A Kick to the Family Jewell

July 27, 1996 was meant to be just another day at the Olympic games in Centennial Park. But for the late Richard Jewell it became the end of his normal everyday life.

It was after midnight when Richard, a private security guard, discovered a pipe bomb and alerted the police. It was 1:21am, Richard and other security guards began to clear the park when the bomb went off.

Richard Jewell was considered a hero for his discovery of the bomb and his aid in ushering people to safety. But just a few days after the bombing he became a potential suspect. The media learned of this suspicion and released this publicly making Richard a target. It became the theory that he planted the bomb so that he would be the one to discover it and be a hero.

So is this a believable theory? Yes. It's something that I'm sure has been done in all investigative television shows. But what else does this show us? We're shown that when the media constantly reports on the story of the week and builds it up, people will basically turn against the person being reported on. And like with Jewells, the media came and pulled out all their tricks to make him seem the suspect- they attacked him and his family like vultures. If we are to learn anything from this story it's that you can't judge a book by its cover. I also want to point out that I'm not trying to attack the media or give it a bad name or that it's nothing but bad press, it's just that we need to be careful what sources we allow ourselves to hear and follow.

Richard Jewell died on August 29, 2007 of severe heart and kidney disease at the age of 44. Richard died in his home a police officer in Pendergrass, Georgia. He was a man who was falsely accused and had to endure so much for so long. A man who from the media, received quite a kick to the family Jewell.

The Seventh-Inning Stretch

It has been almost a month since six Utah miners were trapped in the Crandall Canyon Mine.

On Monday, August 6, 2007, at 2:48 A.M. MDT, the mine collapsed, trapping six workers. The workers are believed to be a little over three miles from the entrance of the mine. But here we are over three weeks, and the odds of them still being alive are highly doubtful.

Robert Murray is part owner of the mine and has recently come under attack regarding the search for the miners. When the event unfolded in early August, Murray made a strong promise that he would not give up hope on finding the trapped men. But as of last week he has stated that the search has just become too dangerous and hope is fading- and now family members of the miners are calling him out. They want him to live up to his promise to bring the men home. Perhaps Murray shouldn't have dug himself such a deep hole. But you have to cut him a little slack, he had no idea it would turn into a long and disastrous search.

The dangerous search refers to three rescue workers who were killed when another part of the mine collapsed. Six other rescuers were injured and quickly pulled from the mine, leaving the open question on the stability of the mountain. Murray stated there was an earthquake that caused the collapse of the mine trapping the six men, other sources claimed no earthquake took place.

Murray stated that he has already filed paperwork to permanently close and seal the Crandall Canyon mine. "Had I known that this evil mountain, this alive mountain, would do what it did, I would never have sent the miners in here. I'll never go near that mountain again," he said.

I guess some people just can't get it through their heads that mining is a risky job. Who knows what really took place to cause such an accident. There is also the report that the mine was unstable and it shouldn't have been used. Once again another warning that was received without a second thought.

Though there are plans to close the mine, searches continue with a seventh hole being dug in an area that is hopefully close to the miners. This hole is a long shot and hopefully something will come from it- you could almost call it the seventh-inning stretch.

As of recent news, the seventh hole has shown nothing and searches are being suspended.

Dog-Eat-Dog World

Cesar Millan (a.k.a. The Dog Whisperer) has quite a bit to say these days for his canine pals. Why? Well as of this past week Michael Vick has finally pleaded guilty in sponsoring dog fights. Vick has made his public apologizes, stating how he realizes that dog fighting is wrong. Well was there ever a point where having dogs fight to the death was a good thing?

Class let's take a look at this question.

Dog fighting is a physical fight between canines, sometimes involving the pitting of two dogs against each other for the entertainment of spectators, and for the purpose of gambling.

Well now we see that Vick did it for the money. I guess playing for the Atlanta Falcons doesn't pay well and Vick felt he was going to have to take on a second job. So can we blame a man who was just trying to make a good living for himself? Well it probably depends on who you are, but in this case I believe the answer is yes.

Even though his sentence isn't due till December, Vick has announced that he has found God. People always seem to find God in times of trouble but hardly ever when things are good, unless it's the Oscars. Maybe its because we see God as the only way for the good to come from the bad, or the sun to break through the clouds.

