Sunday, 26 May 2013

Old Couple Murdered and 2 Year Old Great Granddaughter Raped By Man

A man has been charged in Anchorage, Alaska for murdering a couple both in their 70's, and for raping  the couple's 2 year old great granddaughter. Sorn Sreap, 71, and his wife Touch Chea, 73, were babysitting their 2 year old great granddaughter while the toddler's parents, who are in their mid 20's, took their older child, a 4 year old son, to the movies on Saturday night. The toddler's parents, the toddler, the 4 year old son, and their own 90 year old great grandmother, lived in the same apartment as Sreap and Chea, according to police. When the parents and the son returned home, it appeared that the front door was locked from the inside. So they told police that they forced their way into the apartment through the window, only to find that both Sreap and Chea had been murdered. The parents said that a man in his 20's, was naked in a bedroom with their daughter. The man managed to put boxers on and run out of the apartment when he realized the parents have arrived. He was arrested that Saturday night as he fled the East Anchorage homicide scene, and police said he was wearing nothing but boxer shorts and socks. In an announcement, police said Sreap and Chea suffered injuries from a blunt object, and Chea had been sexually assaulted. Spokeswoman Anita Shell of the police department said that investigators were greatly affected by not only the cruelty, but also the ages of the victims. Anita also stated, "They said this was the worst thing they had ever seen in their lives, and these are seasoned detectives." Just before 8 pm, Police took a 911 call and dispatchers could hear shrieking and a woman said that a man broke into her home and killed her grandmother, Chea. The suspect was caught just a block away from the apartment and according to Anita Shell, the suspect was arraigned Sunday.


Words cannot describe how disgusted I am when I read what kind of people there are in the world. How can somebody even think about murdering an innocent old couple and raping a toddler, let alone doing it. I wonder what went through this man's mind as he caused this whole incident to occur? Was he even sober? Was he troubled? Either way, what he did was not right at all, and he should be punished by receiving very brutal treatment. I feel great remorse for the parents and the 4 year old son, I cannot imagine how they are feeling right now. But I am sure that they will take justice towards this man, and make sure that he suffers due to his actions, just as he has left them suffering due to them being broken-hearted. What happened to the toddler troubles me dearly because now she has to live with the fact that she was molested by an insane stranger, for the rest of her life. I really hope she is now safe with the stranger being taken away, and I hope something like this never happens to the family again, or to anybody for that matter. However, I do not know what is going to happen in the future. I'm not God.

Article Sources
-http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20130526/us-double-homicide/?utm_hp_ref=politics&ir=politics
"Man Charged in Double Homicide in Anchorage" by Dan Joling, May 26 2013, Huff Post Politics

Photo Sources
None





Saturday, 25 May 2013

Spanish Teacher Fired For Referring To Students As 'Negroes' and 'Failures'

Petrona Smith, a 65 year old Spanish teacher, was fired from PS 211, due to her students complaining about her referring to them as 'negroes' and 'failures', and now she is suing the school for her unjust departure. Petrona is a black woman from the West Indies, and stated that her students did not quite understand that she used the word 'negro' to refer to the colour '', while she was teaching the class how to say different colours in Spanish. She explained to her students that it was not a derogatory term due to people whose native language is Spanish, often use the word 'moreno' when referring to a black person. Petrona also addressed another incident involving her calling her students 'failures,' she stated that she asked some of her students who had failed a test, to sit at the back of the classroom. All these complaints about Petrona Smith came from 7th graders, although the parents of one of the students admitted that they lied. And in fact, Petrona herself stated that her students often referred to her as 'f**king monkey', 'cockroach', and 'n**ger'. After this whole incident, Petrona has not been able to find another job, and the Law Department have not reviewed her papers of lawsuit, although they have received them.

Personally, I'm on Petrona's side in this matter. I mean, if the students were referring her to strong curse words, then what right do they have to complain that she 'apparently' referred to them as 'negroes' and failures'? However, I will admit that I feel that sending the students that failed a test to the back of the classroom is pathetic. If I had students that were failing in my class, I would send them to the front of the class so that they could concentrate better. I just feel that this whole incident is one big joke and that Petrona Smith was accused for an action that she never did. There is a difference between teaching students in a Spanish class how to say 'black' in Spanish, than referring to the students as 'negroes'. And there is a difference between sending students who failed a class to another part of the classroom either as a form of punishment or to learn better, than referring to a students as 'failures'. I think that Petrona Smith should be allowed to continue teaching at PS 211, and the students need to be punished since they feel like they are better than Petrona by referring her to whatever word they please.








