According to BBC, Russia has a new weapon that will be displayed at a World War II victory parade on May 9 of this year (2015). This new weapon is one of great force and goes by the name Armata T-14. The Armata T-14 is one armament among many in the parade. Housing an unmanned turret and a 125mm smooth-bore cannon that has the potential to fire guided projectiles. This new tank is set to see action in 2020 with approximately 2,300 units in service to start with. The T-14 is in the parade that will celebrate the 70 year anniversary of Nazi Germany's defeat in 1945. However, those who aided Russia, the UK, the United States, and France, will not be present. Even though Russia's former allies may be absent at the spectacle, there will be 15,000 Russian soldiers, 1,300 foreign troops, 200 armored, and 150 combat aircraft. My biggest fear is the implementation of this tank against Ukrainian and American troops in Ukraine if the conflict should continue for too long. As the United States did send 300 troops to aid and train Ukrainian forces against pro-Russian forces, it is only a matter of time before we get fully involved in the war. Due to this possibility of entering the conflict, I fear that Russia will begin the use of the T-14 tanks and due to their great technological advancements in weaponry will cause great casualties of American lives.
An American soldier (rear) on a training scenario with a
Ukrainian soldier (front).
According to ViceNews, China's Communist government has begun a very similar situation to Stalin's infamous purges. In an attempt to "end corruption" in China, Xi Jinping had arrested and detained numerous political officials, soldiers, and state television broadcasters. Xi Jinping had begun this anti-corruption movement in 2012, but unlike various other attempts in the past, Jinping's refused to slow even a little. The movement is still continuing and China's president has claimed that he will remove all "tigers and flies." This means that he will not only eliminate the large accounts of corruption that takes place (the tigers), but also the small time and petty corruption that occurs almost everyday (the flies). As many individual's colleagues disappear around them, fear accumulates among the low-ranking officials. However, there is also a perception that Jinping may be purging China to protect his own political power. Also, these purges are more than simple anti-corruption movements. Numerous forms of torture are used on suspects. One such form of torture included forcing feces and urine down the throats of suspected corrupt individuals. Suspects could also be forced to leave the country entirely for weeks or months with possible beatings involved. China's "rehabilitation through labor" system has also managed to be used to torture suspects. This purging is not restricted to the country of China. Xi Jinping has requested for the extradition of approximately 1,000 corrupt Chinese political officials from America. As of yet, America has not obliged their request. As Xi Jinping's reign continues over the Communist government in China, the purges of "corrupt" officials will only continue.
Freddie Gray being arrested after falling on the ground and
breaking his vertebrae.
According to Al Jazeera, the death of Freddie Gray has caused much more than sadness for the family of Mr. Gray. Riots have broken out in the streets and people have looted or burned stores. Police patrol cars lay burning in the streets with their windows smashed in. All of this is occurring because one man had received spinal injuries during a foot chase with police. After being taken into custody due to making eye contact with police and running, the man, by the name Freddie Gray, passed away three days later. Of course, many people took this as just another instance of "police brutality." However, had they taken a few seconds to analyze the video, they would have realized that Gray most likely received his injuries when he fell and hit the curb, directly in line with his spine. Really, the only mistake the police made was carrying the suspect to the back of their patrol van instead of calling for an ambulance, as he was injured. After the funeral, protesters began looting and rioting. The protesters even went so far as to attack officers with flaming garbage cans. Thirty-four protesters were arrested at that instance and more continue to be arrested for rioting. Due to the shear stupidity of destroying the property these citizens use everyday, Obama made a speech, condemning their actions. He stated that the rioters "should be treated like criminals." Calling the actions of the criminals "senseless violence and destruction." For once, I can say that I agree with the president, as Gray had nothing to do with the others that were rioting, yet they still destroy cars, buildings, and lives. The foolishness of their actions is bound to land them in one of two places, a prison or a grave.
