The World for Freedom

Revision as of 03:50, 26 July 2019

Dangerous Man Shoots at His Family and Others

July 25

    In Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, A man, by the name of Gerry Dean Zaragoza, fatally shot his father, brother and two other people during a 12-hour rampage. He escaped an intense manhunt until officers finally found him and arrested him soon after he gunned down a city bus passenger. The police say they do not know what his motivation was for the attacks. Police Captain William Hayes says, “It is obviously an individual that went on a violent spree. We knew he was a danger to the community.” Zaragoza killed his father and brother and wounded his mother at an apartment complex in the Canoga Park area. He is also a suspect for the shooting of two people at a gas station in North Hollywood, killing a woman and wounding a man to an extreme degree. Moreover, he has been linked to an attempted robbery outside a bank as well. However, that victim was not hurt and nothing was taken. Hours later, Zaragoza shot and killed a stranger on a bus in Van Nuys before being arrested with a small amount of force in Canoga Park. during the arrest, Police retrieved a firearm from him.

Source: [1]

Oregan Passes New Assisted Suicide Law

July 24

    Oregan's legislation is signing a law allowing certain terminally ill patients to have quicker access to life-ending medications under the state’s first-in-the-nation assisted suicide law. The law lets those with 15 days left to live to bypass a 15-day waiting period required under the Death with Dignity Act. Many agree this will provide relief to gravely ill people. However, some opponents argue that the law removes important safety measures that ensure people are confident in their decision to end their own life. Usually, before this new law, those seeking life-ending medications had to make a verbal request for physician-assisted suicide, wait 15 days and then make a written request. They then had to wait an additional 48 hours before receiving the prescription. With the new law, doctors can make exceptions to the waiting periods if the patient is likely to die before completing them. The number of people who have taken advantage of Oregon’s law has been relatively small.  After the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Oregon’s law in 2006, eight states have since approved physician-assisted suicide. Maine and New Jersey’s laws are set to take effect later this year as well.

Source: [2]

LA Man Carrying Knife Shot

July 23

    In Los Angelos, authorities say a man with a knife has been shot and wounded outside a federal courthouse downtown. Los Angeles police say a courthouse security officer wounded the man. The man was carrying the weapon in front of the court on First Street and was shot in the hand. However, he is expected to survive. No one else was injured. Details of the confrontation weren’t immediately released as the case most likely dealt with confidential information. The FBI will need to further investigate the shooting since it occurred on federal property.

Source: [3]

Barking Dogs Save Man

July 22

    Barking dogs helped attract attention to bring help to a man who was stuck in the mud near the Potomac River in Montgomery County. The man got stuck out of view in a wooded area near the Brookmont Dam, about 50 yards from the C&O Canal towpath. He was gathering sticks for his two dogs to fetch when he got stuck in mud up to a little above his knees. he made efforts to free himself, which only seemed to make matters worse for him. However, he said, the dogs went to the towpath, and their barking alerted a cyclist who then heard the man’s calls for help and contacted authorities. With the dogs' help, the man was freed and determined to be uninjured.

Source: [4]

Many Hawaiians Protest Construction of Telescope

July 21

    Hundreds of opponents of a planned telescope on Hawaii’s highest peak have gathered for a protest march. The activists opposed to the Thirty Meter Telescope and started marching Sunday morning in Waikiki. Hundreds of protesters last week blocked a road to stop construction of the telescope on Mauna Kea. Not only would the construction have cost $1.4 billion, but many Native Hawaiians consider Mauna Kea to be sacred. on the other hand, Astronomers wanted to build the telescope in hopes that the telescope will help them study the earliest moments of the universe after the Big Bang. Democratic Gov. David Ige has said National Guard units would be used to transport personnel and equipment as well as to enforce road closures on the Big Island. With about 800 to 1,200 activists gathered there Friday, Ige said no more troops would be called in.