(PHOTO CREDIT: Creative Commons) Petrona Smith, a Bronx teacher, who was fired for using the word "negro."







Article Sources
- "Fired For Word ‘Negro’: Spanish Teacher Petrona Smith Fired From Bronx School After Slur, Claims Misunderstanding" By Maria G. Valdez, May 24, 2013, The Latin Times

http://www.latintimes.com/articles/4400/20130524/fired-word-negro-spanish-teacher-petrona-smith-bronx-school.htm

Photo Sources
- http://www.latintimes.com/articles/4400/20130524/fired-word-negro-spanish-teacher-petrona-smith-bronx-school.htm


Sunday, 5 May 2013

A Tragedy Instead of a Celebration


“In my 26 years, this is one of the most horrific scenes I’ve ever seen,” says Surrey RCMP Sgt. Dale Carr, in response to a huge tragedy that took place in Surrey, British Columbia on April 28, 2013 at about 11 a.m. A Punjabi man named Gurmit Sachdeva, owner of Sachdeva Sweets & Restaurant (a restaurant on 7500 120 Street 118 in Surrey) was devastated to hear that his wife Reena, five-year-old son Aanish, three-year-old daughter Jessica, sister Neelam Dhingra, and his mother Vidya, were all killed in a brutal car accident, resulting in their Toyota being split in two and unrecognizable by police. The accident took place at a Surrey intersection, where the driver of a white Dodge Caravan ran a red light and violently smashed into the family vehicle, while they were returning from morning prayers at the temple, back home to celebrate the son’s fifth birthday. The encounter of the two vehicles was so strong that wreckage was spread over hundreds of meters. The only survivor of the incident is said to be the driver of the white Dodge Caravan. This whole incident left Gurmit in shambles, and he was forced to close his restaurant down until he feels able to work again. This incident even left ICBC Inspectors unable to comment on the crash’s cause.

I honestly do not know what to say about this. I can never picture something like that happening not only to me, but to anyone. This is said to be the worst accident in 20 years, and I realize why it is. I knew that there were a lot of pathetic drivers out there that don’t pay attention to rules, however, I feel that this driver just took it past the limit. How will that driver be able to live with themselves, knowing that they have killed somebody’s family? All because that driver was being arrogant and thought it was okay to speed through a red light. I wish I could say let this be a lesson to all other drivers who think it’s okay to disobey the rules, but I know that those people are not going to change. If they had changed, accidents like these would not occur on the roads or streets. One quote from Vancouver Sun, “It’s a big tragedy, one family is almost gone,” leaves me quite heartbroken and I think it is very unfair that that happened to an innocent family. But what made me disturbed was when I heard on the news that apparently due to the force and impact of the crash, the son was decapitated. How somebody can live knowing that they have decapitated a 5 year old's head, i do not know. All I know is, I feel great remorse for Mr. Sachdeva, and my heart goes out to him. It stated in the Vancouver Sun that no charges have been laid, but I know they will be laid and I hope the driver suffers greatly for their lack of responsibility, I would not call it a mistake because they knew what they were doing and they were aware of the consequences of speeding. I personally do not know how Mr. Sachdeva will cope with himself. If living without your loved ones is not bad, then I do not know what is.


The condition of the Dodge Caravan after the crash










The deceased victims: Reena Sachdeva, Aanish Sachdeva, Jessica Sachdeva, Neelam Dhingra, and Vidya Sachdeva







Article Sources:
- "Surrey dad 'in shock' after crash that killed five members of his family" by Jessica Barrett and Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun, April 30 2013
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Surrey+shock+after+crash+that+killed+five+members+family+with+video/8307090/story.html

- "‘Horrific’ Surrey crash kills 5 in mid-sized car so badly damaged that police can’t tell its make or model" by Iam Austine, The Province, April 28 2013
http://www.theprovince.com/news/Horrific+Surrey+crash+kills+sized+badly+damaged+that+police+tell+make+model/8307688/story.html

Photo Sources:
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1914&bih=974&q=sachdeva+accident&oq=sachdeva+accident&gs_l=img.3...1374.9464.0.9701.17.8.0.9.9.0.45.310.8.8.0...0.0...1ac.1.12.img.HRcRAmj6Oq8#imgrc=FGV_pMjOePra9M%3A%3BWtflthg-I4OF3M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi.huffpost.com%252Fgen%252F1111756%252Fthumbs%252Fr-SURREY-CAR-CRASH-large570.jpg%253F15%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.huffingtonpost.ca%252F2013%252F05%252F01%252Fgurmit-sachdeva-surrey-car-crash_n_3193620.html%3B570%3B238