According to Al Jazeera, the state of Tennessee has passed a law that would allow the carry of handguns into any park in the state. These locations include playgrounds and sports fields. While this law would greatly increase the protection of all attending the park, of course there is great opposition. One of the greatest forces of opposition is the ever present "Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America," or MDA for short. The spokeswoman for the Tennessee chapter of MDA complained about the fact that many people's children go to those parks and she does not want to see firearms around her children. What she does not realize is that the more law-abiding citizens that are present at said park with firearms, the less likelihood of a criminal even attempting to attack someone in that park out of fear of being shot in the process. MDA also has made many other attacks on firearm owners and future purchasers. The women of MDA seem to believe that universal background checks would work. Quite obviously they have not done their research. The state of New York already has background checks for private sales in place, but yet it still has a much greater crime rate than other states without background checks on private sales. Many other states with universal background checks also have a much greater crime rate than states without the universal background checks. Plus, their idiotic video called "Not Allowed" does nothing to further their goal. If anything, it furthers open-carriers' and pro-gunners' statements. In the video, grocery store workers tell customers what they cannot have inside the store. In the middle of the video, an open-carrier walks in with an AR-15 slung across his back. He calmly buys his groceries, pays, and leaves. At first glance, people may find this video off-putting and think, "How can a store allow this?" However, if someone should spend some time and analyze the video, they would realize that the MDA's message was not correct. Let me prove my point by asking a few questions. Was anyone hurt because he had carried an AR-15? Did he threaten anyone? Does he in any way, shape, or form cause damage? The answer to all three questions is "No." A man had simply walked into a store like any other individual and bought some groceries. Just because he wishes to protect himself, which may make a few anti-gunners uncomfortable, that does not give someone the right to take away his Second Amendment right. Last time I checked, the Constitution did not have an amendment that gives people the right to "feel good" wherever they go. Not to mention, MDA has actually managed to pass some rules in various stores. One such restaurant was "Jack in the Box." After not allowing firearms in their restaurants, they were robbed at gunpoint three times within two weeks. Seem like a coincidence to you, well it is not. The criminals had no obstacles in their way, so they could freely rob the restaurant, but had someone had a firearm, then those criminals would have been stopped and the two workers that were injured would have sustained no injuries. With all this extreme anti-gun action being taken, it would make sense that the founder of MDA would refuse firearms altogether, but that is simply not the case. The founder of MDA, Shannon Watts, was found at a range in Texas. Watts may attack all firearm-owners, but like Dianne Feinstein, hypocrisy must be in all anti-gunners natures. Watts even went so far as to yell, "Can’t I have just a few hours peace and quiet to enjoy myself? I come out here to relax, not to be pestered!" when approached. This statement proves two things, Watts is an active shooter, going to the range on numerous occasions, and that firearms are not killing machines, but instead tools that most people use to relax and to have some fun. There will forever be a fight against pro-gunners and anti-gunners, but hopefully, in the near future, people will begin to realize that firearms do in fact save lives, not just take them.
According to ViceNews, the small South American country of Peru is facing a great threat to society. This threat is nothing new and it comes in the form of a green leaf that is turned into a white powder everyone knows as cocaine. Many of the poor farmers grow the coca plant to supply money to support their families and raise money to send their children to school. Their actions, however "heartwarming" and "sweet," are still illegal and therefore the government provides police action against the farmers and cultivators. The police force destroys entire coca fields and maceration pits in as short a time as 15 minutes. The Peruvian Police are not some terrible and evil force, as they do explain of legal alternatives to coca plants, such as cacao or coffee plants. Most of the time, the farmers are cooperative and accept their wrong-doings, allowing for the eradication of the fields, but there are times when the farmers will become hostile. In these instances, the police will use force to defend themselves, including teargas and any other means to make sure that they leave alive. However, there is one location where the government has not attempted to eradicate the coca plantations. This extremely hostile location is known as the VRAEM. The VRAEM is a location in Peru that has survived entirely on the cultivation of coca. Due to the great fear of starting a massive conflict, the government of Peru has decided to hold off on eradicating the coca plants of the VRAEM. However, the government has stated that, should the current crop substitution program fail in the VRAEM, troop would be sent to the area to eradicate the illegal plant from the soil. Many of Peru's cocaine farmers have begun turning to a new form of illegal activity: gold-mining. This illegal gold-mining operation has no regulations and often leads to great harm to the individual, due to the concentrations of mercury and other harmful substances. The war against drugs around the world will forever continue, but every little bit that is done to combat such harmful substances is a step in the right direction.
This is the final part in a five part weekly series. If you have not read part 1, part 2, part 3, or part 4, click on the respective number of which part you wish to read.
