Most U.S. kids drink caffeine daily: study

           

           Highly caffeinated energy drinks are becoming more popular among kids and teens these days. Three quarters of children drink caffeine daily with soda pop being the main source. Researches at the University of Nebraska Medical Center conducted a survey with the parents of 228 children between the age of 5 and 12 during routine visits. The average intake was two to three times higher than the 22 to 23 milligram daily average reported nearly 10 years ago. It is reported that children between the ages of eight and twelve consumed the average of 108 milligrams a day, the same amount found in three cans of soda pop. It is stated that the more caffeine children consumed, the fewer hours of sleep they received on average. As parents you are not only putting the physical state of your child at risk, but doing so much more. You are setting an example for your children that it is ok for them to be consuming this much caffeine on average, which can and will lead to more serious things such as drugs and alcohol. If your child is getting deprived of sleep as the study suggests, your putting their ability to learn at risk as they cannot function at school as well as they might be able to if they are not getting the hours of sleep they require on average. As a parent you need to do what is in your child’s best interest and reduce the consumption of available caffeinated products in your household, which will not only save you money but most importantly save your child’s health.

Story found on: http://www.cbc.ca/

Author: CBC News

Link to story: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/12/16/caffeine-children.html

Video: On-air drug use by Saskatoon DJ sparks debate

          A Saskatoon radio jockey touched off a fierce locale debate about salvia, a hallucinogenic herb on Thursday, December 16, 2010 by smoking it during a live radio broadcast. Due to Miley Cyrus’s recent incident including salvia DJ Ryder of Wired 96.3 morning show demonstrated a live demonstration, hoping to discourage other from trying it themselves. Later that day the station posted a 12 minute video of his reaction to smoking the drug with a link to an online petition started by DJ Ryder himself calling the federal government out to make salvia an illegal substance. Although I do think DJ Ryder’s heart was in the right place, I don’t think he needed to demonstrate on himself the effects of salvia. By demonstrating the reaction to salvia he is in a way letting individuals know that it’s ok to try it as it will not severely affect you. I do applaud Ryder’s enthusiasm in his fight to try and illegalize salvia. Everyone is getting all worked up about the distribution and use of salvia lately all due to the video clip released by celebrity Miley Cyrus. It is now that I realize that celebrities truly do affect the views and actions of our society. Due to Miley Cyrus’s recent video release I believe the use of salvia in youth will sadly rise. Good for individuals like DJ Ryder who are fighting back in an attempt to illegalize the hallucinogenic herb.

Story found on: The StarPhoenix

Author: Lori Coolican

Link to story: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/health/Video+drug+Saskatoon+sparks+debate/3990135/story.html#ixzz18LWTGIwN

Pave or Paradise?

           In the picture above people are seen having fun playing soccer and jogging at Norseman Park, 100 block east 23^rd which is said to be the North Shore’s sports field most accessible by public transit, but that may soon change. There is an idea out there involving developers, apartment buildings and all kinds of offices and a process of spending city money on planning a project that ignores the Official Community Plan by developing this wonderful green place while aiming to improve our recreation facilities. Norseman Park being only two blocks from my present home is a facility I truly could not live without. It is because of Norseman Park many individuals like myself are able to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Some of us have almost little to no time to invest in the engagement of physical activity on a day to day basis; thanks to the location of Norseman Park we are more easily able to meet our daily physical activity engagement goals to live a healthier lifestyle. If apartments and or offices are to replace Norseman Park and its close by relative McDougall Field it could cause traffic congestion, parking nightmares, dramatic social change, loss of playing fields and jogging tracks, loss of views and quality of life, the list goes on and on. The replacement of Norseman Park and McDougall Field truly would be upsetting, it is essential that we preserve such features in our community as they are key to living a more healthy, active, and pleasant life.

          I would deeply appreciate it if you could put aside 2 minutes of your day and help save Norseman Park and McDougall Field. The following is a link to a petition form; the goal of the petition is to reach 1000 signatures to help save Norseman Park and McDougall, get involved and help be a part of the solution. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-norsemen-park-save-mcdougall-field/

Story found on: http://paveparadisenorthvan.com/

Author: Unknown

Link to story: http://paveparadisenorthvan.com/oct31.htm

Driver in teen's death was impaired

         

