Wikileaks?

There has been a flurry of news updates claiming that Wikileaks, a site that is created to uncover and reveal confidential information has managed to get their hands on very important and confidential diplomatic cables. Exactly what impact theses leaks will have on future diplomatic ties and such is currently unknown and their true nature is still being speculated. However, my problem with this is that the government has made these documents confidential for a reason, so that secrets are not leaked outside and create unnecessary problems. These documents should be kept as such and only when the government deems it appropriate to be released should it be released. Therefore I do not agree that this site should be allowed to leak out these files which will surely cause some problems with the other countries and their diplomatic ties.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/world/29cables.html?_r=1&hp

Facebook claiming the word "face"

The New York Times reports that Facebook is close to trademarking the word "face" to stop any other telemarketing corporation from using it. This is ridiculous. The word "face" is a common word that is used by everyday people and to trademark it due to the fact that Facebook are worried people will try to leech of their fame by adding the word "face" to their sites. Although it may be true that certain websites will try to use "face" to add some popularity to their site. However, this hardly will affect Facebook a giant social networking site and who have no connection to the other sites. In fact, as the article points out almost every business has a webpage linked to it and this ownership of the word "Face" online will create problems for these sites. How exactly the Patents and Trademarks office will allow this to past is a mystery to me. Perhaps, next the word "book" will be trademarked too.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/with-facebook-claiming-the-word-face-some-alternatives/

"Facebook Killer"

Recently I stumbled upon and article that suggested that the website that topples facebook for the crown of social networking will not be a "Facebook with better features", but would rather be something entirely different. At the start of the article I was very skeptical about whether that would be the site that takes over Facebook, but at the end, I am inclined to accept that if history were to repeat itself as it so usually does, then the site that replaces Facebook will not be a site that tries to copy Facebook, but rather a site that comes up with a new innovation, that is entirely different, but renders Facebook redundant. The article provides examples of Digg.com, Myspace, Google and shows why the new social network Disapora is no threat at all to Facebook and will fail to overtake Facebook. As the article says one factor is frequently overlooked when trying to topple the web giants, the fact that the replacement must be radically different to the predecessor. People will not switch from one site to another just because the other site has one or two more better changes. They would rather stick to the same site and trust that eventually the site will update itself and make those changes. However, they wouldn't mind changing to another site which is radically different and offers a new approach to certain activities. Therefore I agree that when Facebook is toppled, it will be toppled by something entirely different from Facebook itself.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/social.media/11/26/cashmore.facebook.killer/index.html

Alcohol more harmful then drugs

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11660210

A recent study done by the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs shows that alcohol is in fact more dangerous then most drugs, and that tobacco or smoking was also one of the highly dangerous substances. However I completely disagree with this study and its conclusions that it draws. Firstly it is impossible to ever possibly compare alcohol with drugs. The reason being that alcohol is so widely spread due to its legal status that it is far more used and therefore its effects are far more evident. However, drugs is illegal and therefore its use is far less obvious and evident. The second problem, is the situation in which each is used. Alcohol can be used in a normal family gathering, or in a party in small amounts where everyone uses it as a mode of relaxing. However drugs is hardly ever used in that manner and most of the time it is used by people who are either at a very low point in their life or a very high point. In that sense drugs are far more dangerous then alcohol.

Former Guerilla to president

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/10/31/brazil.winner.profile/index.html?hpt=C2

Can people truly make comebacks from crime to do good? That remains to be seen in the case of Dilma Rousseff the first female president of Brazil. She was once a extremist left-wing Guerilla fighter who was tortured by the right wing party of Brazil. However, was it wise to elect a president who was a ex-guerilla warfare fighter and who had been tortured by the opposition side? Thinking about it carefully, there are many reasons as to why this could be a bad choice. Firstly, her past involvement will undoubtedly be criticized and harped upon by anyone who dislikes her. Secondly, being tortured by the opposition party would have left severe emotional tramau on her, possibly causing deep hatred towards the other side. Therefore would it be a good desicion to allow her to have a majority of the power? However, she also knows the needs of her people and she has shown that she is no afraid to get into business when it is needed, showing her mental and physical strength. Dilma Rousseff has a lot to prove to the world.