The coveted trophy of the
League of Legends: World Championship
According to Vice, the Seoul World Cup Stadium is home to the "League of Legends: World Championship." The Seoul World Cup Stadium is the largest stadium in South Korea and can hold up to 66,806 people. At the League of Legends: World Championship, approximately 40,000 fans were screaming for their preferred team while cosplay teams displayed their amazing costumes that may have taken weeks, months, maybe even a year to create. All this happens while two teams battle it out in the world of League of Legends. The year Vice's documentary was shot, the two teams were Samsung White from Korea and Star Horn Royal Club from Hong Kong. Now, everyone may come for the actual gaming event, but that does not begin until late at night to obtain the full effect of the light from the screens. Due to this fact, the Stadium provides entertainment while the fans wait for the gamers to play. One such entertainment option that is commonly found at all eSports events is the amazing cosplay. At the League of Legends: World Championship, numerous cosplay teams find themselves on the opposite ends of cameras. Spiral Cats and CSL are just two of such cosplay teams that found themselves waving to fans and posing for pictures. CSL had a massive cosplay in their arsenal, however, due to the shear absurdity of size, the costume had fallen apart in front of everyone. Besides the cosplayers and professional gamers, there are other notable characters that have collected their own sizable amount of fame, such as "Cow Guy." Cow Guy is an individual who goes to eSports events dressed in a cow patterned suit and cow hat. There was also the leader of Cloud 9, who was still just as off-putting as he was the last time Vice reporters attempted to talk to him. ESports "swag" was still being thrown into the crown, similar to past eSports events, but this event had most of it and it was thrown much more frequently. The opening ceremony of the event was like no other. Korean drum ceremonies, an extremely excitable announcer, and a performance by the American band "Imagine Dragons" all created a massive celebration that all started before the gamers even started playing. However, after all the shenanigans were over, the competition for one million dollars began. After an intense competition, the home country, South Korea, ended up keeping their title and raising the trophy above their heads in victory. However, they did not get to go home and go to sleep after their four hour endeavor, as they still needed to speak with the press. At the press junket, Matt Shea, the reporter for Vice, decided to ask the one question that no one seemed to be asking the actual gamers, "Do you guys consider yourselves to be professional computer gamers or athletes?" Out of the five on the team, only one stated that he did not believe he was an athlete. All the rest of his teammates gave some sort of answer that said they believed they were athletes at some level. No matter what these people may consider themselves, the League of Legends: World Championship not only brought 40,000 viewers in a stadium, but also 27 million live online viewers. That number is greater than the NBA Finals. Just think, a year or two ago, these young individuals would be called nerds, but now they are called athletes and have millions of dollars to their name. At the rate which eSports continues to grow, the possibility of games being played at the Olympics is a very real one. Do not just take my word for it; one of the leading figures in the International eSports Federation, Alex Lim, stated, "The possibility that e-sports may be played at the Olympics one day is realistic." The United States has already recognized professional gamers as athletes, so it is only a matter of time until other countries join in and video games are competed right alongside the high jump in the Olympics. While I personally cannot find myself calling a gamer an athlete, there is no denying their fame throughout the world and the impact that gaming has on people's lives.
According to BBC, scientists have been testing mice with developing dementia with various drugs. After a long period of time, they believe that they have finally found one drug that halts the growth of nutrients that create the "plaques and tangles" on the brain, ultimately causing memory loss. The scientists found a terrifying truth in their research, however. It turns out that microglia, the brain's very own "body guards" against infection, can mutate to become especially great at breaking down arginine. Arginine is the amino acid that is necessary across the brain, but the microglia begin to make the number of arginine molecules deplete, causing individuals to develop the first stage of dementia. The scientists had begun to target the enzymes that were attacking the arginine. This showed great results, as the mice tested upon showed less symptoms of the mental illness. However, the research also showed that once the arginine was broken down, even supplements could not fix the problem, as they would just be broken down too. The only hope was that more original arginine would not be broken down any further. This new development has created a great hope for the many people who will most likely develop the illness. This is not the only way to prevent dementia, though. Oddly enough, a study showed that, during a person's midlife, that being overweight can actually decrease your chances of developing dementia and Alzheimer's. The study also showed that those with a body mass index, or BMI, of less that 20 kg/m2 had a 34 percent higher chance of developing Alzheimer's and dementia, while people with a BMI of 40 or above had a 29 percent decreased chance of obtaining the disease. While this may be true, I do not recommend becoming obese just to avoid dementia, as their are numerous other health problems that come with obesity. I just hope and pray that dementia and Alzheimer's research will develop a cure of some sort soon. I know what it is like to take care of someone with late Alzheimer's disease and my sympathy goes out to anyone doing the same. Let us hope that this new drug is the one to end the fight.