So what the does future hold for Vick? Who knows, it's a dog-eat-dog world.

Wow

The 2007 Miss Teen USA pageant was recently held, and one of the contestants has caught quite a bit of attention.
Here's why:




Transcript:
"I personally believe that US Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps and I believe that our education like such as South Africa and the Iraq and everywhere like such as and I believe that they should our education over here in the US should help the US or should help south Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future."


What?

If there ever was a message to send to kids about staying in school, that would be it. I think the real reason some people can't find America on a map is because, like her, they were all asleep in class! Not only did she not answer the question, she forgot to add the thing about world peace. Alright well perhaps she did just mess up what with being in front of audience. We all can have moments like that and probably have. And when something happens to someone else we're all quick to point and laugh. Poor Miss South Carolina. Wow.

Happy Birthday Big Mac

Today McDonald's is celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Big Mac. The triple-decker burger, with 540 calories and 29 grams of fat each, was first introduced in 1967 before going national the following year. I do though wonder how many people who have tasted the Big Mac are still around to enjoy it's flavor. McDonald's celebrated their most popular burger with a cake that contained over eight-hundred calories. Not.

For some the Big Mac has been a little taste of heaven, a taste so wonderful that it led them to Big Mac h*ll. The obvious weight that can be gained by these beefy sandwiches has led people to become what they eat.

So on it's birthday what did Big Mac wish for? Fewer sales equaling less weight gained? A fat free Mac? Being cool with nutritionists? Probably just another year of being America's top sandwich. So America, enjoy your meal and hope your still around for the 50th.

Happy Birthday Big Mac!

No Toying Around

While China prepares for 2008 Summer Olympics, they may have to hold off on the souvenirs. In recent news China has been under much for fire for producing toys that contain traces of lead. This lead scare has led to toys almost a million toys being pulled from shelves all over the world.

The country responds by pulling these toys from stores, but now eBay users are selling recalled items. What idiot is going to purchase something like that? "Dude check out my collection it's deadly." And now we're beginning to see the dangers of selling used online items.

The scare caused such a huge global controversy that Cheung Shu-hung, who co-owned Lee Der Industrial Co., committed suicide at a warehouse by hanging himself.

So what does this mean for us? Well it means Superman won't be able to look through any of the toys. It could mean that Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer will be teaching kids about the word "lethal". And SpongeBob will now be SpongeBob Lead Pants. But what it really means is that we seriously need to rethink the safety of all imported items. How far are we willing to put ourselves in the hands of foreign allies? When it comes to the safety of human lives, there's no toying around.


Similar blog:
http://thesilentview.blogspot.com/2007/07/chinese-tea-party.html

Touch Down

Whew!

Early this afternoon NASA's Space Shuttle Endeavour made an early, but more importantly safe, landing. There had been much speculation as to the safety of the shuttle and it's crew due to the foam damage under the ship. A piece of foam had broken off the external fuel tank and punctured a three inch hole into the belly of the shuttle. It was damage by foam that led to the demise of the Columbia.

NASA had attempted to perform a repair job, but there appeared to be a possible tear on the thumb of the left glove on the spacesuit. It was later reported the tear was no danger to the suit and that the job was canceled as a precaution. As of recently Hurricane Dean became a possilbe threat, and led NASA to call for Endeavour's return a day early.

With all the sad news these days it's glad to have a reason to rejoice at Endeavour's touch down.

To Catch a Clue

Investigative journalism is when reporters deeply investigate a topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or some other scandal.

Dateline NBC's series "To Catch a Predator" is a series that hunts down sexual predators and turns them over to the authorities. The series is led by Chris Hansen, who chats with the men who thought they were coming to meet some teenager they met online. The men are later excused from the meeting house and arrested by the police.

While the show has received a number of applauses it has also taken quite a bit of heat. Many accuse the series of creating news rather than reporting about it. It's also said that NBC is more focused on ratings.

One of the men that visited the house was a former district attorney who ended up taking his life. The man's sister blames the show for her brother's death. How can she blame Dateline for the loss of the man's life when he arrived at the house and pulled the trigger on himself?

