This was a crazy week in the news. There are so many stories I am having a hard
time deciding which one to choose from.
Below are a summary of my top four:
Pope Benedict XVI
Resigns
Pope Benedict has decided to retire after 8 years of
service. At the age of 85 he no longer
feels as though he can completely fulfill the duties of the Papacy. This breaks a 600 year tradition of the Pope
serving until death. The news of his
chosen retirement has sparked many questions.
We may be witnessing the start of a new tradition of the Pope retiring
instead of dying in office. He has set
the date of February 28 as his last. The
speculation of who the next Pope will be extensive until the Cardinals meet to
elect the new Pontiff.
The State of the
Union
The President’s annual message to Congress was delivered on
Tuesday evening. This is the time for
the President to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year and set the
presidential direction for the coming year.
With our current economic situation, many Democrats and Republicans were
supportive and critical of the president’s ideas about how to best support the
continued growth of our nation’s economy.
I have not read the complete text, but I did read about money dedicated
to fixing bridges and roads in addition to a proposed increase in minimum wage.
In addition to the economy, the
President addressed other matters of foreign affairs, including North Korea
(see below).
Christopher Dorner,
former LAPD, is thought dead after massive manhunt
Christopher Dorner, a former member of the LAPD, has been at
large for the past week. After being
released from his position as a police officer, this former Naval reservist
vowed to bring revenge on the police force and their families for his
firing. He killed the daughter and
fiancé of a former co-worker last week.
After evidence indicting Dorner was found, a manifesto was discovered on
Facebook in which he listed the names of his potential victims. For the past week he has committed numerous
crimes over and above murder. On Tuesday
evening he was allegedly found in a cabin in the mountain resort of Big Bear. A shootout occurred between police and Dorner
which resulted in an additional death and injury of San Bernardino
officers. Eventually, Dorner’s cabin
caught on fire. The police are still
investigating to ensure Dorner was in the building at the time.
North Korea Third Nuclear Test
On Monday evening, North Korea conducted its third nuclear
weapons test. The U.S. Seismological
Department detected an earthquake with a 5.1 magnitude in the mountains of
North Korea. Later it was discovered and
confirmed to be a nuclear tests carried out by the North Koreans. North Korea is a communist state. It is estimated that at least 25% of the
country’s children live in absolute poverty.
One of the contributing factors is North Korea’s continued investment in
nuclear warfare instead of investment in the necessities for its people. This test was held against the direct wished
of the United Nations and their biggest ally, China. North Korea has continued to invest in
weapons of mass destruction in order to defend itself against the cruel
treatment and ongoing aggression of the United States. Although many experts agree it will be
sometime before North Korea will possess the ability to launch an attack
against the United States, with each test they get one step closer.
Have you heard of any of the above stories? What about the stories interests you? Which story do you think is the most
important and why?
