| Title | Word Count |
|---|---|
UN Trust Fund Requests Assistance from Corporations to End Domestic Violence Against WomenThe UN Trust Fund recently awarded $10 million to a handful of programs devoted to ending domestic violence against women. With a few cases gaining attention worldwide, efforts have come to the forefront. UNIFEM is requesting help from corporations in its efforts. However, because many CEOs of corporations are men, there is very little incentive for companies to choose this platform for their corporate social responsibility. Many companies who are involved in this effort are those who are headed by women or who target women's interests, such as Johnson & Johnson and Avon. UNIFEM is busy innovating ideas to engage men in the struggle. The "Bell Bajao" campaign was started last year to include men. The $10 million that was raised this year is less than 3 percent of the worldwide requests. |
1050 |
UN Security Council's Emergency Session to Ease Korean TensionsTensions have risen even higher between North and South Korea following the North's recent attacks on Yeonpyeong and the sinking of a South Korean warship. Russia called for an emergency session of the UN Security Council, where they proposed a draft statement to ease tensions. However, agreements could not be reached because allies of the North did not agree with the condemnation of the North for the recent attacks and allies of the South believed the statement to unfairly equate both Koreas in the recent activities. The South announced that it would engage in a one-day military drill on the Yeonpyeong Island. North Korea threatened to engage in war if this was to occur. |
820 |
Paul Waggoner, an American Aid in Haiti, Faces Kidnapping ChargesPaul Waggoner, an American aid who traveled to Haiti to assist in the devastation following the earthquake, has been imprisoned on charges of kidnapping. Waggoner was present at a hospital in February when Frantz Philistin brought in his son, Keevens, who died soon thereafter. However, despite the fact that Philistin originally acknowledged that his son had died but refused to take the body because he couldn't provide for a proper burial, he has since accused Waggoner of stealing his son's spirit, kidnapping him, and selling his organs. According to Haitian law, Waggoner is able to be held in prison without being charged while an investigation is pending. Because of the political undertones of the case, Waggoner is facing an impossible battle. |
1068 |
Helen Thomas to be Stripped of Award after Anti-Semitic RemarkAwards in the name of Helen Thomas, a famed journalist, are being revoked after Thomas' anti-Semitic remarks at a workshop in Dearborn, Michigan. This is the second time Thomas has made such remarks. In her lifetime, Thomas has been honored by the Society of Professional Journalists, as well as receiving over thirty honorary degrees. The Helen Thomas award was given out each year by Wayne State's Journalism Institute for Media Diversity to students whose work expresses diversity. The Anti-Defamation League asked that all institutions withdraw awards in Thomas' name. |
545 |
Free-Trade Deal Reached Between South Korea and U.S.North Korea's recent attack on South Korea inspired a revisit to the free-trade deal between South Korea and the United States. The new provisions focus mainly on auto imports, exports, and tariffs. While many believe that the deal will help to balance out the discrepancies between the exports and imports with South Korea in the auto industry, others believe that the deal will send more American jobs overseas. Furthermore, the deal serves as a reminder to North Korea of the strong relationship between South Korea and the United States. |
760 |
Korean War Back OnNorth Korea breached the armistice that halted the Korean War by attacking Yeonpyeong, a South Korean island. An estimated 200 artillery shells were aimed at the civilian island of Yeonpyeong, killing two South Korean Marines, wounding at least 14 others, and setting more than 60 buildings ablaze. President Obama responded minimally, sending U.S. warships to engage in joint exercises in the Yellow Sea to threaten and deter Pyongyang from attempting another attack. |
785 |
New Deficit Plans Calls for Reduction in Social SecurityThis essay discusses the proposed new deficit plan that calls for higher domestic cuts, an increase in the Social Security retirement age, a less generous cost of living adjustment, increase in price of gasoline, and an increase in the cap on income subject to Social Security taxes, as well as many other provisions. The original version of the proposal was unveiled earlier this month, but it faced great opposition. With a few revisions, the deficit commission board is ready to release the second version of their proposal. While the main writers of the proposal, Bowles and Simpson, do not believe that the proposal will pass muster with the rest of the board, they are happy to have finally initiated serious talks about the debt and deficit. |
495 |
Notre Dame Student Falls to Death After Scissor Lift CollapsesThis essay describes the recent tragedy at Notre Dame, where John Sullivan, a student, fell from a scissor lift while filming football practice. The scissor lift collapsed from strong winds, sending Sullivan to the hospital where he later died. Prior to his fall, Sullivan tweeted his fears of filming in the gusty winds. Family and friends, as well as the entire Notre Dame community, is having trouble coping with his untimely death. Many people are appalled that a student would be permitted to go up in the tower in such dangerous conditions. |
561 |
Hiccup Girl Charged with MurderThis essay discusses the murder of Shannon Griffin by Jennifer Mee, better known as "hiccup girl." Mee is being charged with first degree murder after luring Griffin into a home where her two accomplices proceeded to rob him at gunpoint. Griffin was shot and killed in the struggle. Mee first came to the limelight in 2007, when she appeared on the Today show with her constant hiccups that came 50 times a minute and kept her out of school. After five weeks, her hiccups subsided on their own. Mee's lawyer plans on using the hiccups, a symptom of Tourette's Syndrome, in her defense. |
491 |
Landrigan Executed with Foreign-Made DrugThis essay covers the controversial execution of Jeffrey Landrigan with a foreign-made drug. Sodium thiopental, the sedative used first in a series of three drugs used at executions, is in short supply in the US. Therefore, Arizona obtained the drug from Britain instead. This raised controversy because the drug was not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Landrigan's lawyers appealed the decision, but the US Supreme Court overturned it and allowed the execution to continue. |
523 |
