beginning of the year. On average, there are 15 deaths every day.

    Like I said in another article before, the world seems to be an extremely dangerous place. Although America may seem safe today, doesn't mean that enemies are planning something tomorrow.

    Deadly typhoon strikes the Philippines

    Article from Euro News.
    With winds of 150 km/hour, Typhoon Utor hit the Philippines. On average, every year, there are about 20 typhoons that hit the Philippines. However, this typhoon was the most powerful of them. Dozens of people are missing. It has triggered floods and landslides, which has caused hundreds of homes to be smashed and also disrupted power and communication links. Crops like rice, corn and coconut, have also been badly damaged. The town that suffered the worse damaged was CAsiguran, a coastal town, 343 km northeast of Manila. The typhoon sent a landslide which blocked its only access road. Aurora governor Gerardo Noveras said, "About 90 percent of our agriculture was destroyed or damaged." The full extent of the damage was still unknown. The typhoon a little weaker than before, it moves out to the South China Sea, expected to hit 300 km southwest of Hong Kong.

    Humans can't really control natural disasters, as far as preventing it from happening. However, people can build sea walls or other barriers to prevent the damage from happening, to a certain degree. I think people should donate to causes that collect money for these projects, because sometimes, the places that need the projects built the most also need the money the most.

    Sunday, August 11, 2013

    U.S. Drone Kills 2, Yemen Officials Say

    Article from The New York Times.
    A U. S. drone killed two people on Saturday. Military officials in Yemen say that they were believed to be militants. In total, there were nine strikes in Yemen, over the span of two weeks, which killed 38 militants. The officials said "it was the first time an American drone had fired on this area of Lahj." The U. S. considers the Yemeni branch of al Quaeda the most dangerous threat.

    It feels like a dangerous place to live in, ever since 9-11. You always wonder what's going to happen next: where, when, at what scale of damage, etc.

    Thursday, August 8, 2013

    ‘Possessed’ by real-life ‘Amityville Horror’ killer, Brazilian boy kills family, goes to school

    Article from New York Daily News.
    A 13-year-old boy killed his parents, grandmother and great-aunt right before he went to school. He then committed suicide afterwards. Apparently he was inspired by a mass killer. On Monday, all the bodies were found in Sao Paulo, Brazil by authorities. The boy was said to be obsessed with the real-life murders behind “The Amityville Horror” book and movie. He also posted images related to that case on his Facebook page. A friend of Marcelo said that "Marcelo 'always told me he wanted to become a hired killer. He had a plan to kill his parents during the night, so no one would notice, and escape in the parents' car and live in an abandoned place.'"

    Games are probably the #1 cause of disturbed children, teens and even adults. Although video/movies games can be fun, too much can pretty much consume your mind and life. You start to act like the people/characters in the game/movie and it can be extremely self destructive. Your actions affect not only you, but obviously others.

    Tuesday, August 6, 2013

    Scientists Cook Up Lab-Grown Beef

    Article from The Wall Street Journal.
    On Monday, Dutch scientists exposed a hamburger made from beef grown in a lab. It was then cooked and eaten at a West London television studio. The patty appeared to have the texture of raw beef, but the color was given from red beet juice and saffron. In addition to meat, the patty also contained breadcrumbs and a binder to hold the components together. The patty was fried in sunflower oil and butter and a food writer and food scientist tasted it in front of an audience of about 200 people. The patty was described as having the texture and juiciness of meat, but not the flavor (it needed seasoning). It cost over $332,000, which was funded by Sergey Brin, Google's co-founder. Now that the scientists have made the meat, they are looking into growing the fat as well, which is thought to contribute to the meat taste. "'Taste is a very complex issue,' said Dr. [Mark] Post."

    Growing meat in labs can save a lot of animal deaths. However, it costs A LOT to make these. If there is a way to fix the costs, this may be the new alternative to normal, processed meat. I personally wouldn't eat it, although I think it would be safer because it does not get exposed to the outside diseases.

    Regrouped al Qaeda Poses Global Threat

    Article from The Wall Street Journal.
    U. S. embassies are closing and people are warned from international traveling because al Qaeda has regrouped and is a potential threat to the U. S. People need to "'exercise caution' and take 'appropriate steps'" to protect American people. The threat is much harder to track and predict because the rest of the group has gone into their own smaller groups. Osama bin Laden's death, along with other officials has boosted the United State's confidence that al Qaeda cannot mount attacks. A large concern for us is al Qaeda's number one bomb-maker is thought to still be powerful and has possibly been experimenting with new bomb designs and training other makers. Al Qaeda's branch in Syria is gathering hundreds of recruits from other countries each month.
    A senior administration official said, "We get 'chatter' all the time, This is a convergence of multiple streams of reporting." In the past, the Yemeni branch of al Qaeda has targeted U. S. airlines and navel departments. They are also experts at bomb making. In 2012 the United States has launched more than 40 drone/missle strikes against al Qaeda targets in Yemen.

    The world needs to be a more peaceful place.

    Thursday, August 1, 2013

    50,000 pounds of ground beef recalled; which packages do you avoid?

