| Title | Word Count |
|---|---|
Underage Drinking and it's ConsequencesTeen alcohol substance use is a problem among many adolescents. Not only does underage drinking among adolescents ranging from ages 13 to 20 have an effect on them, it has an impact on families and communities too. Social influences, peer pressure and parental norms are some of the factors that cause under age drinking among adolescents. Severe consequences can occur when adolescents use or abuse alcohol if they are not addressed in a timely manner. Binge drinking, health illness, court cost, jail time and fees are among the money consequences that occur when adolescents use or abuse alcohol. History trends have shown us the effects, social cost, policies and interventions that this population of individuals has encountered in the United States. Research has shown that prevention and treatment methods set the foundations for stability and change among adolescents who use or abuse alcohol. A lifetime of success is not promised to this population of individuals if they do address alcoho |
2758 |
Two Senior Executives at Apple Forced OutIn Apple Inc.'s biggest personnel change since Tim Cook took over for the company's founder, Steve Jobs, two senior executives, Scott Forstall and John Browett, are leaving the company. According to sources within the company, both are being asked to leave after several missteps that risked Apple's flawless reputation. Additionally, inside sources reported tension and miscommunication between Apple executives after Jobs' death, saying there was no longer an all-powerful "decider" to turn to (Lessin). Forstall, the senior vice president of the company's mobile operating system, iOS and a member of Apple's team for the past 15 years, is being ousted both for his polarizing reputation and shaky decisions. Forstall had many enemies within the Apple team, including Jonathan Ive, the head design chief, and Bob Mansfield, the head of technology, who refused to even sit in a meeting with Forstall unless Cook was present as well (Grobart). According to a person familiar with the matter, Forstall "never fit into the culture of Apple" (Lessin). In addition to not being well liked, Forstall was not able to keep up with the high expectations for Apple products as the new |
787 |
Rafferty Convicted of Murder in Craigslist KillingsBrogan Rafferty, the 17-year-old who worked under master manipulator Richard Beasley, was found guilty of aggravated murder on October 30th for his role in a recent Craigslist scam that resulted in three murders and one attempted murder. With Beasley's guidance, Rafferty lured four different victims using a fake Craigslist job offer for a farmhand position in Noble County in southeast Ohio. Although his attorneys argued that he was coerced by Beasley and feared for his life, the jurors found that he acted on his own free will and convicted him of murder (Palmer). Beasley and Rafferty murdered three men, including Ralph Geiger of Akron, David Pauley of Norfolk, Virginia, and Timothy Kern of Massillon, all of whom were specifically selected as targets because they were older, single, unemployed, and had ba |
546 |
Microsoft Unveils Windows Phone 8In an effort to compete with Google's Android and Apple's iPhone, Microsoft revealed its new Windows Phone 8 software, although phones with their software will not hit stores for a few weeks in the US. The highly touted software allows users to personalize their phones far more than any Android or iPhone allows, according to senior product manager Greg Sullivan. "You can really customize and make the phone a reflection of what you care about in ways that aren't possible on the other platforms," he said (Acohido). The Windows 8 phones will hit Europe first, marking the beginning of joining the Microsoft operating system with mobile phones. "It has been for us an exciting and energizing few days," said chief executive Steve Ballmer. "Windows PCs really are the best PCs ever and today we are bringing phones into the Windows family with Windows 8. The lines we've seen at Microsoft stores have been heartening" (Chapman). HTC and Nokia are creating the latest handset models with the |
804 |
Nanny, Ortega, Murders Two ChildrenMarina Krim returned to her Upper West Side apartment on October 25th to find her longtime nanny stabbing herself in the bathroom while two of her children lay dead in the bathtub. Krim left her 2-year-old son, Leo, and 6-year-old daughter, Lucia, also known as Lulu, with Yoselyn Ortega, the 50-year-old nanny who had worked for the Krim family for many years (Barron). Krim left Ortega in charge of her two children while she took her middle child, 3-year-old Nessie, to a swimming lesson. Afterwards, Krim and Ortega planned to meet up at a dance studio, but when Ortega and the children didn't show, she returned home to find a dark apartment. She returned to the lobby to ask the doorman if he had seen the nanny and children, but he reported that they had not left the building. She went back upstairs, turned on the lights in the bathroom, and found Ortega and her deceased children, according to Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly (Barron). Ortega stabbed herself after Krim entered the bathroom. "The nanny began to stab herself as the woman entered the room - entered the bathroom, said Kelly in a statement. "She did it as the mother entered the bathroom" (Quijano). Ne |
