Blog Entry #10 - Thursday October 31st 2013

Rob Ford video showing alleged crack use in police hands

Read the article here

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford appears in a video recovered by police during the Project Traveller investigation. Police Chief Bill Blair said today after Ford's driver and friend was starred on an extortion charge. A video taken during an investigation has images of Mayor Rob ford that reference the alleged video of Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine. Blair says that they have recovered a video which is consistent with what had been described in various media reports. Blair believes that it is Mayor Rob Ford in the video but he is not going to go into details about the activity depicted in the video. Since new evidence has been found against Rob Ford search warrants have been obtained for Rob Ford's friend Alexander Lisi on drug charges. Blair confirmed the video does exist but it does not have enough evidence to press charges against Rob Ford. 

Rob Ford is now taken as a joke by everyone in the GTA so I dont think that it will help his case. I am not sure if this is reliable but I have heard that Rob Ford said that it was his twin brother in the video who took a different life path than Rob Ford. If he did actualy say this he sounds like a complete moron and it seems he's trying to think of some excuse but obviously not a very good one. 

Blog Entry #12 - Monday November 4th 2013

LA Airport shooting suspect charged with murder

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On Saturday US prosecuters filed a murder charge agaisnt the suspected gunman in the shooting inside the Los Angeles International Airport. The suspected gunman could face the death penalty. Police arrested a 23 year old named Paul Ciancia in Friday's attack which wounded five people including two federal security officers and killed a Security officer named Gerado Hernadez. Paul Cianca was also charged with commission of violence at an international airport. Paul Cianca's goal was to go after the TSA and he said he wanted to kill at least one TSA officer and didn't care which one he killed . Nobody knows why Cianca targeted the TSA but the note found in his bag said the he was willing to kill almost any airport security officer he could confront with his AR-15 semi automatic rifle. "Black, white, yellow, brown I don't discriminate," the note read. The Terminal which the shooting occurred was reopened on Saturday. The TSA planned to review the security policies but John Pistole did not say whether or not this included arming the officers.  Paul Cianca was a person who did everything on his own. People who attended his high school said that in four years they never heard him say a word and that he would always eat lunch alone. Paul Cianca was shot four times by airport police and wounded him and he was hospitalized till Saturday and there was no word on his condition. On friday Paul Cianca's father called the police because Paul was sending texts to his family suggesting he was in trouble. The call came to late as ten minutes earlier Paul walked into the airport with his rifle and started firing. 

I think that this is and horrible event and it makes me wonder why someone would ever do this. Hurt innocent people when it is not necessary. We do not know why he targeted the TSA but no matter what it was never a good enough reason to start shooting up random TSA workers that have done nothing wrong to him. He said that he didn't care which one he killed he just wanted to kill any and as much of the workers as he could. I'm not sure how a person could just kill innocent people but I hope that something will be learned from this event, mostly about gun laws. 

Paul Cianca the shooter at the airport

Blog Entry #7 - Monday, October 7th, 2013

 Dementia home fight leaves 91 year old women dead

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Jack Little

  Halifax police are investigating  a death of a 91 year old women after a fight broke out in a dementia home. The 91 year old was fighting a 74 year old women when the 91 year old fell and was seriously injured. She was taken to the hospital but later died. They are investigating like any other suspicious death but this death is complicated because the women had signs of dementia. It brings a twist to the investigation because some individuals might not remember what happened. One of the staff said the fight broke out in a common area and that staff intervened quickly but obviously it was too late. The residents of the house either have dementia or Al timers disease but are physically well. The facility is unlicensed but it is said that it runs the same as other nursing homes that has nurses and licensed staff.  The major crime unit is investigating and an autopsy is set to be done sometime today. Hopefully we will get some answers on what occurred but until then it is upsetting to hear about another life being lost when it didn't have to happen.

