Current Events

[Suteki Da Ne]

So I was bored in class this morning and thankfully had access to a computer so I spent most of my time reading news articles. And I came across more news about the teacher from the U.K. who was teaching in the Sudan and who allowed the group of 7-year-old children in her class to name a teddy bear that one of the girl's brought in. The children selected the name "Muhammad." They then made a book about the bear. The teacher was arrested and charged initially with inciting religious hatred (http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/28/africa/sudan.php) and faced up to six months in prison, forty lashes, and a fine. Today she was charged instead with insulting Islam instead so has been sentenced to 15 days of prison and then deportation. Now, Sudanese protesters are demading her execution. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22039372/)

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about this or some other bits of news that they wanted to share and discuss. So here is the thread to post articles or talk about something you've heard and discuss any current events!


Rules of this thread: 1) Be respectful 2) No flaming or attacking other members for their opinions (or in general).

[Psycho Killer]

I think that she should have said no to the name, because a teacher like herself and an adult like herself should have known that it probably wasn't going to be a good idea to name something Muhammad. However the kids probably were doing it out of respect, and probably had no idea that it was considered a bad thing. But my personal opinion over the matter is people need to lighten up, this is why I get so annoyed with religions because people have such a huge ego about their religion. I also think execution is ridiculous, I'm having a problem trying to express my feelings over this matter, but I just don't agree with how overly protective they are being over the name, which is in fact just a name in my opinion, their profit had a name, but naming a bear after it will not make the profit's history disappear, if that makes sense?

Also, I believe this is only in California but they are wanting to ban spanking Here is an article (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/01/30/MNGQUNRE2A1.DTL) and here is another (http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1581853,00.html).

I find spanking to be the quickest form of punishment, but also very unnecessary, It's like parents get so angry they rather use their hands than their words and I don't think that is alright. I think that people at first want to make sure their kids know what they are doing is wrong, but often times they never tell them in the first place. For example as the first article states above about a woman who spanked her kid for running out in the street, she says she spanked her because she wanted to make sure the child knew it was wrong, but the child was never told it was wrong to begin with and why should they be punished for being ignorant, wouldn't it be just as sufficient to tell them that if they do it again they may be hit by a car, or in general that it's bad to run out into the street- instead of pulling them out of an already traumatic incident and spanking them?

I also despise how parents will state "I was spanked and I turned out okay" thats not the point, when you look back on your childhood you don't want to remember every single spanking, I know I remember every time my mother hit me and for that reason alone I have a lot of resentment towards her, besides just because you turned okay doesn't make it right, perhaps you would have turned out better. Not only this but parents, no matter how much they don't want to, will always end up like their parents in some way, and that way may be spanking, and isn't it unhealthy to spank a child just because it's the only form of punishment you were taught? Kids make mistakes and should be scolded for them the first time, and punished the next time- and punishment does not HAVE to be spanking, it could be a time out, it could be a taking away of a favourite toy, using your hands or a belt does not have to be the only solution.

[Disco Stick]

Not to go off topic about the serious stuff...but this is an event. And it's current....

Who else was laughing their ass off when Britney Spears was carted off to the hospital for a mental evalution?!?

In other news...Obama rocked the Iowa caucus. Like we didn't see that one coming.

[silvercrystal]

I feel for her and her kids. She's clearly going through a lot and I doubt the constant media attention, people watching your every move, is going to help in any way. It could easily be a situation that got out of hand because of the media making things a hundred times worse. Maybe a mental evaluation is what she needs but from what I know about people with such problems only get worse when others are watching them and laughing at them. Hopefully she'll get the help she needs for the sake of her kids.

[Disco Stick]

Britney perpetuates all the media attention that has been lavished on her. I don't doubt that all of the pressure hasn't had any affect on her at all...but I find it harder to feel sorry for someone who spent most of their career seeking the limelight and doing stupid things to get it.

If she does have a mental illness (they are saying she may be bipolar), that still does not make me feel any different about her at this point. She has a whole team of people there to take care of her, and I blame them in part for letting it get out of hand. Britney fits a pretty solid description of someone suffering from the bipolar disease...and yet, I can't help but feel indifferent to her whole situation.

