Aleppo: The City Left to Ruin

According to FoxNews, the president of Syria, Bashar Assad, had exploited the fact that the United States has begun leading the coalition war against ISIS. Assad has begun sending his forces to the cities of Damascus and Aleppo, the two largest cities in the country of Syria. However, he has not been able to take the city of Aleppo due to rebel resistance. These rebels in Aleppo are not fighting Assad's forces only. They have to deal with ISIS as well. America has sent aid to Kobane, but not Aleppo, who appear to need it more, in my opinion. Assad has used everything in his arsenal to take the city, practically demolishing half the city in the process. Aleppo looks more like a ghost town than the buzzing city it was in days past. In the civil war between the rebels and regime fighters, more than 200,000 people have lost their lives to the fighting. Many of the people have lost their lives due to the air strikes that the Syrian Regime uses. In 36 hours, the Syrian forces had launched 200 airstrikes on rebel forces, some of which were targeted at Aleppo. Many of the bombs used in the attacks are actually called "barrel bombs," as they are barrels stuffed full of TNT or other explosives and then they are pushed out of a plane or helicopter. When the barrel bomb explodes, the metal creates shrapnel that has the ability to tear apart a human's body. Many of these bombs have been used on civilians sadly. What kind of president has that sick of a mind to drop bombs on his own people to rip their bodies apart? A large amount of children have been killed through the use of these bombs. I understand that, in war, sometimes tragic things need to be done to get the job accomplished, but this is just too far, in my opinion. Aleppo needs the help of any country that has the ability and strength to fight alongside the rebels.

Warning: Explicit Language, Violence, and Brutality throughout.

Viewer Digression Advised.

The Aftermath of Chernobyl

According to CBSnews, seven million people are still dealing with the effects of Chernobyl. The events that took place in Chernobyl happened approximately 28 years ago, yet people are still dealing with the physical and psychological damage. For those who possibly do not know, the Chernobyl incident happened on April 26, 1986, during the era of the former Soviet Union, when one of the four nuclear power reactors at Chernobyl had exploded, causing around 100 radioactive elements to be leaked out. The radiation levels of the area surrounding the explosion became 77,000 times higher than normal and 40 times higher than the permissible maximum. Some studies found the death rate would be around 200,000 for the countries of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia alone, along with up to 6 million deaths worldwide from the Chernobyl meltdown. Now, while what happened at Chernobyl was a tragedy, there have been rumors of many animal species repopulating in the formerly human populated areas. Of course, with all rumors, there are multiple versions. One of the variations is that the massive amounts of radiation have mutated the animals. I personally find myself not able to believe this, as people can take tours of the facility and walk away fine, but I cannot say for sure whether it is true or not, as I have not been to Chernobyl to see these "beasts" for myself to determine if they are normal or not. No matter what is at Chernobyl, what happened about 28 years ago is a tragedy and all those who have been, and still are, affected by the incident deserve all the support they can get.

Coca-Cola Profits Plummet. Looks Like They Aren't "Opening Happiness" Now

According to BBC, the Coca-Cola Company, the world's largest beverage company, saw a great decrease in the profit and sale of their product. Their earnings dropped approximately 14% this year. The company blames lower sales in the United States as the main fault for the decline. Coca-Cola claimed that its sales were down by 1% in the first quarter. In an attempt to keep their profits up, the company spent around 2.15 billion dollars to get a 16.7% share in the energy drink company, "Monster Energy." The company also blames the drop in foreign sales as a component that helped lower the earnings. As about three quarters of Coca-Cola's profit comes from countries like Asia and Latin America, a decrease in sales in those countries would be devastating for the corporation. Sales nosedived after the Coca-Cola Company issued their profit fears. However, their competitor, Pepsi-Cola company, has seen their sales skyrocket passed expectations. Looks as if Pepsi is winning the "Cola Wars" now. As a Coca-Cola fan myself, I find this to be very disheartening. Coca-Cola has always been a very popular drink in the world, and will continue to be one of the world's favorite drinks, no matter what happens to the company.