794 |
Savile's Sexual Abuse Scandal Reopens With Arrest of Gary GlitterThe sexual abuse scandal involving popular television host on BBC, Jimmy Savile, reopened on October 28th when British police arrested Paul Gadd, more popularly known in the 1970s as Gary Glitter, in connection with the case. ITV, another British television station, released a documentary about the late Savile earlier in October, where they detailed Savile's habit of molesting teenage girls in his dressing room at the BBC studios along with Gadd. After the broadcast, almost 300 people have come forward to report being abused by Savile (Kulish). The police will not confirm what led to Gadd's arrest, but recent claims surfaced that he raped a 13-year-old girl in Savile's dressing room at BBC. Karin Ward, a former pupil at Duncroft Approved School for Girls in Surrey, also recently stepped forward to accuse Savile of attacking a 14-year-old girl in front of Savile (Marsden). One of the biggest outrages of the case stems from the fact that BBC producers abruptly cancelled their investigation into Savile conducted by "Newsnight" without any explanation as to why. Since Savile's depraved background was revealed by ITV, many have questioned how muc |
779 |
The Des Moines Register Gives Endorsement to RomneyThe Des Moines Register, the largest paper in Iowa that also launched President Barack Obama's 2008 election into office, broke their forty-year-long streak of backing Democratic presidential candidates. In 2008, the Des Moines Register backed Obama and commended his background, calls for Americans to join together, and his stance on the economic crisis that was just beginning. For this election, they cited the main priorities to be reviving the economy, spurring job growth, moving toward a balanced budget and reducing the deficit (Mehta). According to them, Romney's experience as an executive at a hedge fund and running the Olympics would prove useful in encouraging growth through lowering taxes, increasing energy production, expanding trade, and balancing the federal budget (Laible). "Which |
539 |
Disney Buys Lucasfilm for $4.05 BillionIn a major industry move, Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm Ltd., the company that produced the "Star Wars" franchise for $4.05 billion in cash and stock. Both sides are excited about the deal, as Disney now reserves the rights to expand upon the industry, which will allow Lucasfilm the opportunity to step back and become a fan (Smith). "I've always believed that 'Star Wars' could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime," Lucas said. "Disney's reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment and consumer products" (Smith). Disney theme parks in California and Florida already have themed attractions, including a 3D flight simulator ride called Star Tours and a live show where kids from the audience participate in Jedi training (Smith). "Star Wars" producer, George Lucas, is the sole owner of Lucasfilm. He started the studio over thirty years ago and has served as the chairman and chief executive ever since. In the past, Lucas played a huge part of the films, taking control of even the |
771 |
Andresen, Boy Scout, Denied Eagle Award Because of SexualityDespite meeting all of the requirements to obtain an Eagle Scout award, Boy Scout Troop 212 refused to grant Ryan Andresen the honor because of his sexual orientation. Andresen spent nearly ten years completing the requirements to reach the level of Eagle, which includes attaining five ranks, earning 21 merit badges, serving six months in a leadership position, and finishing a community service project, in order to get his badge before the cut off date of his 18th birthday (James). Andresen first came out to his parents when he was 16 years old but has never officially released the information to the Boy Scouts, who do not actively ask for the sexual orientation of their members. However, this summer Andresen addressed the troop leaders in a letter detailing a bullying incident that had previously occurred because he "thought he could help." In the letter, he confirmed their suspicions that he was gay (James). For his community service project, Andresen proposed completing a "to |
1053 |
Ceglia Files Fraudulent Claim for 50 Percent Stake in FacebookFederal agents arrested Paul Ceglia, a resident of upstate New York who claimed that he is rightfully owed 50% of Facebook, on October 26th. Ceglia first filed claims in July 2010 in New York citing that he had hired Facebook's founder, Mark Zuckerberg, to build a website similar to Facebook in return for half of the company. Ceglia was charged with perpetuating a "multi-billion-dollar scheme" to defraud the company, including one count of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud that each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison (Pepitone). Ceglia first filed his suit in 2010 and caught Facebook off-guard. Facebook's assets were immediately frozen by a state court while their attorneys hurried to discover the previous business transactions between Ceglia and Zuckerberg, which consisted of contract work on a now-defunct site called StreetFax. However, Ceglia doctored the contract to include a mention of a fledgling site called "the Face Book" (Pepitone). According to governm |