Source: [5]

White Man Verbally Attacks Pregnant Black Lawmaker

July 20

    A white man has admitted cursing at a pregnant black Georgia lawmaker for taking too many items into a supermarket express lane. Yet, he denies telling her, “go back where you came from.” Along with the denial, he adds, “I am Cuban.” Erica Thomas, the black woman, confronted Eric Sparkes, the white man, in front of reporters and said he had “degraded and berated” her. In a Facebook video posted Friday, Thomas said she was in the express line because she is nine months pregnant and cannot stand for long. Thomas’ video went viral as the hashtag #IStandwithErica trended on Twitter. On Saturday, Sparkes told reporters he called her a vulgarity but did not say anything racial. Thomas claims Sparkes was just trying to make himself look better. Sparkes said he’s a Democrat and was being unjustly attacked for political purposes. However, Thomas said that she never identified herself to Sparkes as a public official. She said she was so taken aback by his actions that she didn’t think to try to record them. The incident occurred just days after President Donald Trump tweeted that four congresswomen of color should go back to the “broken and crime-infested” countries they came from. In her video, Thomas referenced those attacks and accused the president of spreading hate. During a television interview, she said Sparkes “needs to be held accountable because people can’t just go out and berate pregnant women."

Source: [6]

Wisconsin Fires cause more than 11,000 power outages

July 19

    Thousands of people in Wisconsin lose power after fires in Madison. There were fires at two transmission substations in Wisconsin’s capital. They knocked out power to more than 11,000 customers on an incredibly hot day. Government buildings, courtrooms, and businesses were forced to shut down. The police were prompted to call in additional staff. An explosion and fire at the Madison Gas and Electric main power center sent thick, black smoke over Madison’s east side about 7:40 a.m. Friday. A second fire at a substation near the University of Wisconsin-Madison brought about an evacuation of Ogg and Smith residence halls and the UW Safety Building. Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency in Madison and surrounding Dane County. The state of emergency allows the activation of the National Guard and directs state agencies to provide assistance. The State Capitol along with the City-County building, both closed. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services sent employees home and directed the public to leave the building because of a lack of electricity. All state court system offices in downtown Madison also closed because of the outage. Fortunately, there were no reports of injuries.

Source: [7]

2 horses killed at Del Mar

July 18

    Two horses were killed in a freak collision at Del Mar during training on the second day of its season. The accident occurred Thursday morning when the first horse, Charge A Bunch threw rider Geovanni Franco, turned sharply and collided with the second horse, Carson Valley. Charge A Bunch was trained by Carla Gaines and Carson Valley was trained by Bob Baffert. Carson Valley’s rider, Assael Espinoza, was taken to a hospital for evaluation, while Charge A  Bunch's rider, Geovanni Franco was not injured. Franco was able to ride as scheduled in the day’s first race. It was a freak accident beyond anyone’s control and that both horses were killed on impact. The Del Mar deaths follow 30 horse fatalities at the recently completed Santa Anita meet. Those deaths led to more awareness and implications of new procedures intended to increase safety. PETA requested that Del Mar and all other California racetracks release records of horses that have gotten loose on the tracks and urged the California Horse Racing Board to investigate in order to eliminate the dangers of training.

Source: [8]

6-year-old girl killed by father’s golf shot

July 17

   While out golfing at Sleepy Ridge Golf Course in Orem about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City, police say a golfball struck 6-year old Aria Hill in the back of the head on Monday morning. According to her uncle, David Smith, it was “A complete, fluke accident — you couldn’t repeat it if you tried. She just happened to be in the exact wrong place, just directly across from him, when it happened.” The ball hit the base of her neck. Lt. Trent Colledge of the Orem Police Department says she was immediately flown to a hospital in Salt Lake City in critical condition and later died from her injuries. Relatives say that Aria, who died after her father accidentally struck her with a golf ball, was a loving, playful child. Smith described her as a happy child who greeted strangers and enjoyed spending time with her parents. Steven Marett, the head golf professional at the course, told the Deseret News that he has seen people occasionally get hit by balls, but he had never heard of any getting seriously injured or killed. Police are not planning to pursue charges as it was just a tragic accident. Hill’s family has planned her funeral services for July 20 at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse near Eagle Mountain in northern Utah.

