Harper ‘backing out’of one-on-one debate: Ignatieff

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff says Stephen Harper's deny to join in a head-to-head debate shows that he cannot be trusted. Ignatieff says that 24 hours ago Harper was prepared and fine with debating head-to-head, but now he says he doesn't want anybody being excluded from the debates. Liberals were open to all sorts of options. Their first preference was a direct debate with the coalition. The networks have traditional debates involving all parliamentary leaders on April 12 and April 14. Ignatieff still says that he is ready whenever Harper is to have a one-on-one debate. Harper isn't interested in multiple debates, just one debate is what he wants.

I have to agree with Prime Minister Harper, because I think that the most beneficial thing for Canada would be to have a group debate with all the leaders of the parties. I personally think that the leader of the liberal, Michael Ignatieff has a personal grudge on Prime Minister Stephen Harper and is only on a power trip attacking Harper. I think that Ignatieff is only looking out for himself, and trying to show that he is tougher than everyone else, and I think that reflects bad on him making him look childish and needy.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/966455--harper-backing-out-of-one-on-one-debate-ignatieff-says

Tories fall, election set for May

On Friday March 25, After more than five years as the leader of a minority government, PM Stephen Harper, lost the confidence of Canada's House of Commons. Harper asked Gov. Gen. David Johnston on Saturday March 26 to dissolve Parliament for a General election which will be held on May 2. Stephen Harper is the first Prime Minister in the history of Canada to last as long as he did without losing a vote of Confidence. Harper believes that this election will disappoint most Canadians, as it has disappointed him.

I have to agree with what Prime Minister Harper says, because even though I am not old enough for everything the government does to affect me but I think that starting election campaigns is only a waste of Canadians time and money. Harper has been Prime Minister for over five years meaning that he is liked by many of the Canadian citizens. I believe that this election is not going to determine whether there is going to be a change in power, but only whether it will become a majority government or stay a minority government.

http://thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3045056

Shuttle Discovery’s run comes to an end with Florida landing

The space shuttle Discovery capped a 13 day space expedition with a smooth easy landing in Florida on Wednesday, this ended a 27 year career for NASA's most-travelled spaceship, as the agency begin to prepare for the uncertain future. Discovery accumulated 365 days in orbit over 39 missions. During its final mission, NASA's oldest surviving space shuttle, served as a storage room-research lab to the station, as well as a platform to house larger spare parts. It also carried tons of supplies and science gear, including a humanoid robot built in partnership with General Motors. The United States now relies on the Russians to send space expeditionary teams up to the space station, although it hopes to eventually purchase rides from any possible commercial companies if they gain interest in developing the capability to fly to space. Cargo runs are handled by the Russians, Europeans, and Japanese programs, as well as two U.S. firms, Space Exploration Technologies and Orbital Sciences Corp.

I think that this is a sad day in American and Canadian history, as we have both contributed so much over the years. I personally feel that this is not the end of NASA's space expeditions, and somewhere up the line in the years to come, they will advance their expeditions even further. Who knows, maybe one day in the future Mars will be an option for them to reach and have a man or woman walk on the ground, and hopefully fine life.

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/950961--shuttle-discovery-s-run-comes-to-an-end-with-florida-landing?bn=1

Paris police find $25M in stolen jewels from 2008 heist in sewer

French investigators found many jewels valued at $25 million hidden in a Paris rain sewer, part of the spectacular 2008 heist from jeweller Harry Winston's Paris location. Nineteen rings and three sets of earring's (one pair valued at 19.5 million dollars) were dug up at the house of a working class suburb in Paris of Seine-Saint-Denis. The jewels were hidden in a plastic container set in a cement mould, put inside the sewer. The owners of the house were the nine people charged with the heist. The thieves dressed up in women's clothes with wigs and dresses and stole the jewels. The mastermind of the heist was sentenced to 15 year in prison because of the heist and drug trafficking, they also found $1.1 million dollars in cash as well as stolen jewels.

I found this article very interesting. The way they stole the jewels fascinated me, because I know that Paris has a very complicated sewer system and for them to use it to hide their jewels was smart. I am not saying that I think theft is a cool thing but the way people do it interests me. They were able to steal millions of dollars and stow it away in the sewer and stayed without being caught for two years.