825 |
Syrian Fighting Continues Despite Truce for Id al-AdhaDespite the truce called between the Syrian government and the rebels in honor of the most important Muslim holiday of the year, Id al-Adha, both sides have resumed fighting and accused the other side of breaking the cease-fire. The rebels blamed the government of aerial bombardments and shelling urban centers, while SANA, the official news agency of the country, reported many violations on the rebels' side. Rebel groups outside of the Free Syrian Army claimed from the beginning that they had no intentions of adhering to the truce (Mourtada). The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the most serious violation of the truce when a government warplane attacked a residential building in Arbeen, a suburb of Damascus. Eight men were killed when the missiles struck. Additionally, the governm |
539 |
US Retracts Previous Claims About Benghazi Attack, Now Believed to be Terrorist ActIn the immediate aftermath of the Benghazi attacks on the US Embassy in Cairo, the US Intelligence authorities declared that a group of protestors spontaneously reacted against a short film posted on YouTube that degraded the Prophet Mohammad. Four US personnel were killed, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens. After reviewing the attack for two weeks, the US Intelligence Agency is concluding that they now believe the September 11 attack on US diplomatic facilities was not random (Hosenball). "We revised our initial assessment to reflect new information indicating that it was a deliberate and organized terrorist attack carried out by extremists," said Shawn Turner, spokesman for James Clapper's office, who is the Director of National Intelligence. However, they cannot name a certain group of people who are responsible, although they believe that they were "linked to groups affiliated with, or sympathetic to al-Qaeda" (Hosenball). Turner explained that intelligence agencies |
1052 |
Twitter Hands Over Tweets in Occupy ProtesterTwitter, the major social networking site, finally gave up its fight against Judge Matthew Sciarrino Jr. who ordered the company to release three months' worth of tweets to the courts pertaining to the criminal trial of an Occupy Wall Street protester. Twitter put up a valiant effort to deny the judge these tweets, and the nation watched closely in one of the first major cases about how much access law enforcement agencies should have to material posted on social networks. When the courts threatened Twitter with steep fines for contempt of court for not turning over the tweets, they finally complied (The Wall Street Journal). The case began nearly a year ago on October 1 during a march in New York by the Occupy movement protesters. Despite warnings from the police, demonstrators attempted to cross a bridge on the roadway rather than on the pedestrian path. Almost 700 people were arrested for crossing in the roadway, including Malcolm Harris, an editor for an online culture magaz |
1046 |
Omar Khadr, Last Western Detainee, Leaves GuantanamoOmar Khadr, the last Western detainee held at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, returned to his home country of Canada after 11 years in prison. Khadr was captured in Afghanistan at the age of 15 after being wounded in a firefight with US soldiers. The youngest detainee held at Guantanamo, Khadr comes from what Canadian officials refer to as "the first family of terrorism." In 2012, he plead guilty to throwing a grenade and killing Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer and was sentenced to eight years at Guantanamo. He spent a decade at the Guantanamo prison that was set up for suspected terrorists following the September 11th attack (Gillies). Khadr's predicament became a huge news story as groups argued over the valid definition of "child soldier," what role Canada should play in the instance where its citizens are arrested in a foreign country, and what laws dictate how detainees should be treated at Guantanamo (Paperny). Khadr was eligible to return to Canada in Octo |
1308 |
McQueary Sues Penn State in Defamation LawsuitMike McQueary, the former Penn State assistant football coach, is pursuing a lawsuit against the school for defamation and misrepresentation after he reported seeing Jerry Sandusky assault a boy in a campus shower. McQueary claims that he deserves millions of dollars for the anxiety, humiliation, and embarrassment that followed (O'Keefe). Instead of protecting him as a whistleblower, Penn State turned their back on him and prohibited from being on the sidelines, revoked his car benefits under his contract, refused to give him his bowl bonus, barred him from interviewing for a job on new coach Bill O'Brien's staff, and delayed his severance pay. In return, McQueary is seeking $4 million, the same amount he would have made in the next 25 years of coach |
509 |