Source: [9]

Small Plane Lands on Maryland Beach

July 16

     On July 16, 2019 in OceanCity, M.d., a small plane had to make an emergency landing at around 6:19 p.m. The department says the plane went down in shallow ocean waters near 21st Street. They also informed that the single person onboard the aircraft was evaluated by paramedics and released. Police spokeswoman Ashley Miller says the Maryland State Police will need to investigate the incident further.

Source: [10]

Fire in Mexican Nature Reserve

July 15

    A fire in the Sian Ka’an nature reserve on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula spread to more than 6,000 acres on Monday. Only 30% of the damage is under control. The fire was located about 19 miles south of the popular beach town Tulum.
    The fire slowly burned across the brush and high grass. The ruin site of Muyil, an once important stop along Mayan trade routes. The fire has caused droughts and heat waves. More than 50 firefighters and a water-dropping Air Force helicopter are working to control the flames. 
    The Sian Ka’an reserve is on Mexico’s Caribbean coast. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and an important tourist destination. It has many ecosystems such as jungles, wetlands, coral reefs, and Mayan archaeological sites.

Source: [11]

Hurricane Barry

July 14

    Hurricane Barry swept through the Gulf Coast States. It spared New Orleans from a direct hit, but inspires fears with flooding, tornado risk, and power outages. Barry’s rain bands caused flooding and tornado threats that ranges from central Louisiana to eastern Mississippi and beyond. Many parishes or counties in both states have received multiple flash flood warnings. Luckily, there have been no serious damage or injuries reported.The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Sunday parts of south-central Louisiana could still have rainfall totals of up to 12 inches, with isolated pockets of 15 inches. In Mississippi, forecasters said 8 inches of rain had fallen in parts of Jasper and Jones counties and there could be even more. Water flowed everywhere and made a creek out of the highways and streets.The storm had briefly become a Category 1 hurricane with maximum winds fall to 35 mph. About 75,000 residents in Louisiana, 4,000 residents in Mississippi and another 1,800 residents in Arkansas were without power.  

Source: [12]

NYC Power Outage

July 13

    There was a widespread power outage in the heart of Manhattan. It shut down some of the city’s iconic subways including Times Square and Rockefeller Center. They just went dark. Con Edison said it was working to restore power to 73,000 customers, mostly on the west side of Manhattan. They tweeted that power was being restored to affected customers and they expected to have it restored by midnight. The New York City Council speaker, Corey Johnson, said that there was a major disturbance at Con Edison’s 49th Street substation. The power outage resulted in pizza shops selling lukewarm slices in the dark with flashlights and only being able to accept cash only. Many hotel guest were using candlelights and glow sticks. The New York Fire Department said that the loss of power was from Fifth Avenue to the Hudson River, and from 72nd Street to the West 40s.

Source: [13]

California Oil Spill

July 12

    Crews in California are beginning to clean up a massive oil spill that dumped nearly 800,000 gallons of oil and water into a Kern County canyon. California officials said the spill is not near waterways and has not affected wildlife too much. Chevron, the oil industry, reported that 794,000 gallons of oil and water have leaked out of the ground where it uses steam injection to extract oil in the large Cymric Oil Field about 35 miles west of Bakersfield. The steam softens the thick crude so it can flow more readily.  Environmental groups believe that the Chevron spill is sign of weak regulations under a Californian agency. Gov. Gavin Newsom fired the head of the state’s oil and gas division because of a recent increase in hydraulic fracturing permits. Chevron hired contractors to clean up the spill and take responsibility over all expenses.

Source: [14]

Coastguards Find Tons of Drugs in Ships Off the Pacific

July 11

    The U.S. Coast Guard seized tons of cocaine and marijuana from boats and submarines in the Pacific Ocean. Vice President Mike Pence was there as 39,000 pounds of cocaine and 933 pounds of marijuana were found taken off the cutter Munro at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado. They estimated the drugs to have a street value of around $569 million. The drugs were seized in 14 operations since May in international waters off Mexico and Central and South America and 55 smuggling suspects were taken into custody.