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/950950--paris-police-find-25m-in-stolen-jewels-from-2008-heist-in-sewer?bn=1

Durham's oldest cold case headed back to court

Whenever Douglas Smith was working the night shift at the auto plant, he made sure to check in on his new young wife and 10-month old baby girl before they went to bed. On the evening of December 9, 1974 Smith's wife Beverly did not pick up the phone. He got worried and called his neighbours Alan and Linda Smith (no relation), to go to his house and check up on his wife and child. They told him that she was lying on the floor dead; she had been shot in the head with a .22 caliber bullet and was lying under the kitchen table, with their daughter Rebbecca asleep in the other room. The first investigation was carried out by the newly formed Durham police, who were unable to make any arrests, and the case ended up going cold for more than 30 years. Then in 2008, the Durham police arrested Alan Smith, the neighbour that Douglas Smith had turned to for help on the night of his wife’s murder. In the three years there had been many twists and new evidence. The wife of Alan Smith possible murderer Linda has come back with many new stories saying she was there when her ex-husband killed her, or that she heard it. She was the arrested for obstruction of justice and pleaded guilty, but her lawyer says she suffers from trauma and mental difficulties. Alan Smith was let out of prison pending new evidence. Beverly Lynn Smith's twin sister Barbara Brown has been trying for the last 30 years to find the true murderer of her sister and will not stop until she does.

I personally think that Alan Smith is the murderer. I think this because to me the evidence seems almost all in his favour. If he is the one who did it I find this very unsettling because he was their neighbor and a good enough friend to check up on them by request of Douglas Smith. Being a friend and neighbour he knew when he could kill her. He also knew that they were newlywed, and had a new baby girl of 10 months old. He ripped a mother away from the daughter Rebbecca and a wife away from the husband Douglas and should pay for his killing.

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/949661--durham-s-oldest-cold-case-headed-back-to-court?bn=1

Puppy survives euthanasia, hundreds call to adopt 'angel dog'

Hundreds of people from the United States and Canada want to adopt a puppy from Oklahoma City that survived an attempt to euthanize it. The three-month old puppy, named wall-e, was part of five abandoned dogs that animal control officer Scott Prall had a vet put to sleep on Friday, or so he thought. He found one of the dogs still alive in a dumpster set aside for dead animals and took it straight to veterinarian technician Amanda Kloski. He called the puppy an "angel dog," to Oklahoma City's News 9. The dogs were pronounced dead with a stereoscope, but he was healthy as can be. Prall had the dogs put down because they were very skinny and seemed to be sick. He found the black and white mutt near the shelter on Friday. Wall-e was injected with two lethal doses of a sedative, one in the leg and another in the heart, each dose should have killed him. The dog will be placed in a foster home until the vet can find a proper full time home for Wall-e.

I found this article to be amazing. I was a little questionable about the part where Prall had them put down because they looked sick. It is so amazing that a dog could have survived through not one but two lethal doses of sedative, one into the leg and the other through the heart. This puppy now gets a second chance to live out a full and happy life with an appropriate family that will take care of him and not let him become unhealthy again.

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/947929--puppy-survives-euthanasia-hundreds-call-to-adopt-angel-dog?bn=1

Mother gets 6 years for killing daughter, 2

A judge has sentenced a North York mother who viciously beat her 2-year-old daughter to six years in prison. After her time spent in pre trial custody, she must serve 4 years and nine months more. The sentence was set by Ontario Superior Court Justice Nola Garton on Wednesday. On Jan. 17, Garton found Erika Mendieta guilty of manslaughter in her daughter Emily Lucas' death seven years ago. Erika was charged with second-degree murder. In a fit of frustration on Nov. 13 2003, Mendieta beat the girl unconscious, severely injuring her head and spine. The toddler died in hospital 10 days later. Mendieta lied to paramedics and doctors about how Emily was hurt- claiming she had fallen down a series of stairs, this hampering their efforts to save her. Mendieta's first trial ended with a hung jury in 2009 after her former husband, Johnny Bermudez, stunned the court by testifying he was the real killer. Mendieta was finally put to punishment after three trials, with her final sentence being 6 years.

I found this story very unsettling. I could not believe that a mother would beat her own baby girl of only 2 years old to death. First of all, a child that age is defenseless and would not be able to defend itself, and second of all the mother had no cause to lay a finger on the baby, according to the article the mother claimed to be frustrated. This is no excuse to hurt anybody or thing let alone kill it. I personally feel that the punishment sentenced is not nearly harsh enough and I feel she should be put in jail for the rest of her life.




http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/article/947431--mother-gets-6-years-for-killing-daughter-2?bn=1