It's amazing that the people used as bait on the series haven't been harmed, same goes for the crew. This should be the top priority and it probably is.

And now ABC's 20/20 is searching the closets of NBC hoping to find a few skeletons. So while Dateline tries to protect the youth of America, ABC will tell us how it wasn't fair that NBC came up with the series first. It's time for 20/20 to catch a clue.

Stay Cool

It's been over a week and the South continues to be cursed with 100 degree weather. These high temperatures are being blamed for so far taking thirty-three lives. Though my question is what conditions were these people living in and what was their state of health. I attend a school where outside it's a furnace and inside it's an icebox.

There's an episode of The Twilight Zone where people were living in high temperatures that were continuing to rise. In the episode one of the main characters finally succumbs to the scorching heat only to awake, from what was a dream, in not boiling temperatures but freezing ones.

So stay out of the sun if you can and stay cool.

Flying "High" in the Sky

This past Monday a flight attendant appeared in court on the charges of being drunk while on duty. When she was being removed from the plane she told the pilot "You're dead." The stewardess admitted to drinking whisky on board the plane. One passenger was even threatening to press charges on the basis that the attendant wasn't sharing the goods. Alright so that part was a joke but I wouldn't be surprised if someone was thinking that.

Now how did she get the whisky on the plane? Was it already on? Did she sneak it on? Or judging by the way she was escorted off the plane, was she drugged? Hmmmm.

It's said that flying is one of the safest means of transportation. And it should be despite those thoughts of an engine failing and the plane falling thousands of feet. It's not a very comforting thought for me, who'll be flying to Boston next month, or anyone else to have flight attendants who are flying "high" in the sky.

Lost to Space?

Since last Wednesday's launch, there has been much speculation concerning the safety of the Space Shuttle Endeavour (Mission STS-118), and it's crew. The shuttle's belly made contact with a grapefruit-sized piece of fuel-tank foam that broke off a bracket on the external fuel tank. It was a piece of foam that collided with the shuttle Columbia in 2003, that led to the ship being destroyed during reentry. The gash in the Endeavour has exposed part of the ship's skin. If this part is exposed to the extreme heat of reentry into Earth's atmosphere, Endeavour would follow Columbia. Columbia was orginally scheduled to fly this mission.

Columbia's destruction sent out a major wake-up call to NASA. It was a call that led NASA to a two year halt on missions to space. Crew members may perform a check on shuttle and may even try to repair it, but repairs could do more bad than good. Of course NASA has always been very cautious in the field of work their in, but wouldn't it be a good idea to have an escape plan? Is it possible to have a spacecraft simliar to the Apollo orbiter? A craft inserted into part of a space shuttle or connected to the International Space Station (ISS).

Amoung the crew includes Barbara Morgan, a teacher who twenty-two years ago was backup for Christa McAuliffe. Christa was another teacher who boarded the doomed Challenger.

It is being reported that the shuttle Discovery is being prepared for the first rescue mission in the program, but that the shuttle won't launch until October.

Endeavour is to be decommissioned in 2010, along with the Discovery when the Shuttle Program is retired. Endeavour is also scheduled to be the last Orbiter to fly to the ISS, hopefully it gets the opportunity and not lost to space.

No Bongs From Ben

On Saturday, London's Big Ben fell silent around 8 a.m. And with no sounding of the next hour, it could really be a pain for someone counting on Big Ben for the time. This silence isn't the result of Peter Pan and the Darling children standing on the clock hands, or some Alien spaceship that crashed into it, which would require the help of the Doctor. Doctor Who?

Time has in some ways stopped for Ben as workers rappalled to begin a month long work of maintenance. Ben will undergo cleaning on it's four latticework faces.

The time will start up again, but the bell won't sound for some time. Engingeers will use the next few weeks to replace bearings in the clock mechanism. This is the first time since 1956 that both Big Ben's sonorous hourly bongs and the chimes that mark each quarter-hour will be silent, robbing London of one of its most distinctive sounds.

So for the next month there will be no bongs from Ben.

Bibliography:

Satter, Raphael G. Yahoo News. 11 Aug. 2007. 11 Aug. 2007 .