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1914&bih=974&q=sachdeva+accident&oq=sachdeva+accident&gs_l=img.3...1374.9464.0.9701.17.8.0.9.9.0.45.310.8.8.0...0.0...1ac.1.12.img.HRcRAmj6Oq8#imgrc=FNGwFhtlg5A9MM%3A%3BPR_1CMTB6zvm7M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fthelinkpaper.ca%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2013%252F05%252FIndo-family-dead-crash.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fthelinkpaper.ca%252F%253Fp%253D28812%3B620%3B348





















The Times of India Film Awards

The Times of India Film Awards (better known simply as "TOIFA"), were the Bollywood film awards held at BC Place on April 6, 2013 for Bollywood stars to receive awards due to their roles in films . Categories of awards include: Best Actor - Male, Best Actor - Female, Best Male Actor in a Comic Role, Best Female Actor in a Comic Role, Best Director, Best Music Director, Best Film and many more. The people of Vancouver were blessed to have such a big show held in their city for the first time. The show was full of complete entertainment, however, an article from the Vancouver Sun states that there is a back story to TOIFA. According to Vancouver Sun, the B.C. government apparently took advantage of the Times of India Film Awards at BC Place in order to defend the ceremony’s multi-million-dollar cost to B.C. voters and also promote B.C. to the 400 million viewers that were expected to tune in from all over the world. B.C. Premier's Christy Clark opened TOIFA and stated to the 40,000 spectators, “Let’s use this wonderful celebration of Indian film to continue to build more bridges between us. More trade opportunities, more tourism and definitely more of your movies right here in beautiful British Columbia.” Critics of this event stated that TOIFA was a waste of money and was just an act to 'woo' attractions.

Personally, TOIFA was one of the best nights of my life. I am a huge fan of Bollywood and even if the government took advantage of the event, I enjoyed every minute of it, especially since I was sitting 2 wings away from the front stage. Judging from the 40,000 fans that screamed the auditorium down every time a Bollywood heartthrob appeared on stage or on the screen, I find it diffcult to believe that the event was a flop, according to the so-called 'critics.' However, I will agree with critcs that it was an act to attract audiences all over the world, because due to it being such a big event and consisting of popular Bollywood stars, of course fans from other parts of the globe would come to attend the spectacle, and I would be surprised if they didn't. The evening lasted 4 hours of dance performances, speeches, and laughs, and all I can say is I've never enjoyed such 4 hours in my life and my $500 ticket was well worth it.







Poster to promote TOIFA







Shahrukh Khan, the king of Bollywood, rules the stage at TOIFA!










Article Source:
- "Province uses TOIFA Awards to defend spending on Bollywood show" by Christopher Reynolds, special to the Vancouver Sun, on April 8, 2013
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/province+uses+toifa+awards+defend+spending+bollywood+show/8207090/story.html

Photo Sources:
- http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1914&bih=974&q=toifa+awards&oq=toifa+awards&gs_l=img.3..0l10.6406.8764.0.8943.12.6.0.6.6.0.38.208.6.6.0...0.0...1ac.1.12.img.TBQB-s1J764#hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=srk+toifa+performance&oq=srk+toifa+performance&gs_l=img.3..0i24.598719.602554.0.602735.21.9.0.12.12.0.73.371.9.9.0...0.0...1c.1.12.img.wty0y42Xvbc&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.45960087,d.cGE&fp=35e5ff338e7db88d&biw=1914&bih=974&imgrc=Zx2APqQZ03uRQM%3A%3B4D1NWNHt1iOrqM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fimages.memsaab.com%252Ffiles%252Fimagecache%252Fnode-gallery-display-750%252Ffiles%252F2013%252F156512%252Fshahrukh-playing-guitar-photo-clicked-toifa.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.memsaab.com%252Fgallery%252Fbollywood-stars-dance-performance-toifa%252Fshahrukh-playing-guitar-photo-clicked-toifa%3B531%3B560

- http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1914&bih=974&q=toifa+awards&oq=toifa+awards&gs_l=img.3..0l10.6406.8764.0.8943.12.6.0.6.6.0.38.208.6.6.0...0.0...1ac.1.12.img.TBQB-s1J764#imgrc=KGLBKUxOmkI-RM%3A%3BKF_7-JcKqzfumM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.darpanmagazine.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2013%252F02%252FTOIFA-logo.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.darpanmagazine.com%252F2013%252F02%252Fthe-times-of-india-film-awards-celebrates-international-womens-day%252F%3B300%3B299