War's Convention: SOFEX

A general holding a Russian-made
AK-74U "Krinkov"

According to CNN, in the middle of the desert, in the country of Jordan, there is a "trade show" called Special Operations Forces Exhibition, or SOFEX, where some of the most devastating items are sold, weapons. It's not only firearms that are sold there, however, as everything from helicopters to Hellfire missiles can be purchased at SOFEX. When Vice News went to SOFEX, the founder had brought a friend of his who had been in the Marine Corps. to help him understand the different weapons being sold, as he was a "news guy" not a "gun guy." Now, these weapons are not being sold to anyone with money. Only those who are of very high rank and prestige in militaries around the world are allowed in the convention. Many of those inside are Generals. Once inside, the Generals can browse around to all the different tents and stations. Companies from around the globe contribute to the event and set up shop at SOFEX. American companies, such as LWRC can be seen set up right next to Russian industries, such as Ishmash and Saiga. One of the worst parts about SOFEX has got to be, ironically, the peacefulness of it all. After all, American companies may shake hands and laugh with a Syrian company at SOFEX, maybe even sell a few weapons, but those weapons could possibly be used against that American that the Syrian was shaking hands and laughing with. Weapons are not the only thing sold at SOFEX. If someone shows up with enough money, then they can get special training in many different scenarios. Forces from around the world can practice their tactics in everything from building assaults to breaching airplanes. SOFEX even has a "world's best military" competition where soldiers go head to head to see who has the best techniques and equipment. SOFEX is the largest arms dealer in the world. SOFEX has dealt weapons to the leading countries of the world and has lead to the death of many, but is a necessary evil to allow for the technology of weaponry to spread.

Ghost Towns of the Good Ol' USA

What was left behind at Bodie.

According to CBSnews, America is covered in a large amount of "ghost towns." There are 1,600 ghost towns in Colorado alone. One of these ghost towns can be found in California and has the name Bodie. Bodie, California was built in 1877 to 1880 on a gold mine. It contained approximately 2,000 building, some of which included 200 restaurants, three breweries, and 70 saloons. The town did not contain a single church complex, however. To bring supplies into the town, four roads were created. All the roads were tolled to aid in the monetary value of the town. It is said that "They paid to come, and they paid to leave!" Bodie, California has been preserved by the Bodie Foundation and is classified as a National Historic Landmark. Pennsylvania has a ghost town of its own. The name of the town is Centralia. Centralia was a coal mining town, but in the 1960s, the mine was set ablaze. In the 1980s, most of the 1,000 residents had been evacuated due to federal fears of toxic gases and sinkholes, but approximately 8 people refused to leave and still live there to this day. Those people believe that the fire still rages on below their feet, but they do not worry. They live the same as all other Americans would in any other part of the United States. Around 500 of the buildings that were found in the small town had been destroyed by the federal government in a relocation attempt that cost millions of dollars. The government still tries to persuade the few remaining residents to relocate, but to no avail, as the citizens who live there do not believe they are in any danger. To those homeowners, that town is not just a ghost town, it is their home. A similar event happened in a town near Dallas, Texas. The town of Milford, Texas had experienced an oil pipeline fire that caused the city of 700 to be evacuated. The pipeline had exploded, sending flames barreling into the sky. Workers attempted to empty the pipeline that stretched 50 miles south of the Dallas border to stop the fire. The town's residents were expected to return, meaning that the town may not be a true ghost town, but a temporary ghost town. Ghost towns are ghost towns no matter how long they are empty. Ghost towns will forever be a part of American history.