Capture the Flag

On Thursday a Russian submarine reached the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. This mission is the first ever manned descent to the ocean bottom at the North Pole. Their mission was to claim the resource-rich region on the seabed under the North Pole. Russia left their mark by placing a small flag at the bottom. They also left a time capsule for future generations. My guess is to let others know that Russia got there first- like future generations couldn't look it up on Wikipedia.

However, this historical celebration ended as soon as the rest of the world heard about it. Countries like Canada and the U. S. are already pointing out how Russia just can't just place a flag and call it theirs, thus ending the methods of explorers like Christopher Columbus. But Russia is claiming a larger portion extending as far as the North Pole because Moscow says, the Arctic seabed and Siberia are linked by the same continental shelf.

I think everyone is forgetting who that area really belongs to. Perhaps if they behave, Santa will let them all share. Until then, it's a race to capture the flag.

MSNBC. 2 Aug. 2007. 3 Aug. 2007 .

When We Come To It

Its been two days since the collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis, leaving many people with questions. For some it's the outcome of the eight missing, for others it's the injuries of the victims. But probably the biggest question is just how safe the bridge was, and the safety of other bridges.

A while back the bridge had been rated a four out of nine, with one being the absolute worst. Now four may not be as bad as one, but it's closer to one than nine. This is probably one of the worst examples of procrastination. Now class, what is the purpose of a bridge? Yes that's right, to get from one place to another that goes over an inaccessible area. So why is it that we only pay attention to the security of something when there's an accident? Perhaps it's because we tend to put to much faith into the stability of a structure, like the Titanic.

I'm not saying that there's not a single person who cares in the importance in structures like bridges, buildings, or even planes, trains, and automobiles. I'm focusing on the ones who don't always have the wellbeing of others at the top of their list of importance because they have to much confidence. Now there's the call for inspection of all major bridges, why? Because it took an accident to wake us up. You know what a blessing it is that more lives weren't lost with the dozens of vehicles that went down, not to mention that bus full of kids.

So what will happen? Well I guess we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it.

On the I-35 Bridge

This evening marked the third accident on a Wednesday. Two weeks ago was the New York City steam pipe explosion, last week the explosion in Dallas, TX. Tonight however there was a different type of accident, this time occuring in Minneapolis, Minnesota along the Mississippi River. The I-35 bridge collasped taking over fifty vehicles with it. As of now, the collapse how taken at least seven lives, and has left fifty-eight (10 of them children) injured and six in critical condition. All the survivors have been removed from the bridge.

The forty year old bridge had been undergoing repairs, when the tragedy took place. It isn't known if the repairs had anything to do with the fall, it is doubted that they did.

Of the three Wednesday accidents, this by far the most tragic. Tonight ends with people mourning for their loved ones, waiting to get home, praying for the injured, and thanking God for the safe return of the survivors.

A tragic end to the first day of August on the I-35 bridge.

Idiot-Jacker

Tonight on Dateline (NBC), Chris Hansen reported on iPod thieves. This series was called "To Catch an i-Jacker". It showed iPods being placed in random areas and, you guessed it, being stolen. The thieves would later go and register their new mp3 player online, alerting Dateline to their location. Hot on the trail, Dateline went and met up with the crooks, who thought they were taking part in an iPod Giveaway. Now not all of the people talked to were the actual theives, some didn't have any idea the device was stolen. The teenage crooks would at first claim to have bought the iPod from a Best Buy only to admit the truth after seeing themselves caught on camera.

It was amazing to see how taking what didn't belong to them, had no real affect on them. One girl, who had her own iPod stolen, made the excuse that it was a "cruel" world, and that's the sad truth. We live in a world where teasing, cheating, stealing, even killing etc. can become a sick routine for some people. Some do it in religion, some do it for justice, and some have no reason at all. We look to even the score, but we never do, our actions have a ripple effect that affect others.

This wasn't Datelines point, it's mine, but it shows you how stupid people can be. It's as if they've sold their conscious to the Devil. They don't think of others, just themselves. Taking what doesn't belong to them, so they can be happy, even if they're hurting others. They become an i-Jacker...an Idiot-Jacker.