The home where the fight occured

Blog Entry #8 - Tuesday October 15 2013

Philippines Earthquake Death Toll Continues to Rise

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The amount of deaths from the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the central Philippine island of Bohol on Tuesday rose to 93. A hospital collapsed hospital claimed the lives of many victims as rescuers struggled to reach the patients in the collapsed hospital. Large areas were left without power. A police chief said that 77 of the deaths happened withing the province with at least 15 died in the nearby province Cebu and another on Siquijor Island. The earthquake hit at 8:12 am and was centered about 33 kilometers below Carmen city where many small buildings collapsed. Rescue operations were made difficult due to roads and bridges being damaged. Some historic churches suffered heavy damage along with the country's oldest the 16th century Basicalica of the Holy Child in Cebu which lost its bell tower. Half of the 17th century limestone churches were reduced to rubble. The most amount of deaths occurred due to a hospital collapse in the municipality of Loon. Windy weather and rain made it impossible for the rescue helicopters to come. Some people moved in with their relatives but authorities set up tents for people that were unable to do so. Some people died from stampedes that actually ended up killing at least five people. Overall this earthquake was brutal and it saddens me to hear that peoples life were lost when they didn't need to be. Those people on the bridge that were killed in the stampede did not have to die.

The aftermath of the earthquake

Blog entry #6 - Tuesday October 1st 2013

Migrant boat sinking kills 82

Article

82 people have died so far after the boat carrying migrants from Africa sank off the Sicilian island. So far 82 bodies have been recovered the death toll was rising as they laid the bodies out on the harbor. The coast guard said that it seemed there were between 400 and 500 migrant on the boat when it sank and 150 people have been rescued so far. Thousands of migrants from Africa arrive in Italy unsafe in overcrowded vessels each year. Most of them go to Lampedusa a small island 113 kilometers from the coast on Tunisia. Number have grown a lot this year due to the civil war in Syria. Most Syrians have arrived on the eastern coast of Sicily from Egypt. The submerged vessel was about 20 meters on length and had been identified in the water after it caught fire and sank. Coastguard official Floriana Segreto said that rescue operations were still continuing. A fishing boat set the alarm around 7:20 am local time and began pulling people out of the water before coast guard vessels arrived to the scene. A total of 117 migrants were recovered, including 20 women and four children. I think that more needs to be done about unsafe vessels. You can only fit so many people on a vessel and trying to do more than what it's made to is a disaster waiting to happen. 

Rescue workers carrying the body of a drowned migrant.

Blog Entry #5 - September 27th 2013

NYC Road Rage biker injured SUV driver beaten 

Article

A driver was assaulted by a group of bikers. It is unclear to as why all of this started but what we can see on a video is that a biker slows down on purpose so that the car hits him. This group of biker consisted of dozens of them and when the range rover hit the biker everyone stopped and surrounded him. Inside the car was Alexium Lein with his wife and daughter. During this time the biker start to dent his car and slash his tires. In fear of his life Alexium speeds of knocking over multiple biker breaking one of their legs. He continues to speed off but the bikers begin pursuit. During a red light one of the bikers try to open his door but Alexium speeds off again in fear. Alexium later gets caught in traffic and one biker takes his helmet and smashes through Alexium's window. They open the door and drag him to the ground. He gets punched and kicked multiple times hospitalizing him. I assume that the wife and kids were not injured as the article did not say. In my opinion the bikers had no right to do any of this as it seems they started it. If I were put in Alexium's position I would speed off too instead of getting my family injured  or killed. The bikers in the video looked very upset and aggressive so he acted on what he thought was the best thing he could do.

The SUV driver being pulled out of his car and beaten

Blog Entry #3 - Thursday, September 19th 2013

Ottawa Bus and Train crash takes the lives of six people

Read about it here

A bus and train crash happened on Wednesday claiming the lives of six people and injuring many. This including five men and one women at the ages between the ages of twenty one and fifty seven. Although no children were killed in this accident does not make this catastrophe any better as many families are going through grief and many are visiting victims in hospitals. Thirty four people were sent to hospitals after the crash, injuries ranging from minor to severe. One victim had to undergo an eight hour surgery but seems to be in a stable state now. The lives taken yesterday were regular people which worries us because we know it can happen to anyone at anytime. Bus survivors described the situation right before the crash were other passengers screaming at the bus driver to slow down and stop, but it was too late. Witnesses say that the warning lights were flashing and the gate was down when he crash happened. The front of the bus was completely sheared off during the collision. Ajoy Bista a survivor on the bus said they he was seeing the accident, "Frame by frame as if it was a movie." He described what it was like just after the collision. He said, "There was flying debris everywhere. People were screaming, there were dead bodies, limbs. I can't even describe it with words." The double decker bus can normally carry around ninety passengers and several passengers that take the bus regularly said the driver seemed to be new to the route. The collision derailed the train and one other cart but no injuries were reported on the train. We will never know why this horrific event took place was the pedal stuck was this done intentionally but that does not matter because right know this a grieving time.