Apple Misses the Mark on Maps FeatureFollowing a series of disappointing products that customers feel have fallen below the caliber of products they have come to expect from Apple, the new CEO, Tim Cook, decided to take a much different path from his predecessor, Steve Jobs. Jobs was notoriously a tough boss to work for. He expected nothing less than the best products and, therefore, refused to acknowledge any mistakes. On the other hand, Cook has been forced to compete for market share with Google and, in turn, has released products that were still in progress. Faced with customer dissatisfaction and dropping stock prices, Cook stepped forward to apologize for several misguided Apple decisions, including the Siri feature on the iPhone 4S, the iOS 6 maps feature, Ping, and MobileMe (Wingfield). Cook released a statement apologizing for the new Maps feature, which many customers believe is one of a smartphone's most essential abilities next to the call function (Martin). The iPhone 5's new Maps feature misled consumers, posting nonsensical routes and misplaced landmarks (Wingfield). "With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration thi |
797 |
Zadroga Act to Include 58 Types of Cancers for 9-11 Survivors and First RespondersAt the urging of Dr. John Howard, the administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program, federal health authorities announced that they were adding 58 types of cancer to the list of illnesses covered by the poisonous toxins caused by the aftermath of the September 11 attacks just days before the 11th anniversary. The Science/Technical Advisory Committee recommended the "coverage for certain types of cancer resulting from exposure to toxins released at Ground Zero," and Howard began his proposal in June to include these cancers in the 14 categories of covered illnesses (CNN). The cancers include skin, breast, stomach, and colon cancer, and will be added to a list of conditions such as asthma, post-traumatic stress disorder, and lung and airway disorders (Berger). "The publication of this final rule marks an important step in the effort to provide needed treatment and care to 9/11 responders and survivors through the WTC Health Program," said Howard, adding that the rule will officially be published on September 12th and will begin to take effect 30 days later (CNN). However, the victims will have to undergo a government certification p |
775 |
Murdoch's Former Legal Executive Arrested for News International Hacking ScandalTom Crone, a former legal executive for Murdoch's News International Group, was the latest arrest in a string of arrests following the illegal phone hacking scandal. Scotland Yard reported the arrest of a "60-year-old man ...on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications" as part of their investigation "into the hacking of telephone voicemail boxes." Crone tended to the legal affairs of the News of the World, but quit in July of 2011 after the tabloid's reporters were revealed to have paid private investigators to hack into the voicemail of murdered teenager, Milly Dowler, in 2009, which falsely led police to believe she was still alive (Los Angeles Times). During the trial in 2011, Crone testified that he was "pretty sure" he had told James Murdoch, the exec |
521 |
Many Asylum Seekers Missing After Refugee Boat Reports DistressIn response to Australia's announcement that they plan to enforce a stricter deportation policy starting in September, record numbers of immigrants are making the journey from Indonesia and landing on the remote Australian island of Christmas Island. In their haste, many of these refugees that come from countries including Afghanistan, Iran, and Sri Lanka, are crowding onto unsafe ships, resulting in several dangerous sea voyages and emergencies. A wooden fishing boat headed for Christmas Island sunk just off the coast of Indonesia with about 150 refugees on board. To date, only 55 people have been rescued from the water (McGuirk). The Labor Party government of Australia announced that they would not be welcoming future refugees, and instead would deport them to the |
521 |
Iran Doubles Nuclear Capacity Despite Threats of Military ActionEven with the world paying attention to their every move, Iran doubled the number of uranium-enrichment centrifuges in an underground bunker. Western nations threatened to attack Tehran if they did not immediately stop their atomic work. The International Atomic Energy Agency found that centrifuges at Fordow, which are buried within a mountain for protection against an attack, increased to 2,140 from 1,064 in the past few months. Although the new centrifuges are not yet functioning, Iran increased its kilograms of higher-grade enriched uranium from 145 kilograms to 190 at the same time they were creating more capacity (Keinon). Western states have long believed that Iran was attempting to create massive amounts of uranium and might now be tempted to act on their threats of an air strike. The Israeli government commented that the IAEA's report "is further proof of what Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has been saying about Iran for years." Some government officials think Iran mi |
832 |
