PLN #22

For my twenty-second PLN I read article called "Soccer Fans Fall to Their Deaths in Brazil" made me realize how unstable and unpredictable things can really be. Last Sunday it was reported that eight people had died from unstable bleachers at a soccer game in north-east Brazil. The bleachers collapsed near the end of the game when the fans in the section began jumping up and down. It was also reported that at least a couple dozen fell through while just eight died many more were injured and hospitalized. At this point the police aren't exactly sure what caused the 56-year old building to collapse.

What Matters: I think what matters here is that eight people died just because of a stupid mistake that that could've and should've been avoided. The stadium after 56 definitely should have been either re-built or restored. If the team couldn't afford to make those changes then they should've at least made an announcement or something not to jump on 56 year old wood. It seems so stupid that eight people had to die and many more injured because they couldn't give out a simple warning or just replace the bleachers.

How this affects me: I myself go to many sporting events and although the stands aren't made out of wood it still seems pretty possible that they might be able to collapse. I remember a couple years ago at a Bronco's game(i think) that the escalator collapsed after a game and my cousins we're there. Luckily they weren't hurt but a lot of people were and it just shows you that things in life aren't always as reliable as they seem.

PLN #21

The recent article I read was called "More Acres Available for Cutting Trees" by Zen Reno and it not only made me angry, but really disappointed as well. As many people know Christmas is coming up and with it, the sale of Christmas trees. Just recently The Pikes Peak Ranger District announced that it has decided to add nearly 1,500 acres to the Christmas tree-cutting area of Pike National Forest this season. Permits will begin selling on Monday, and will continue all the way through December 16th. The trees will be sold at ten dollars a piece.

What Matters: What matters from this article is that people fail to recognize what we're really doing to the environment, and how important it is to preserve it. Honestly, is it really that hard to go and get an artificial tree instead? In fact, an artificial tree is a ton better. It's less messy, it'll last you forever, and of coarse, it helps the environment. Or, instead if they can't cut it off completely I would make the available amount much smaller, and have it first come, first serve.

How it affects me: Not only does this continuing problem affect me, but it also affects our entire community. If you think about it back in the "caveman" times there were a ton of trees and now you look at all of our streets, and buildings and all of the wildlife we've destroyed over time. So, if over that amount of time we've already destroyed a lot of trees already what's it going to be like in the future?

PLN #20

I recently read the article "Bonds Faces New Charges" by CNN recently reported that Barry Bonds, baseballs new home run king has been indicted on four accounts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. The indictment to Bonds came just three months after he broke Hank Aaron's record for most home-runs all time. Bonds is a seven-time National league MVP, and has broken various Major League baseball records including most ever home runs in one season.

What Matters: I think the biggest thing that matters from this article is that although Bond's has never been charged with using steroids I think it's pretty obvious that he did take them. I find it kind of sad that such a great record with such a meaningful purpose has been allegedly "tainted" by the use of sports enhancements. Every time I see Bonds step up to the plate I wonder what was going through his head when he took the steroids. I mean honestly, do you really think that your going to get away with it? The baseball hall of fame has also recently announced that if the baseball that Bonds hit the record with is entered into the HOF there might be an asterisk stamped on it, as well when his record is shown an asterisk by that.

How this affects me: I myself play sports, and to me I find it absolutely terrible that someone would want to "cheat" not only the game and all the great players that had success playing fairly, but themselves as well. I can't imagine going to sleep at night knowing in my mind that everything that I had accomplished in that particular sport was done unfairly.

PLN #19

Reading the article "Modano Breaks Housley's U.S.-born Player Scoring Record" by AP News really inspired me. Mike Modano, a famous American hockey player recently broke the record for most points scored by an American born player. Last Wednesday night, Modano scored two back-to-back goals (one of which was short handed) putting him one point ahead of Housley (previously first) to move into first place on the list. The two goals also put him 35th place on the all time points leader right behind Peter Stastny. The record also moved him into 33rd place on the all time goals leader in the NHL. Modano was the first round selection of the Dallas Stars in 1988 of which he has played his whole career with, and led the Stars to their first Stanley Cup in 1999. Modano is a 3-time American Olympian and six time all-star making him the best player in the Dallas Star's history.

What Matters: I think what matters from this article, and moment in history is not just that he broke the record, but that it was an American record. As most people know, hockey is dominated by so many great, well known Canadian players from Wayne Gretzky to Phil Esposito making it that much cooler to see an American awarded for a great hockey achievement.