                                    A court sketch of Samira Mohamed Daoud

          An Ottawa woman has pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing the death of a  16 year old teenage boy Alex Hayes as she struck him riding his bicycle three months ago. The 41 year old Samira Mohamed Daoud pleaded guilty on Wednesday, December 15, 2010 to 5 of the 14 charges she faces in connection with the incident. It is also stated that Daoud was fined $600 four years ago due to drinking and driving. When you are drinking and driving you are putting at risk the life of innocent people. People like Samira Mohamed Daoud need to make more responsible decisions, as adults they should be more aware of what they are doing. It is however stated that she has been charged in the past for drinking and driving which could lead us to believe that she is an alcoholic. We don’t know what’s going through her mind which is why it is so hard to judge her, she could have had a bad past and gone through a lot of things and just because she has caused the death of an individual doesn’t give us the right to just point fingers without completely analyzing her situation. We must treat her the same as we would any other human being and show some sympathy as you can only imagine how hard this might be for her and what she is going through. I personally think Daoud should receive a punishment as she has gone against the law, and while doing so has caused the loss of a human being. On top of her punishment, I think Daoud should receive help on the side to deal with her past and present problems. We can’t have things like this happening everyday, in my opinion Daoud should permanently loose the privilege to drive to ensure that no one else nor their families are to suffer due to the choice of choosing to drive while under the influence of alcohol.

Story found on: http://www.cbc.ca/

Author: CBC News

Link to story: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/12/15/ottawa-samira-daoud-plea.html#socialcomments

De Jong wants voting age lowered to 16

          In a surprise campaign platform announced Wednesday, BC Liberal leadership candidate Mike De Jong made a promise that he would give 16 year old individuals the privilege to vote if he is elected the next premier. De Jong believes lowering the voting age in British Columbia from 18 to 16 will help fight the trend of declining voter participation in the province. I agree with what De Jong is saying, he has a valid point and I truly do believe it is a great idea to combat against the trend of declining voter participation in the province. De Jong says, “Young people can drive at 16, they can enter the military and be raised to adult court, we give them these responsibilities so why not take the next logical step and let them be full participants?” I fully support what he is saying; he is trying to make youth in their later years be more involved with their community and show more interest, If he manages to get this done I do believe it will benefit our community giving it a stronger, more united future. Unfortunately in my opinion most teens at the age of 16 are not ready to vote. The minds of teenagers are still developing, and it can often be hard for them to pick what’s right and wrong for their communities, as teenagers they might make decisions on things that more so benefit themselves rather than the state of their communities. I admire De Jong’s intentions and how he is trying to get the youth more involved with their communities; sadly I think it isn’t such a good idea to give teens such responsibilities as they are not mature enough to handle them.

Story found on: http://www.ctv.ca/

Author: ctvbc.ca

Link to story: http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20101215/bc_voting_age_101215/20101215?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

Man 'driven by virulent homophobia' sentenced to 6 years for attack on gay man

         

          A man (Shawn Woodward) was sentenced to six years in jail on Monday, November 8, 2010 for what has been described as, “an unprovoked attack, driven by virulent homophobia.” Woodward is said to have left 62 year old gay man Ritch Dowrey with severe brain injury by punching him in the face in the Fountain Head Pub, a gay bar. Just because you are homophobic doesn’t give you the right to punch someone in the face. Shawn Woodward being 37 should have the common knowledge to know what to expect when entering a gay bar, just because someone approaches you and requests to buy you a drink doesn’t give you the right to assault them. Sean Woodward seemed to show no signs of remorse for his actions and showed no reaction when sentenced. Woodward’s actions truly were unnecessary and punishment is definitely necessary as we cannot have such unnecessary acts in our society. Because of Woodward’s actions a 62 year old man who is described as being a super happy, fun-loving good guy has no recollection of today, yesterday, and years before. Shawn Woodward showing no signs of reaction on the sentence meant that he knew his actions were wrong and he would now accept the punishment he deserved or that in his mind he thought that his actions were right but knew there was nothing he could do. In conclusion I think Shawn Woodward deserved the six year jail sentence he obtained, his actions truly were uncalled for and left the victim Ritch Dowrey and his family to suffer with what may be permanent brain damage.  

Story found on: http://www.vancouversun.com/

Author: Gerry Bellett

Link to story: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/driven+virulent+homophobia+sentenced+years+attack/3795451/story.html

Miley Cyrus caught smoking salvia from a bong

          Recently video footage was released on the internet showing 18 year old celebrity Miley Cyrus smoking salvia, a perennial herb that is part of the mint family which causes hallucinations from a bong, a smoking device generally used to smoke cannabis, tobacco, or other substances. The incident is said to have occurred at a party held at her Las Angeles home on November 28^th. Miley’s godmother Dolly Parton had this to say, “I think she’s just in a crosswind trying to over come the ‘Hannah Montana’ little girl and trying to become a young woman.” Maybe Miley Cyrus is trying to over come the ‘Hannah Montana’ little girl and trying to become a young woman, but does smoking salvia really make you a young woman? If anything it is doing the opposite for her as she is showing less signs of responsibility and reflecting a bad example for her young fans all over the world and most importantly harming her body. Although what we see here is true, we cannot blame Miley Cyrus for the distribution of this video as it is believed the footage was taken or copied from a camera belonging to one of her friends. We must not judge Miley Cyrus as no one is perfect and everyone has their own personal reasons for the actions they take part in. As teenagers and young adults a majority of us have experimented with different things, it is not fair to judge Miley Cyrus more because she is a celebrity, after all she is a human being just like the rest of us and if you think more in depth with what has happened here it truly isn’t as big of a deal as the media makes it seem.