Source: [15]

Man Eaten by Dogs

July 10

    Freddie Mack, a missing man, had been discovered being eaten by his 18 dogs in his home near Venus, Tex. This was no doubt a shock to the investigators as they had never heard of pets consuming an entire person before. According to medical examiners and the sheriff, It’s not clear whether the dogs killed the 57-year-old or ate him after he died of his “serious medical conditions”. 
    This case first came into attention by the sheriff when close relatives of Mack had not heard from him and eventually declared him missing after a few weeks. On May 15, they made their first great discovery when a deputy found a small piece of bone during a property search. More bone parts followed. With the dogs seized and out of the way, authorities discovered dog feces with hair, more bone and fabric that matched the only outfit Mack was known to wear. Soon, deputies found one of Mack’s two pairs of shoes in the area where the dogs had been penned. Mack’s case stands out for the thoroughness in how his dogs ate him. Only 3 of his dogs remain and according to the sheriff, “are friendly”. The others were killed for their aggression.

Source:[16]

Washington Flood

July 9

    A month’s worth of rain flooded into Washington. Streets turned into rivers. The rainfall overpowered the capital’s storm-water system, which was built almost a century ago and could not handle the amount of water that flooded in. Upgrades, that are very expensive, are clearly needed. 
    Even though we can’t claim the storm is directly the cause of climate change without more analysis, it fits a general pattern. Warm air can hold more moisture, which calls for heavier rainstorms.
    The main challenge for overcoming future flooding is funding. Mr. Morris said D.C. Water expected to spend $60 million over 10 years to improve storm-water pumping stations alone, as well as much higher costs for other climate-related projects. 

Source:[17]

Toxic Algae Blooms Close Mississippi Beaches

July 8

    Heavy rains in the Mississippi continue to cause damage. This time, they caused the blooming of toxic algae, forcing many beaches to close. More freshwater are flowing into the Gulf of Mexico,  feeding the thick blue-green algae. The algae is dangerous as it can cause rashes, stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting in people and animals. It is also harmful to the state’s oyster beds, and have killed most of them. It could take years to recover those oysters. Many tourists come down to the beaches for the independence day weekend and are being disappointed. Usually this weekend would be lucrative with tourism earnings, but when the beaches close, the tourists go. The algae bloom has been detected along the Mississippi coast by at least 20 beach-monitoring stations. It forms when salty water is flooded with freshwater carrying nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and appears as foam on the surface of water. The result is a thick, soupy, clogged coastline full of algae. High water temperatures and other factors also impact the algae growth. The growth of these dangerous algae blooms really take a toll on the Mississippi environment and mood.

Source:[18]

There are Survivors of the Little Ice Age

July 7

    There was a Little Ice Age from around 1550-1850. Since 1850, plants lay frozen under a 100-foot-thick slab of ice. A biologist named, Catherine La Farge went to Teardrop’s melting edge and found a tuft of the species, Aulacomnium turgidum finally free from its icy jail. The moss was torn, but still had possible signs of life. The thawing of ice caps from the little ice age and permafrost are starting to reveal incredible evidence of biological resilience. Researchers are discovering organisms, frozen and thought dead, that can actually still have life. These "ice age zombies" range from simple bacteria to even multicellular animals. Their endurance are making scientists rethink what it means to survive. Catharine La Farge brought dozens of these samples back to Edmonton, and took care of them by providing them nutrients in a bright, warm laboratory. Almost a third of the samples grew new shoots and leaves. These mosses definitely proved themselves as strong survivors. The regrowth of centuries-old mosses shows us that glaciers and permafrost don't always have to be graveyards for multicellular life, but they could actually be helpful for organisms to withstand ice ages. After being encased in layers of ice from a little ice age, moss and other organisms can find themselves in a new geologic era as they proved to be strong enough to withstand extreme conditions.

