Field Hockey Player Dies From Snake Bite

On April 26, 2013, in an article called, “Karl berr, Australian Field Hockey Player, Dies From Snake Bite After Warm-Up Run” from The Huffington Post, Cavan Sieczkowski reported about a tragic death. An Australian field hockey player died after he received a bite from a snake and then decided to go running right after. The decision of running after he got bit was what caused the venom to spread. Berry, who was the captain of the Commerce-Pints Hockey Club, was cleaning up the center when he noticed what he thought was a python. He picked up the snake and removed it from the area because there were children playing nearby. At that point the snake bit him on the finger, but he apparently did not know that it was venomous. He went for a warm-up training run right after. At the group training, team members called an ambulance and reported that Berry was unconscious. After investigations, it was suspected that the snake was a highly venomous western brown. This tragic event left a huge mark in the teammates’ lives because they lost an amazing athlete and friend, who saved another person that could have been bit instead. The team members reported that they will hold a minute’s silence at every game during the coming weekend and wear black arm bands in memory of their friend’s passing.

Army Says "No Thanks" for Tanks

On April, 28, 2013, in an article titled, “Abrams Tank Pushed By Congress Despite Army’s Protests” from The Huffington Post, Richard Lardner posted about a Congressional topic regarding the government supply of tanks to the military. By providing a large supply of Abram tanks, which are seventy-ton military tanks, the nation is facing a budget battle. Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have used nearly half a billion dollars in taxpayer money over the past two years to build improved versions of these tanks, but army officials are repeatedly saying that they do not want it anymore. General Ray Odierno, the Army’s chief of staff said,” If we had out choice, we would use that money in a different way” (The Huffington Post). Keeping the Abrams production line rolling protects well-paying jobs in congressional districts where many of the tank suppliers are located. The nations tank plant is in Lima, Ohio. Therefore there is no question that the senators and representatives there are the champions for more tanks. Representative Jim Jordan used an excuse and stated, “The one area where we are supposed to spend taxpayer money is in defense of the country” (The Huffington Post).

Boston Marathon Suspects' Possible Motives

On April 20,2013, in an article titled, “Boston Marathon Inquiry Shifts to Suspect’s Russian Trip” from the New York Times, Eric Schmitt reported about possible motives of one of the Boston Marathon Bombing suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev. who was killed in a shootout by the police on Friday. Federal investigators have made guesses that the significant visit Tamerlan made to Dagestan and Chechnya may have been the main reason for actions of him and his brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Of Chechen heritage, they lived in United States for years, and no direct ties have been established with known Chechen terrorist groups. Tamerlan stayed at Dagestan for nearly six months, but his father said that he went there to renew his passport. One month after he returned to the United States, a YouTube page that appeared to belong to him featured videos of an important ideologue preaching.

            This article is important because it brings into question about the two boys’ nationality and religion. As Muslim believers, they were extremely passionate about extremist ideas, which made them dangerous. According to schoolteachers, nineteen year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is wounded in a hospital, was always interested about his Chechen roots and ancestors. He even wrote an essay in class about his interests. His brother, Tamerlan, who was under F.B.I. surveillance since 2011, had the same attitude. Their mother stated, “They told me he is getting information from really extremist sites, and they are afraid of him” (New York Times). There is no question that the boys’ were influenced by their beliefs. However, exact information and reasons will be given only after Dzhokhar Tsarnaev heals and is able to speak.

Hookah VS Cigarettes

On April 19,2013 in an article titled, “Study: Hookah no safer than cigarettes, just differently dangerous” from the Los Angeles Times, Amina Khan reported about an interesting study on hookah and cigarettes. Cigarettes have earned the reputation as a cancer-causing practice. New research now shows that water pipes, also known as shisha or hookah, are dangerous, like cigarettes, in a different way. A 2011 study found more than forty percent of college students had used hookah, and many of them believed that it was safer than cigarettes. Many doctors have tried to dissuade this notion. Therefore researchers at UC San Francisco conducted a randomized study of thirteen volunteers, who were smokers of both cigarettes and hookah. Each participant smokes cigarettes for four days and a week later smoked cigarettes for four days again. They each smoked an average of eleven cigarettes per day or three water-pipe sessions per day. The results that scientists found were that water pipers had a 2.5 times higher carbon monoxide level than cigarette smokers. Carbon monoxide can increase the risk for heart attacks, strokes, and sudden death in certain people who have lung illnesses or heart problems. They also found that hookah smokers’ urine had a higher level of benzene, which has been related to leukemia. According to researchers, “ Of particular concern is the risk of leukemia related to high levels of benzene exposure with water pipe use” (Los Angeles Times).