Women Rights

http://insidethemiddleeast.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/01/why-is-sexual-harassment-in-egypt-so-rampant/?hpt=C1

Glancing across the headlines on CNN, I couldn't help but notice that there was an article about women's right and protesting going on in Egypt. Upon reading more I realized that the writer of the article was bringing to light how women were being treated in the middle east and just how dire the situation of women's right was. In fact, what makes women any lower then men. Women are just as capable as men and in certain situations they are in fact more useful then men. Studies in New Zealand show that males were 2.4 times more likely to exhibit antisocial behavior, with the United States Department Of Justice giving statistics to prove that men were 8 times more likely to commit homicide then women. Other statistics also prove that women are less physically violent then men, and usually approach arguments with a rational mind. Therefore, these ways of treating women as though they were lesser then men and only sex objects are in my opinion ridiculous.

14 massacred at football match

Recently while scanning through the newspapers, I noticed an article titled "14 massacred at football match". The article states that in Honduras several hooded gunmen invaded and football pitch and shot the players, killing 10 instantly and 4 others en-route to the hospital. The police suspect that shootings were results of gang wars and criminals taking revenge on one another. These shootings fit together with Honduras amazing murder rate of 78.8 people out of every 100000, the highest murder rates in the world. However under no circumstances should crime be interwoven with sport. Sports is on a different level from the rest of society. It is a time for individuals to be free and enjoy themselves without prohibition. In sports, wealth, status, race, age, religion- none of it matters. It is the one time when everyone is based purely on their own abilities. Therefore, the murderous thugs who corrupt it by making people fear to play sports and such are not only killing 14 people, but affecting the whole society in that area. I believe that people like these should be hunted down and brutally and publicly executed.

Should soccer players be given privacy & how the media has affected soccer.

Recently there has been a string of news reports that have surfaced, which present the private lives of famous professional soccer players for the whole world to view. Most of the time these reports mainly showcase the wrong doings and such of the soccer players. Many household names such as, Rooney, Crouch, Terry and Ronaldo have all been followed by the infamous paparazzi and have been caught having sex scandals, breaking the law, and even peeing in a dark alleyway. Now among the soccer world opinions are divided on whether these should be allowed to be published. However, before we look at this we need to first understand why this is so important. There are two vital reasons why these cases cause shock waves in the footballing world. The first reason is that these footballers are role models to hundreds of millions of people around the world, myself included. Now if one were to read reports about their idol breaking the law or doing morally and ethically wrong things, then one would subconsciously start lessening our moral standards to fit these into it. We would slowly start believing that it is all right to do such things. It is embarrassing for any soccer fan who has lived through at least 4 generations of soccer stars to witness such a thing. I cannot count myself as one of these people, but my grandfather who has watched the first world cup till now, the 20th world cup, can testify to this. During the 1970s to 1990s one would have to wait for years before they could see two events of soccer players breaking the law, such was their discipline. However now, it is a weekly event, where some soccer player is found to be taking drugs, having numerous affairs, running betting rings or connected to the mafias. This has in fact become so mundane that people hardly even care nowdays.

Recently a famous soccer player and also ex-coach, has given his view stating that having your life published by the media and having no privacy is the price to pay for international superstardom and the money that is received out of soccer. He gives some very good points and states how the paparazzi is a double edged sword. If one were able to have a clean image and play breath taking football then you could manipulate the paparazzi and spread your fame and influence wider. However having any secrets or problems and trying to hide them from the paparazzi is nearly impossible with nowdays modern technology.