    Article from Los Angeles Times.
    More than 50,000 pounds of ground beef from Kansas have been recalled because there might have been a possible E. coli contamination. Unfortunately, some meat shipments have already gone onto store shelves. So far, there hasn't been any illnesses reported from this. However, recently, bagged salad has made more than 350 people sick in 15 states. In addition, 155 people from 9 states, with 76 of them being in California, had gotten Hepatitis A after eating berries at Costco. After the bacteria was found in June, National Beef Company recalled 23,000 pounds of ground beef. This is the second E. coli recall for this company so far.

    I have personally started to eat less meat to reduce the risk of getting a disease. One can still get a disease from vegetables too, but in meats, it's much more likely.

    Wednesday, July 31, 2013

    Spain Train Crash Conductor Was Using Phone

    Article from The Wall Street Journal.
    There was a train crash in Spain on July 24, which killed 79 people and injured many more. It was the worst rail accident since the 1940s. The driver was shown to be talking on the phone when the crash happened. Apparently he was lost and "was trying to find out where the hell he was at." He wasn't sure of the route.
    Cellphones are known to cause a lot of accidents. In 2008, a Metrolink commuter train in Los Angeles, killing 25 people. A 14-year-old girl talking on her phone was hit by a train at a crossing, also in 2008.

    It's sad to see another tragedy with the cause of a cell phone. They already made a law in California to not talk on the cellphone while driving a car, but that doesn't mean that the law shouldn't apply in other countries for other vehicles also.

    Monday, July 29, 2013

    2 Swiss passenger trains collide; 35 injured

    Article from CBS News.
    Two passenger trains crashed head-on today in Granges-pres-Marnand, Switzerland. Several ambulances, fire engines and a helicopter had to be called in for rescue. Nobody has been able to reach the driver's cabin yet. Accidents are rare on the Swiss train line. This has been the second accident on this line so far. So far, at least 35 people are injured, 5 of them seriously injured, and one more person is yet to be found.

    There should be laws put in to prevent these train crashes. It's been surprising and shocking to see that train crashes have been happening a lot recently.

    Wednesday, July 24, 2013

    As Pope Drops Defenses, Concerns Mount

    Article from The Wall Street Journal.
    Pope Francis has decided to lessen his protection. He went to Rio de Janeiro with an open-sided Popemobile. Everybody is very surprised with his decision. The Pope is determined to keep the filter between himself and ordinary people as thin as possible." However, people are afraid that he is too exposed to danger. The reason why the Popemobile was bulletproof in the first place was because Pope John Paul II got shot at. He has departed from some safety measures that the ones before him took.

    I understand that the Pope want's to be treated "equal." However, there might be many people out there to assassinate him, just like previous leaders in history, as well as Pope John Paul II.

    Monday, July 22, 2013

    Kate Middleton admitted to hospital in early stages of labor

    Article from Fox News.
    Kate Middleton's first child is almost born. She arrived in a private car with her husband on Monday morning to St. Mary's Hospital. She is expected to give birth in the same private wing that Princess Diana gave birth to William and Harry. This child will be the third in line to the throne after Prince Charles and William. As of right now, "things are progressing as normal" and Kate is "very well." However, we do not know whether she will have a natural birth or a Caesarian section. All of the information about the birth has been kept very secret and private. Nobody knows the exact birth date of the baby, except for the fact that it is about one to two days overdue. The queen will be the first to be notified about anything before the general public is. The birth will be announced in the exact way it was for Princes Charles and William. A bulletin will be posted in front of the Buckingham Palace. They will add social media as a way of telling the world, because this is modern times. At the same time the bulletin is posted, there will be a Twitter announcement. The announcements will give the baby's gender, weight and time of birth, but possibly not the baby's name.

    Update from USA Today.
    The baby was born at 4:24 pm local time today. The baby weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces. William got to be at Kate's side during the birth. The name is not known and may not be known for a week or so.

    Since I do not live in the UK, the new prince's birth does not affect me. However, I do hope that when the time comes for him to reign, he will be successful.

    Saturday, July 13, 2013

    Why China Fears a 12-Year-Old-Egyptian Boy

    Article from The Wall Street Journal.
    China is censoring a YouTube video of a 12-year-old boy talking about constitutionalism. China is afraid that its people will get influenced negatively by watching the video because versions of the video with Chinese subtitles were spreading everywhere. According to the South China Morning Post, the video ranked third most popular. This caused Beijing to get nervous because they had been going against that topic for awhile already. Although Beijing got nervous, this definitely was not the first time information about Egypt was blocked. In 2011, street protests were forcing a strongman Hosni Mubarak from power. This caused major Chinese Internet sites to block searches for "Egypt." Then, in the same year, Chinese Internet users responded to the Arab Springs by the name of the "Jasmine Revolution," therefore causing censors on the topics of jasmine, even if it referred to the tea or flower. We all think that China is a strong country, but censoring everything tells us that they are the exact opposite.

    I think that China is right to block search terms. However, it does restrict a lot and the people might rebel and rise against in a revolution.