Story found on: http://www.ctv.ca/

Author: ctvbc.ca

Link to story: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Entertainment/20101210/miley-cyrus-smokes-bong-101210/ 

Ottawa police strip search video released

Recently there was a released portion of a surveillance video showing the controversial strip search of a woman (Stacy Bonds) by Ottawa police officers during the September of 2008. When asked to cooperate with the police officers, Bonds begins to resist and pull back. Yes it is true that you should cooperate with officers of the law, but what happened next was unreasonable. Bonds was kneed in the back a couple of times, had her hair pulled, and forcefully pushed on to the ground. I believe the officers went too far, with 5 officers present they should not have had to use such force. The Female officer repeatedly knees Bonds and pulls her hair back; I think this is what separates her from the other officers. It seems all of the male officers stay within their limits, but the female officer over used her power. I honestly think if anyone should be charged it should be the female officer as her actions truly were unacceptable. We cannot always believe what we see, due to there being no audio in the surveillance video it is hard to conclude what really did happen at the time as there were no witnesses present. Although I do believe the officers are at fault here, I also believe we cannot conclude that they are as we do not have sufficient evidence to make these claims. 

Story found on: http://www.cbc.ca/

Author: CBC News

Link to story:http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/11/25/ottawa-bonds-video-115.html

Prankster makes fake death calls to Canadian military families

           

            In Montreal a prankster calls military families with news that their loved ones have been killed in Afghanistan. The lack of respect some people seem to have for those serving our country shocks me. Military families should not have to worry about their loved ones when they are fighting on land far away; such actions truly are insensitive and amoral. Families already have enough to worry about with their loved ones risking their lives on land far away, they should not be given such false information because for one it isn’t something to joke about and second of all information regarding the state of their loved ones isn’t entitled for them to distribute. If the one responsible for this despicable act is caught in my opinion he/she should personally apologize to the victims and receive some sort of punishment depending on his/her mental state and age. It makes me sick to hear such actions being addressed towards the families of those protecting our contry and keeping us safe, we need to ensure such actions are not tolerable and will result in some sort of consequence so they are not to be repeated in the near future.


Story found on: http://www.cbc.ca/
Author: CBC News
Link to Story: http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/11/24/prank-calls-military.html

Omar Khadr: Military Commission Trial of Ex-Child Soldier

          Omar Khadr, a Canadian national, was 15-years old when he was captured and seriously injured in a firefight in Afghanistan on July 27, 2002. The US has accused Khadr of throwing the grenade that killed US Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer and injured two others. He is charged with murder and attempted murder in violation of the laws of war, conspiracy to commit terrorism, providing material support for terrorism, and spying. His trial by military commission began in August 2010 but was recessed after one day due to defense counsel's illness. The trial was scheduled to resume on October 18. On October 14, the military judge issued an order postponing the trial until October 25 and news reports indicated that the two sides are negotiating a plea deal.

Omar Khadr before being imprisoned at Guantanamo in 2002 at the age of 15, left, and photographed in 2009, right.

Due to the way Omar Khadr was treated and deprived of rights others between the same age were given, the court in my opinion should be more flexible in terms of what is to happen to him. Although he is 24 now, at the time of the alleged crime he was a minor (under the age of 18) which in theory should result in him being treated as one. The US Supreme Court and international human rights bodies have repeatedly recognized that minors differ intellectually and emotionally from adults and therefore need to be judged and treated differently, because Omar Khadr was only 15 at the time he is considered a minor. The punishment he obtains should be somewhere along the lines of rehabilitation as his mind was and still may be corrupt due to everything that has happened since the incident. In my opinion Omar Khadr has gone through more than enough and instead of being punished I do think he should receive some recognition and perhaps an apology due to all he has gone through. Omar Khadr should not have to deal with all this after what he has gone through as I think he has received more than his faire share of punishment. The only thing I personally would advise is some psychological help as it is clearly needed due to all the physical and mental pain he has encountered in the past years.

Story found on: http://www.hrw.org/

Author: HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Link to story: http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/10/15/qa-omar-khadr-trial