Source: [19]

World's Largest Bee Found Not Extinct

July 6

    The world's largest bee was just re-discovered by a wildlife photographer in Indonesia. It is a giant wasp-like insect with the face of a stag beetle. The insect was thought to be extinct for decades as it had not been spotted since 1981. The insect is known as Wallace’s giant bee, named after Alfred Russel Wallace, a British naturalist. He discovered the insect in 1858. The bee is four times larger than the European honeybee and has a two and half inch wing span. The photographer that re-discovered this insect is Clay Bolt. He wishes to keep the location of the insect a secret so it is not in danger by poachers. Bolt found the bee inside a termite nest about two meters off the ground inside a tree. The bee lives in termite nests by coating the inside of termite mounds to protect from the termites. Bolt and a companion went in search to find these termite nests. One day, he finally came across one with a perfectly round hole penetrated on the top. When Bolt climbed up and looked in, he discovered the giant bee and captured the rare insect in high definition.

Source: [20]

Unfair Treatment of a Woman in Indonesia

July 5

    Nuril Maknun, 41, was a school bookkeeper in Indonesia. She recorded her boss’s crude phone call as proof that she was being harassed. Her boss goes by the single name Muslim. He was the principal at Senior High School Seven in Mataram, Lombok’s largest city. Maknun recorded him using lewd language and persecuting her to have an affair with him. Instead of being punished for the clear harassment, Muslim has been promoted repeatedly. On the other hand, Maknun was found guilty by a three-judge panel and imposed a sentence of 6 months and a fine of about $35,000. This is a huge amount for her family. The situation is even more grave as if she does not pay the fine, she must serve an additional three months. The problems for Maknun, who is a mother of three, started in 2013 when Muslim took over as principal of the high school where she worked. He spread rumors about maknun and made very vulgar remarks. This harassment got to the point where Maknun felt the need to disprove his rumors and recorded one of his calls. After hearing about the recording, Muslim filed a police complaint against Maknun for criminal defamation. In a police investigation, she was arrested and jailed for a month. Even thought the prosecutors eventually rejected the defamation complaint, they charged her with distributing obscene material. An online fund-raising campaign had raised more than $26,000 by midday on Friday to help pay her fine. Maknun said she was proud to fight for her “dignity as a woman”. However, she does question why she was punished when it was muslim making the sexual comments. This case highlights a common issue in the workplace in Indonesia - harassment.

Source: [21]

The Recent Ridgecrest Earthquake

July 4

    On the morning of Thursday, July 4, 2019, California experienced its biggest scare in years when a 6.4 magnitude Earthquake struck a remote region in Southern California. It had been almost five years since the state experienced an earthquake of magnitude 6 or stronger. The epicenter of the earthquake was pinpointed near Ridgecrest, a relatively remote area about 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Ridgecrest is a city of about 28,000. The area residents had declared a state of emergency and expect aftershocks. This earthquake had caused lots of chaos and disturbed celebrations of Independence day. 
    The disturbance was a "strike-slip" quake where two sides of a fault slide past each other, creating horizontal movement. This earthquake was shallow and just 8.7 kilometers (5.4 miles). The earthquake caused a 12-inch crack in Highway 178 and caused lots of damage to many resident homes, restaurant, and more. As of now, there have been no deaths recorded, however, there were multiple injuries. Many scenes of destruction were posted on social media. People observed swinging lamps, broken glass, sloshing pools, etc.

Source: [22]

National Fried Clam Day

July 3

   On July 3rd, 1916, the first fried clam was made in the town of Essex, Massachusetts by Lawrence Henry “Chubby” Woodman and his wife Bessie. This idea was brought about, at first, as a joke by a local fisherman named, Tarr. Chubby and Bessie had a concession stand and business was really slow. Tarr playfully suggested to fry their clams and business would boom if the clams were any good. Other customers protested, of course, with complaints about how clams have shells. Chubby and Bessie, however, decided to think about it and try it out. They shucked some clams and experimented with different batters in hopes in creating a delicious result. In the end, they believed the clams they made were delicious and things went up from there. The Yankee appetite changed ever since fried clams were first introduced the next day. Fried clams were advertised by the Boston Market as the newest tasty treats. It was truly an important day for Chubby and Bessie. Now, six generations later, clams are still frying at Woodman’s, where it all began. This National holiday was submitted in 2015 and is now observed annually every July 3rd.

Source:[23]