I believe that the media is starting to take over football with it affecting the results of games. Rather then just the players playing the game and deciding, the media has now assumed total control over football. It has the ability to make a player shine or destroy his reputation. It may not seem like it, but one great example of how the media can affect someone is through the story of Wayne Rooney. He netted 34 goals last season a personal high for him, and made himself into one of the stars of the world. However after a ridiculously poor performance and several sex scandals, both of which were widely focused on by the press for weeks, he has had trouble scoring and has only managed one goal in the last 5 games. The media also has the ability to sway the minds of easy supporters who believe everything they read. Therefore in conclusion I think that the media is getting to much power over the footballing world and the real attention has been drawn away from the game, and more towards the drama.

Baby discovered in plane toilet bin

Recently a baby was found abandoned on a flight toilet bin. The baby was found after the mother gave birth in the toilet of a Gulf Air Jet flight from Saudi Arabia to Philippines and dumped the baby in tissues in the toilet bin. The baby was discovered on landing, and although it suffered some horrible trauma it made it to the hospital where it received emergency treatment and is now stable. The mother is still unknown, but it won't be too hard to find out who the mother is, considering that the list is severely limited based on the passengers on the plane.

I despise people who do this kinds of acts. Simply, they are selfish and cruel people. Firstly if they are not ready for the baby, then they should not have had sex or should have at least used a condom. But, what is most shocking about it, is that after 9 months of carrying the baby around in their stomach, they have no problem with dumping the defenseless baby in some trash can or other worse ideas they can think of. Now, firstly no one has the right other then the baby to decide whether it should live or not. Neither the parents nor anyone else can say that the baby should die, or shouldn't be allowed to live. No one has the right to play God. Another reason that this should not be allowed to happen, is that even if the baby were to survive, most of the babies would end up living a miserable life, always having the weight over their heads, that their mother didn't care if they died. This would lead the baby down a dark path, increasing the risk that the baby would grow up to become a drug user or some other criminal.

The mothers also have a choice, if they were willing to leave the baby, then they should simply just give the baby to an orphanage or some other charitable place, where the baby will be able to grow up in a healthy environment.

Dumping a baby in a trash can, is never justifiable under any circumstances and in my personal opinion anyone who does this should be charged for attempted murder or murder.

Justin Bieber Escapes Arrest

I was just surfing on the net reading the daily news on soccer, when this interesting headline popped up at me. "Justin Bieber after hitting police with a water balloon". This grabbed my attention immediately because Justin Bieber has built his reputation by being a "clean and nice" guy. This was totally unexpected by someone like this, so I clicked on the article and continued to read on it.

Apparently Justin Bieber was "horsing" around with members of his staff before a concert and threw water balloons and two police officers who were there for crowd control. One hit a police officer in his gun holster, while the other hit the police officer in his chest, but did not burst. After this he ran back to his trailer and hide there letting his body guard convince the police officers not to arrest him. The police issued a statement, which says that although the behavior was inappropriate, no further action would be taken, and a report was not even written about the incident.

I am disgusted by this for two reasons. My first reason is that Justin Bieber ran away and hid in his trailer after throwing the balloons at the officers and let his bodyguard do the talking for him. This just proves that he has no guts and that celebrities now days are getting more and more pampered and egotistical. The number of celebrities, who are nice in real life is dwindling down to a very small number now. Does being a celebrity and being famous make them any better then us? I think everyone has their own opinion on that matter, but in my personal opinion celebrities should not be given any special treatment, in fact that should be treated more harshly then the rest of the people, because they are role-models and idols to millions of people around the world. What Justin Bieber is doing, is giving a very bad impression on what is right and wrong to all of Justin Bieber's fans, especially since they tend to be very young.

The second reason that this article infuriates me is due to how the police handled the situation. If this incident has occurred but instead of being Justin Bieber, it was instead some young kid who was unknown to the world I doubt he would be let of so easily. I think now days with the celebrity status, many celebrities belief themselves invincible and able to do whatever they want. They do not think of the consequences of their actions, but rather just do whatever they feel like.

I think the police force should have been a little more harsher with Justin Bieber, although it was only a water balloon, it gives a bad idea of what is right and wrong to Justin Bieber's fans.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/7999255/Justin-Bieber-escapes-arrest-after-hitting-police-with-water-balloon.html