Gorbachev Warns Obama to Begin Withdrawing Troops from AfghanistanThis essay discusses former Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev's warning to Obama to begin withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan. According to Gorbachev, who speaks from experience, victory is impossible in Afghanistan and keeping troops there will only result in another Vietnam. It covers the reasoning behind Gorbachev's warning, as well as the results that it has caused. So far, more US troops are planning on going to Afghanistan, as a result of an increase in Taliban attacks. |
493 |
Controversial Death of Army Private David JonesThis essay covers the controversial death of Army Private David Jones. Jones was found dead in his bunk from a gunshot to the head. While the Army claims that Jones' death was a suicide, his family is adamant that Jones would never have killed himself. Jones was making future plans to ask his girlfriend to marry him. He also sent a cryptic message to his girlfriend, suggesting that something was about to happen to him. The Army is being tight-lipped about the death, but his family is determined to get to the bottom of it. |
539 |
Ahmed Terrist PlotStaten Island man, Farooque Ahmed, was arrested for attempting to help al Qaeda plan multiple bombings in the Washington D.C. area. Ahmed, a computer engineer from Virginia, made sketches and surveillance videos of the subway stops of the Pentagon, the Arlington Cemetery, and a nearby mall for who he believed to be al Qaeda, but was actually the FBI (Kennedy). On July 19,2010, Ahmed met a man who he believed to be a member of al Qaeda in a hotel room to give him a memory stick containing video images of a Metrorail station in Arlington. He also agreed to "case" two other Metrorail stations in Arlington as locations of terrorist attacks. Furthermore, he provide |
448 |
Indonesian Tsunami Leaves High Death CountThis essay describes the recent tsunami in Indonesia that has left hundreds dead and even more missing. It discusses some of the details of the tsunami as well as the aftermath of the tragedy. It includes quotes from government officials who are dealing with everything left behind, as well as US President Barack Obama's pledge to help out. |
559 |
France's Parliament Passes Bill to Increase Retirement AgeThis essay describes the controversial bill passed by France's Parliament to increase retirement age from 60 to 62. The bill has received great opposition from the Socialists, who believed the young retirement age to be a cornerstone of France's generous social benefit system. However, President Sarkozy believes that the bill will allow France to retain its program and keep its AAA credit ratings. |
497 |
British Airways Criticize US for Increasing Security MeasuresThis essay describes the recent controversy over increasing airport security measures. British Airways is frustrated by the demands to increase security over airlines flying into the US, when they do not even require that much security over their domestic flights. With each new security scare, a new set of measures is installed. British Airways believes that most of the measures are redundant and should be eliminated from the procedures. |
537 |
Boyfriend, Nick MGuffin, Suspected in Leah Freeman's MurderThis essay discusses the recent charges brought against Nick McGuffin. McGuffin is being charged with murdering his then-girlfriend, Leah Freeman. Freeman's case has been cold for nearly a decade. Recent evidence and witnesses have allowed for the prosecution of McGuffin in this case. The essay covers the charges against McGuffin, some basics about the original case, and the recent developments that have surfaced. |
515 |
Linda Norgrove Accidentally Killed by US Grenade in Rescue AttemptThis essay discusses the death of Linda Norgrove, who is suspected to have been accidentally killed by a US grenade in an effort to rescue her from her Taliban captors. It covers information concerning her abduction and the recent revelation that she was killed by friendly fire, rather than the original report of a Taliban bomb. It also includes quotes from Prime Minister Cameron who defends the decision for a rescue attempt, and a quote from Kamel, the leader of an Afghan delegation who was negotiating for Norgrove's release. |
710 |
Chilean Miners to be Rescued after Two Months UndergroundThis essay discusses the planned rescue of 33 Chilean miners who have been trapped underground since August 5th. It covers the preparations that have been made to ensure that the rescue will be successful, including the order that the miners will be rescued in and the medications they have been taking to improve their strength. It also talks about the unity Chile has experienced because of the situation. |
746 |
Banks Accused of Faulty Foreclosure ProceduresThis essay discusses the faulty foreclosure practices that banks have recently been accused of. With many instances of repo men taking over and changing locks on houses that have not even completed the foreclosure process, banks are halting their foreclosures to investigate their procedures. This essay talks about the faulty practices and includes quotes from a lawyer representing one of the homeowner's whose home was taken over before it was foreclosed on. |
541 |
The Vatican Bank Faces Accusations of Money LaunderingThis essay covers the recent accusations against the Vatican Bank, or IOR, for money laundering. It discusses the accusations, what prompted them, and how the bank has reacted to them. It also covers a brief history of the scandal that surrounded the Vatican Bank in 1982. |
478 |
Israeli Cabinet Passes New Loyalty Oath for Future CitizensThis essay discusses the new loyalty oath passed by the Israeli cabinet requiring all future citizens to swear an oath of allegiance to Israel as a "Jewish and democratic state" before becoming a citizen. It covers the origination of the bill. It also covers the backlash that the bill has received from political members. |
499 |
Rutgers Student Commits Suicide After Being Revealed As GayThis essay covers the suicide of Rutgers student Tyler Clementi who jumped off a bridge after being taped with another man. It discusses what made Clementi commit suicide, what the charges are against the defendants, and the stir it has caused in society. |
493 |
CNN Fires Rick Sanchez Over Controversial RemarksThis essay covers Rick Sanchez's recent termination from CNN regarding his controversial remarks toward Jon Stewart. The essay covers in great length what Sanchez said that spurred such a controversy. It also states what Stewart said to anger Sanchez. |
455 |
The Tea Party Movement Celebrates Small Victories in Primary ElectionsThis essay covers the Tea Party movement in light of its recent success in the primary elections. It covers the history of the movement and a brief overview of the Tea Partiers. It then describes their impact at the primaries and what many believe this success means. |
816 |