[Angelic]

As badly as this sounds, it reminds me of a Dave Chapelle skit on his Live at the Fillmore DVD "For What It's Worth" where he says we worship celebrities, one minute they love you and one minute you're dancing on car trying to figure out what the eff happened to you i.e. Michael Jackson. Even on the View, they were having issues over Britney's baby sister getting pregnant. I think, these people are real people meaning they screw up from time to time and say/do real things. I'm not even a big fan of Britney, but I think that it's easy for someone at the age she got into showbiz to get seduced by the glitz and glamour, the constant adoration.

She was what 16? Sixteen years old when she hit it big, I may have been well aware of things around me at that age but I had and still don't have any idea who the frick I am. I could really care less about what she does with her life (me being myself, I can't help it. That stuff doesn't interest me.) but I don't think she deserves our complete disdain nor all of our sympathy, simply some understanding. Now her sixteen year old sister is preggers, it probably sent flashbacks of what she did at that age and certainly wasn't getting knocked up. Britney had a family now it's gone, she's been going through quite a rollercoaster year (it sucks I know this stuff, but it's everrrrywhere). Yes, she wanted the media attention as all stars do/once did but cataloguing every single detail of her unimportant and terrible life at this moment in time was probably not what she signed up for. I too thought it was a media stunt but at this point, I feel that something is really messed up upstairs and think people need to take a step back and leave her alone.

She has a lot to deal with, she needs to clean up and stop blaming media, her husband, whoever for her problems and get well. We need to stop focusing on her like she's the only thing that deserves getting attention. It's sick. I'm sick by us, including myself cause I too get that weird junkie fix for some entertainment news too. It's just really messed up especially in this situation. I'm sick of it, I'm sick of her, but no one deserves to have a disorder and go through it in this manner. That's my opinion. u.u

[Love Me?]

Mmm I kinda see both sides. Though I can see where Chant's coming from, I lean more heavily towards Angel's perspective.

And as an additional side...I hate when people say, 'Oh well, she's Britney's sister...what do you expect?!' Uh, two separate people with two brains (not commenting on the capacity within them). Just because Britney has various issues, that doesn't mean that Jamie-Lynn automatically ought to go on a downward spiral, too. Heck, I'm nothing like my brother (not got a sister to compare to)...but by that saying, if he screws up, I'm more likely to, too. Well that's beserk. He makes his choices, and I make mine. Just as Angel commented, she's human, and she made a mistake (in falling pregnant). Now is the time she can prove herself, not to have people digging into her for the pregnancy in the first place. You can blame her sister, her mom, her team, her friends...whoever! It doesn't detract from the fact it would've likely happened regardless of what those people said to her. She's a young girl who wanted to experiment.

[Psycho Killer]

I kind of feel Like i'm one of the few people who don't really care Jamie got pregnant. As in I don't think it's a big deal. Everyone says it's because Britney is her older sister, but Britney was married before she had kids and Jamie is a completely different person. I kind of think in some ways Jamie is more responsible than Britney, yes she's sixteen years old and pregnant but that doesn't always mean a person was being irresponsible. A lot of people have sex at 16, and a lot of teenagers get pregnant at 16 - celebrity or not it happens. I really hate and cannot believe how many people have suggested she should have had an abortion, especially when the majority of those people then say 'it's a woman's choice' well isn't it Jamie Lynn's choice to keep the baby? I think Jamie Lynn has handled the situation as well as she could, she went out and admitted she was pregnant, when she could have 1. had an abortion and no one would have ever known [possibly] 2. waited until the paparazzi noticed her bulging belly and then deny deny deny until she couldn't deny anymore. What's going on with Britney and her sister in my opinion are just unfortunate coincidences and truthfully could happen to ANYONE and any family. Currently my families probably at least half as messed up as the Spears' and were not even famous.

In other electoral news I guess, I get to vote this year. It sucked because last time we had voting i was 17 so I couldn't vote. Now I can and i don't know who I want to vote for. Truthfully no one is standing out to me. Well except one guy, but I keep forgetting his name, so a lot of good that does me. He isn't going to be president anyway, because he's not one of the main people everyones eying on, which sucks because his views are so nice- at least I like them.

[Disco Stick]

Bottom Line...married or not, sixteen is hardly the ideal age to raise a child. True, she may have the monetary security but that doesn't automatically make her mentally ready to undergo the crap job it is being a mom. So, she admitted to being a mom. Kudos to her.

I'm watching current TV and I'm still appalled by how 55% of the population in India live in these slum villages. It's just...gah. No words.