Federal Court Finds Texas Voter ID Requirements DiscriminatoryJust days after a federal court in Washington, DC found that Texas' redistricting maps were discriminatory, another three-judge panel in the nation's capitol found that it was unlawful to require voters to present photo ID's to election officials before they would be allowed to vote in the upcoming presidential elections in November. The three judges unanimously decided that the law imposes "strict, unforgiving burdens on the poor" and commented that those living in poverty are composed mainly of racial minorities (USA Today). The Obama administration agreed with the judges' decision to eliminate the requirements, saying they threatened to disenfranchise millions of Latino and African American voters (Horwitz). Republicans nationwide are attempting to impose strict voter identification requirements, citing that they want to eliminate voter fraud. However, according to many studies, voter fraud is almost non-existent. Instead, Democrats believe that conservative Republicans are attempting to discourage certain people from voting at all, including minorities, the nation's poor, and college students, because they typically vote against Republicans (USA Today |
786 |
Obama Administration Passes Strict Fuel-Economy RegulationsThe Obama administration granted Honda Motor Company a reprieve from the fuel-economy rule proposed in August 2012. Under these new regulations finalized on August 28th, automakers must double their average gas mileage of all the new cars and trucks sold in 2025. Therefore, new vehicles in 2025 must average 54.5 miles per gallon under government regulations, which in actuality means that they will average 40 miles per gallon. Although the cost of a new car will likely increase by $2,800, which many critics say is too high for the average consumer, the higher MPG will save $8,000 in fuel costs over the life of a car. These new regulations are intended to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half (Bloomberg Businessweek). The new regulations are formally called the corporate average fuel economy rule, or CAFE. To comply with CAFE, the auto industry will shell out about $136 billion. However, consumers are predicted to save $451 billion in fuel costs, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The regulations will be gradually introduced to the industry, with small improvements made each year (Keane). |
789 |
Court Rules Against Obama's Cross-State Air Pollution RuleIn a 2 to 1 ruling, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned the Obama administration's measure to strengthen air quality, citing that the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped their authority by decreasing the pollution allowed by power plants. Utilities and business groups fought Obama's Cross-State Air Pollution Rule arguing that it was costly, burdensome, and arbitrary. The appellate court's ruling favored the business groups. On the other hand, environmentalists who saw the rule as an improvement over the current George W. Bush-era regulation saw the ruling as a major blow to public health (Eilperin). The EPA and federal regulators have sought for years to cut sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from power plants in the eastern US. The emissions blow downwind and cause smog and acid rain (Eilperin). "In striking down a costly EPA rule for power plants, today's federal appeals court ruling accomplishes two useful things. First, |
1305 |
France Vows to Recognize Provisional Government in SyriaSyrian President Bashar al-Assad's army murdered more than 300 rebels execution-style in Daraya. Following the new spike in violence, the United Nations is in a heated battle as to whether they should intervene. Western countries, Gulf Arab states, and Turkey all support the rebels, but Iran, Russia, and China stand behind Assad and his current government. With the United Nations in a deadlock, France stepped forward to announce that they would recognize a provisional Syrian government as soon as it is formed. President Francois Hollande urged Syria to create a government in hopes that this would entice the Syrian government and rebel groups to work toward a peaceful resolution (Erlanger). Hollande berated Russia and China for vetoing an intervention by the United Nations in an attempt to protect Assad. According to Hollande, their "attitude is weakening our capacity to ensure the United Nations Charter is respected" (Erlanger). On a separate note, France backed the United St |
1040 |
Federal Court Rejects Texas Redistricting Voting Maps as DiscriminatoryIn a case that has been pending since June of 2011, the state of Texas' voting districts were brought before a federal court because they do not comply with the federal Voting Rights Act. In a 154-page opinion, the US District Court in Washington reported that Texas' state prosecutors did not prove that Texas lawmakers did not draw the new congressional and state Senate districts "without discriminatory purposes" as outlined in the act (Fox News). After Texas redrew its boundaries, it received four additional US House seats because of its growing population, which is largely composed of minorities. Two of the congressional seats were awarded to Republican districts while the other two were awarded to Democratic districts. However, the Texas Legislature did not clear the redrawn maps by the Justice department, which automatically discredits them under the Voting Rights Act. The act targets Texas and eight other southern states that have a history of racial bias and requires them |
804 |