A sinkhole found in Centralia

Dianne Feinstein, Don't Get Me Started On Her

According to USAtoday, in recent years, many Democrats have been pushing for stricter gun control, but one California Senator (of course it is in California), named Dianne Feinstein, is trying for the hardest and most restrictive gun control proposal ever. The list of firearms she wishes to ban is massive. If she could have it her way, all firearms would be banned, but she cannot do that, so she will pick apart every bit she can. Her proposal, if passed, would ban all AK pattern rifles, all AR-styled rifles, all Thompson rifles, UZIs, and the list goes on and on. The problem is, all of these firearms are semi-automatic and no more dangerous, sometimes even less lethal due to the smaller caliber, than the rifles that were used by citizens in the 50's to hunt and protect themselves. The newer rifles just look more "evil," so they are targeted by people who wish to ban firearms to the law-abiding citizen. The NRA has stated that a gun ban and/or large-capacity magazine ban would fail, but still Democrats push for gun control, without listening to the people who actually understand what they are talking about, when it comes to firearms. Dianne Feinstein's ban would restrict the transferring, importation, and possession of approximately 100 "military-styled" firearms. Unfortunately, the NRA has taken massive amounts of flack since the Sandy Hook shooting. At a media event, Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice-president of the NRA was giving a speech. At one point, he had said, "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," which I agree with %100. However, after saying this, some people in the crowd began to give him a hard time. One of the people even had a banner that stated, "NRA Killing Our Kids." Dianne Feinstein also does not agree with the NRA, as they disagree with her beliefs. She is also very incorrect in her information about which firearms are used in crimes. She has stated that the firearm that has been used most often in fights against the police is the AK-47. Besides the fact that finding a true, original Russian AK-47 in next to impossible nowadays, the truth is that handguns are most often used. Dianne Feinstein had aided in the creation of the original "assault-weapons" ban during the Clinton administration, which saw little change in violent crime with firearms, so what makes her think this time it would work?

A ban on rifles, or any firearm for that matter, would do nothing to the
amount of murders, if not make them increase.

The Les Paul Did Not Die With Les Paul

Les Paul: The Creator of Rock and Roll

According to BBC, the creator of the legendary Gibson Les Paul guitar, who was also named Les Paul, had passed away in 2009 at the age of 94. It is said that he had passed from pneumonia while in New York. Les Paul is considered to have created one of the first solid body guitars in the year 1952, which had helped lead to the creation of the best music genre of all time, rock and roll. He had also created the eight-track and the recording innovations known as overdubbing and multi-track recording. Many guitar players have used his guitars. The Edge from the band U2, Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin, Slash from Guns and Roses, and Pete Townshend from The Who are just a few to use the legendary and beautiful guitar. Les Paul was born on June 9, 1915 in Waukesha, Illinois. Ever since he was a child, he was a musician and loved to take things apart and put them back together again. He had explored many different types of amplification for guitars. When Paul was 13, he was not pleased with the sound produced by his acoustic guitar, so he placed a phone receiver underneath the strings. However, the guitar was still not producing the sound he wished. Les Paul then tried something else. By placing a phonograph needle inside a guitar, the guitar became louder, essentially creating the first ever electric guitar in 1929. In 1941, he had created what he called "The Log," which was a 4x4 box of wood with steel strings. He had taken "The Log" to a nightclub to play it, but everyone in there claimed that Les Paul was insane. Early in his career, Mr. Paul was a country and Jazz player, but in the late 1960s, he retired and concentrated on inventing. Years later, his guitar has become legendary. It is practically impossible to go to a rock concert without seeing a Les Paul guitar. Les Paul may have died, but his legend will live on forever.

The Les Paul Guitar: The True Rocker's Guitar

The Beretta Handgun: The World's Defender

 According to Fox News, the United States Army has been searching for a new handgun to replace the Beretta M9 9mm handgun. However, they have purchased even more of the original Beretta handgun. The Army is said to have purchased a contract of up to at least up to 100,000 new handguns of the type. The Army wished to replace the 9mm handgun for a .40 S&W caliber, but they have also been planning to use the Sig Sauer M11 9mm handgun to remove the M9 from service. Even through all this though, the Beretta remains strong. The Beretta M9 was created for the United States Military contract of 1985 and had also won the selection to become the military sidearm of choice in that contract. The Sig Sauer P226 9mm handgun had run a very close second, but the extremely high price and Sig's refusal to create a factory in the United States is what led to the choice of the Beretta. It has seen combat from the events in Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and many more places around the world. This has given it the nickname of "World Defender." The handgun had also been used to cause some harm in the past however. In 2009, Gaddafi had been sent approximately $11.9 million worth of firearms, which included Beretta's world renowned shotguns, rifles, and handguns. The Beretta M9 handgun was used by my father when he was in the United States Marine Corp. and he has done nothing but praise the handgun for its reliability, accuracy, comfort, and beauty. I do not believe the military should replace the M9, as it has been around for many years, but if it is necessary to replace, it should be replaced with its .40 S&W caliber copy. That seems to be the best compromise to me. Two less rounds, but more stopping power. The Beretta M9 is an amazing handgun that will be continued to be used by many, even if the military discontinues usage of the firearm.