How This Affects Me: I myself am American, and I also play hockey although I most likely won't go pro. It still inspires me that an American player like Modano was able to accomplish so much being from an American community similar to mine and to be able to compete up with the big boys from Canada. It also impresses me that Modano was able to accomplish the great, amazing things he's done in his short career. I look forward to following Modano much more now and look up to him as not only a great American record breaking hockey player, but a role model as well.

PLN #18

I recently read an article called "Toys Recalled" by Howard Pankratz, and it was a little shocking how many toys were being recalled. It surprised me how careless some companies can really be. In just October, there were toys recalled with lead paint in them. Most of these toys were made in China. Last Wednesday, the Toy Safety Commission recalled a very popular craft set named Aqua Dots. Aqua Dots is composed of beads that were coated with a chemical that can be extremely dangerous if swallowed. It was estimated that 4.2 million Aqua Dots were recalled. A 20-month old boy who happened to swallow some of the beads went into a coma after digesting the dots. Most families with two or more kids aged 3 or younger say that they throw away about 15 toys a month! The commission has been criticized by various federal legislators, including Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat.

What Matters: I think what really matters from this article is that all of these toys that are dangerous shouldn't even be on the market before they're tested over and over again. Why not take the extra couple of days and really test your product to the maximum to make sure every thing is safe? Sure, it may take a couple extra days and a couple extra bucks to actually make sure your toy isn't going to hurt any children. Honestly, is it that hard to make sure that your toy doesn't have poisonous lead on it? I wonder if the manufacturers of Aqua Dots even tested for lead paint before putting the toy on the market. What ever the case may be, I found it extremely bothersome that this slipped by the company that produced Aqua Dots.

How this affects me: I wouldn't say this affects me directly, because I don't put toys in my mouth anymore. However, I have three younger brothers, one of which still chews on toys, and I would hate to see him get hurt because of a stupid little toy.

PLN #17

My recent PLN, titled "Innocent Man Shares His 20-Year Struggle Behind Bars" by Thom Patterson. This article was about a man named Pete Williams who was sentenced to 45 years in jail but ended up staying 22 years after DNA evidence proved that he was innocent. Williams was accused of a 1985 sex assault scandal. He was arrested three weeks after the incident, but the case is still inconclusive today. Williams said he felt betrayed and that his life had been taken away from him. The only evidence against him were three witnesses who said that it might have been him. In 1997, a friend named Charlie Brown (no joke) helped Williams through some rough times by having Williams join a church choir. Now, when he sees people on T.V. or on the news being convicted, he has a difficult time believing that they are actually guilty. I would have a hard time believing that someone is automatically guilty of a crime if I had gone to jail for 22 years for a crime that I did not commit. Spending 22 years behind jail bars would be difficult to forget.

What Matters: I think what matters from this story is that an innocent man got 22 years of his life just taken away! I myself haven't even lived 22 years yet, and I can't imagine more than my whole life so far being behind bars! I definitely think that the jury and judge should have looked into the case a lot more than they did before they sentenced someone to 45 years in prison. They only questioned three witnesses which resulted in an innocent man, with no evidence proven against him, being sentenced to jail for the next 45 years. The worst part is that Williams missed a crucial time in his life where he could have gotten married and had children. It surprised me that the state of Georgia has no laws that compensate wrongly accused victims as many states do have these types of laws. Not only did Williams lose 22 years of freedom, but he was left with no money and no place to live other than with family members.

How this affects me: This doesn't really affect me directly, because I've never been to jail or accused of a crime. However, if I had been sentenced to jail for a crime that I did not commit and had to spend 22 years of my life there, it would be a wasted life, and I would be extremely angry. I think the lack of laws to protect the wrongly convicted is pathetic and inhumane.

PLN #16

The article "Lawn-watering spat leads to death" by the Associated Press was really surprising to me and shocked me at what people will do over stupid little things. The article was about how a 66 year old man whose name was not released died over an argument about Sydney's watering restrictions. The killer, a 36 year old man will appear in court on Thursday charged with murder. It was reported the older man first sprayed the 36 year old after having a heated argument over how much water he was using, then the younger man pushed the 66 year old man to the ground and continuesly punched him. Soon after an off duty police officer came in, arrested the younger man, and called an ambulance. The older man was taken to the hospital and soon after was announced dead.

What matters: What matters from this story is the fact that ordinary people can't just work out a simple problem on watering their lawn. Instead of just coming up and saying "Hey, I don't think you're supposed to be watering your lawn right now", instead they have to get into a huge fight and someone has to die over watering your lawn. It's sad that people can't communicate like human beings and work things out by themselves.

How this affects me: This affects me because Denver, Colorado also has watering restrictions but luckily I haven't had anyone try to kill me over them. I think watering restrictions are a good thing because it limits how much water we use and prevents people from wasting it.