The Fight For Votes

"Hong Kong Activists Defy Police Tear Gas As Protests Spread"
By: James Pomfret and Yimou Lee
Source: Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/28/hong-kong_n_5897038.html

A riot advanced in Hong Kong during the early hours of Monday where democracy protestors were out in the streets. Riot police fired volleys of tear gas that sent the protestors fleeing and others trying to build barricades to block the security forces. Earlier, police came out to move all the protestors who were blocking a main road as a warning because of the illegal demonstrations. There were numerous fights that broke out between gas masks, riot gear, police in helmets and tear gas that had not been used since 2005.  This is becoming a serious problem for Beijing leaders, because these calls for democracy could spread to major cities on the mainland and decrease their power. Police then used pepper spray against the activists and began to shoot tear gas in the air. "If today I do not stand out, I will hate myself in the future,"(1). When Britain returned Hong Kong to Chinese rule in 1997, universal suffrage was set as a goal. Beijing last month denied the rights for people to choose freely on the next leader, which sparked these riots in Hong Kong. Student movement leaders had occupied the lobby of Hong Kong's representative office to show their support for the democracy protestors. As mentioned before, police had not used tear gas in Hong Kong since trying to break up protests by South Korean farmers against the World Trade Organization in 2005. This time, protestors have decided to never give up until their rights are handed to them. Police, so far, have arrested seventy-eight people, yet citizens have not decided to back down.

This shows how eager people are to fight for what they believe is theirs. The citizens of Hong Kong continue to protest until they gain the right to vote for their next leader.

Blast From The Past

I feel as though the simple questions are the hardest to answer. However, not this time. If we were allowed to choose a flavor of ice cream as one of our best friends then mine would be Cotton Candy. Every time I eat a spoonful of Cotton Candy, I close my eyes and I let the ice cream take me back to those summer days by my pool with my cousins. While eating this sweet ice cream all my fears vanish into space and I remember when our parents would call us for some ice cream as soon as we were done swimming. Around the age of eight hearing the words "ice cream" brought smiles to our faces. Ironically, it does now too. I mean who would not want to hear "Come and get your ice cream?" The pink and purple swirls of cotton candy were like a colorful water slide. I immediately wanted to slide off it. Cotton Candy is seasonal, so every time the sun gets warmer and school reaches its temporary end I make my way to the nearest ice cream shop and ask for my one and only, Cotton Candy. I mean just saying it sounds exciting! A majority of people share my opinion on this special ice cream and express their feelings by stating, "One of the best ice creams I have ever tasted". Unfortunately the majority of people does not take my road down memory lane and reminisce about it all. Reminisce about the wonderful, about the funny and about the peaceful memories. I yearn for the sweet, mouthwatering, sensational taste of this ice cream. Thank you Cotton Candy for existing and being my best ice cream friend.

Marriage To All

"Pope Marries 20 Cohabiting Couples in Sign of Papacy Shift"
By: David Willey
Source: BBC
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29198491

Pope Francis conducted a mass wedding of over twenty couples, including those who were cohabiting and one who had a child. Pope Francis was asked to marry forty different couples who had differing social backgrounds and were considered "modern day couples". This type of marriage ceremony had not occurred in fourteen years. Pope Francis has been open-minded about marriage and family values compared to his predecessor. This mass ceremony took place on Sunday at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.  The wedding came three weeks before the formal meeting of Catholic bishops from all around the world, concerning family values. This ceremony lasted two hours in Rome and the Pope mentioned that "marriage is not an easy road, it is sometimes a contentious trip but that is life"(1). Under the leadership of Pope Francis the church is accepting the fact that couples live together before marriage and divorce and marry without getting an annulment. He mentioned in one of his sermons that families are what make and shape our society and that couples should be forgiven if they ever obey the church teaching. In his eighteen-month papacy this was Pope Francis' first marriage ceremony. It has been decided that the world's clergy will come together in Rome in October to speak about issues such as divorce and marriage. A large survey will be handed out at the Vatican to find out what Catholics think about family life and marriage.

Pope Francis is doing a wonderful job as Pope and making sure that couples be forgiven for not following the specific rules of the church before marriage. The Pope seems lenient about marriage, unlike any Pope before him. He should be an example to his followers.

Ebola Immunity To Monkeys

"Vaccine gives monkeys Ebola immunity"
By: James Gallagher
Source: BBC
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-29076371

The experiments done by the US National Institutes of Health have proven that the monkeys vaccinated    have built a "long-term" immunity against the Ebola virus. For this reason they are wondering if this vaccine were to be given to people would their lives be saved? They have started human trials by giving the vaccine to people in need in the US and soon in the UK and Africa. Many treatments for this disease are being considered to help stop the spreading of the virus. A new vaccine is being developed by the US National Institutes of Health that contains two species of Ebola. The first one is called Zaire that is spreading throughout West Africa and the common Sudan species. Hopefully the immune system will react to the Ebola component of this vaccine and people will begin to build immunity. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the US National Institute of Allergy said, "The good part of this vaccine is that at five weeks or earlier you get full protection"(1).  For the reason that the vaccine was successful in the monkey, they started testing it on humans. The first patient for this new vaccine was a thirty-nine year old woman who was given the Sudan species medication. There will also be human trials while using the Zaire Ebola species. The WHO said that the safety data would be ready by November 2014 and if the vaccine was said to be safe then they would begin to give out the vaccine in West Africa. This is important because of the outbreak in West Africa at this moment.

Ebola is a serious virus that every single person should be aware of. This virus is deadly and it is extraordinary that a vaccine has been developed. This vaccine could save lives and stop this contagious disease from spreading.

"The Giver" Review

In 'The Giver' Human Spirit Prevails in an Oppressive Future
By: Tom Long
Source: Detroitnews.com
Link to Review: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140815/ENT02/308150006

       Tom Long begins his review with a sense of hope that this movie brings to its audience. He mentions that even though this movie gives its farewell to human feelings and differences in people, it still captures the essence of humans. This movie explains that feelings such as love, pain and fear are necessary for life because it is what makes us human. Tom Long's main claim in this review is claim of value where he states, "The Giver offers more than just the standard clamorous post-apocalyptic claptrap that fuels far too many films these days"(1). This claim explains that "The Giver" brings a different feel to movie watchers. Claim of fact is used in the middle paragraphs of this review when he states his own version of the summarization of the movie and how the movie is based off the popular novel. He mentions that this movie challenges the audience with questions about life such as, "Are emotions a gift or a hindrance?"(1). The author of this review uses logos by stating the author of the book that this movie was based off of and the characters in both the book and movie. In this review pathos is also used when the author of this article explains the importance of Jonas' job as a Receiver. Also when Tom Long states that life has two sides to it: the tough and the pleasant. Jonas, the main character, manages to get through both stages and brings the real memories of the past to life. The reviewer introduces the background to the movie to the audience and then explains that the movie makes the audience think about how their lives would be without human emotion. Tom Long writes about both how the movie could have been better and how it feeds the audience thought and shows the other perspectives of life. This justifies a "good review".