The bus in the accident with the front completely destroyed

Blog Entry #4 Monday, September 23rd, 2013

Spider Man Arrested

Sunday September 22nd 2013

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A college student named Jonathan Hewson was dressed as Spider man as he attempted to rob a convenience store. Jonathan tried to rob the store but was easily stopped when the store clerk pulled out a weapon. Jonathan yelled, "How much money you got?" The clerk felt threatened so pulled out spider man's only weakness, a stun gun. Jonathan's spidey senses must not have been working because he was found and arrested within a block away from the store and within one hour. One of Jonathan's friends told reporters that Jonathan always dresses up in that costume and probably wasn't trying to rob the store. "He was hanging out with a bunch of friends, running around in a Spider Man costume. It's just a misunderstanding of someone robbing a store." Chris Esposito one of Jonathan's friends. Jonathan was charged with robbery and his bail has been set to $50,000. He later had to undergo mental health tests.

Jonathan being arrested in his spiderman costume

Entry #2 - September, 17th, 2013

Washington Navy Yard gunman had mental health issues, law enforcement officials say

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Published: Tuesday, September 17th, 2013

On Monday, September 16th, 2013 a mass shooting went off in a military complex killing twelve people and injuring eight other people. Aaron Alexis' was the shooters name and he was gunned down on the spot by police. Law enforcement officials now say that Aaron suffered from many mental health issues. Officials said that he had paranoia a sleeping disorder and that he was hearing voices. Investigators were told by Aaron's family that Aaron was being treated for these disorder since August and the Navy did see him as mentally unfit so he stayed with the navy. It is still unclear why Aaron would do such a thing even with such issues. This has been the deadliest self military attack since 2009 and brings back up the countries long debate on gun control. In the past Aaron has complained about the Navy discriminating him and he has had several incidents with the law enforcement two of which led to shootings. Aaron brought three weapons to the military complex including an assault rifle, shotgun and handgun.  The assault rifle used yesterday was the same type as the one used in the shooting in the school in Connecticut  and in the movie theater in Colorado. Later that Monday authorities strongly believed that Aaron was working alone. Aaron had full access to the complex where over 18,000 people worked. Multiple witness' have said where they believe he started firing from one area but other witness' say he fired form another. This has brought up the idea of multiple shooters but I believe that being in that moment you would not be able think straight so one of the witnesses could have been wrong. I think that this shooting could have easily been avoided if the US Secretary of defense noticed the red flags in Alexis' past and found that he was mentally unfit to be apart of the military.

Aaron Alexis the gunman now deceased.

Entry One - Wednesday, September 11th, 2013

Syria Crisis: Barack Obama puts military strike on hold
Source: BBC
Article date: Wednesday, September 11th, 2013

Peaceful actions taken

Chemical weapons have been used on innocent Syrian civilians and has killed thousands. Workers have been sent out to try to get as much evidence as they can but "Hunting down banned chemical weapons in a secretive Middle Eastern dictatorship is not easy. " Frank Gardner Until more evidence can be found on these attacks. US President Barack Obama has decided to take peaceful actions and put the military strike on hold. Damascus admitted to the possession of chemical weapons but claims to not of used them. The Russians idea was to have Syria hand over its arsenal of chemical weapons. Reuters a news company obtained the draft resolution made by the french to give the Syrians fifteen days to provide a full account on the types of chemical weapons and the location of the chemical weapons. We could see military action being still used as the idea is not eliminated but has been put on hold. If the Syrians do not hand over their chemical weapons in a certain amount of time we could easily see military action being taken. Syria still confidently believes that the rebels have done it but since chemical weapons have been banned since World War One it does not help their case knowing that they are still producing chemical weapons. It is hard to point fingers after these attacks because no real evidence has been found against the Syrian government so starting a war with this little evidence would not be a smart idea because even more lives could be lost for nothing. I think the Russians had the best idea and I am happy to hear that peaceful actions will be taking until more evidence is found.

Picture of a man being helped after the attacks