Attempted Massacre?

On Wednsday, April 28, a fifteen-year-old student entered Woodrow Wilson High School and fired three shots and two of them were fired in the cafeteria during lunch. School officials are left with questions about the safety of the students. The suspect was suspended for fighting in school. No students were wounded. Superintendent David Stuckwich told the Virginian Pilot "A kid let him in. That's what we believe". Whether the metal detectors were on or not, school officials don't know but the security cameras were rolling, but somehow the suspect got in.







Read the hyperlinked article. We will view the news video. Wow, what do you think?





I want to know what you think could have happened if the student had stayed and shot more shots but aimed at someone. Also, the prosecution wants to try the suspect as an adult. Do you think this is right? Lastly, do you think that this could've been another Columbine?





Many thanks to Kayne B. for being our guest blogger today! :)

Middle Ages Torture

Through out the Middle Ages, torture was a very common way to punish offenders. They ranged from mere psychological torture, to exorbitant pain making the victim wish for death, sometimes they got their wish. The methods they used to extract confessions were very warped, but they sure got the point across. Here are some of the methods that were used. *Viewer discretion is advised.*

Rack Torture

Judas Cradle

Chair of Torture

The Spanish Tickler

Water Torture

Flaying Torture

What's interesting, is that most of the things they were tortured and killed for, such as adultery and not attending church, are things we wouldn't even go to jail for today. What do you think about today's system of punishment? Is it too lenient or do you think we should use some of the methods that were used in medieval times? This is optional: Tell which torture device is your favorite and why.

Thanks to our Guest Bloggers!!!!!!

Lyndee and Matt

Oh No, He Didn't , Did He?

By now, I am sure you have heard the news about LaShawn Merritt. He has been banned for two years from track and field competition for having used a banned substance, specifically an anabolic steroid, that was contained in an over the counter product.

Of course, you know that he is from Chesapeake and now resides in Suffolk. You probably remember his winning the 400 meter event at the 2008 Olympics and the news splash it caused here. Were you proud of him then? How do you feel about this new revelation?

Read the Washington Post article hyperlinked above. How do you feel about this? Should his punishment be as severe as it is? Will he be able to bounce back from this, or will it ruin his career? Be sure to proofread.

Super Heroes

WOLVERINE VS. HULK

Wolverine is a Marvel Comic Hero. Before the X-MEN Wolverine was originally a weapon, he was called "Weapon-X". When James Howlett was born in Albert, Canada he was very sick. When he first showed rage around the age of 13 bone claws grew from his hands and he ran from home with his brother who was also a mutant. His mutant brother was named Victor Creed. You may know him as Wolverine's enemy: Sabertooth. Victor Creed and James Howlett fought in about every war up to the Vietnam War. Victor showed much love and care for his younger brother James, but something went wrong when Victor turned evil. Victor was stronger than James and the only way to defeat him was to combine his blood with adamantium, an unbreakable metal. Victor and James fought and James won, but at the end he was shoot with a bullet made out of adamantium which erased his memory. Wolverine is now part of the X-Men.

Wolverine is my favorite superhero, please tell me who your favorite superhero is; express your ideas and thoughts. Marvel is the best!

Thanks to our guest blogger, Jesse T!

Every Day Should be Earth Day

Tomorrow is Earth Day. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970. Since then the event has been observed every year on April 22. Interested in learning more? Here is the Wikipedia article on Earth Day.

Earth Day is a day where people take time out to contemplate how their actions impact the planet on which we live. So, how do you "observe" or "celebrate" Earth Day? Do you try to take care of the planet every day of the year, only on this one day, or not at all?

Here is a thought. We can all make a positive impact on the environment if we do just one simple thing. For example, turn off the lights when you are not in the room. Turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth and turn it on when you rinse your toothbrush. Or, recycle your papers. Too often, I notice students throwing papers in the trash instead of using the recycle bags in the classroom.

Please tell the group the one thing you do or can do to help the environment. If we all try to do just one thing it will make a big difference. My thing is to recycle paper! What is your thing?

The Green Men

Even if you are not a hockey fan, you have just got to love these green guys. Since December, the pair have become fixtures at Vancouver Canucks hockey games. Known for taunting players on opposing teams, the green men certainly add "color" to the games. Videos of their antics have popped up on YouTube and sports highlight shows. In addition, they have their own web site, and a Facebook page with over 28,000 fans!

We will look at a news article on them and view a couple of videos.

What do you think of them? Are they amusing, nuisances or just plain funny? Do you think there is a place for other green guys in sports besides hockey? Remember to proofread!

Today We Are All Hokies

I am sure that all of you remember the events of April 16, 2007 that occurred at Virginia Tech. It was a very tragic day at Blacksburg and will never be forgotten. If you are interested, you can read about today's Day of Remembrance at the VT website. Almost every one of us know someone associated with Tech, whether it is a relative, coworker or student.



I am going to ask two things of you today. First, I would like for all of us to observe 32 seconds of silence, in memory of those who were killed. Next, I would ask that you respond with your thoughts on the tragedy.



In my opinion, the events were terrible and I hope they are never repeated on any school campus in America. Truly, today we are all Hokies! God Bless Virginia Tech and its students, faculty and staff.

Ole Blue Eyes

You probably heard me mention a couple of weeks that I had some Sinatra music on my IPod. Actually, his name is Frank Sinatra. In the opinions of many people, he may be the greatest singer in American history. Seriously.

Frank Sinatra is quite an interesting person. At one time he was a Republican and at other times a Democrat. He was friends with several American Presidents as well as allegedly having ties to organized crime. Maybe you should spend a few minutes looking at the link from Wikipedia. Or maybe you prefer his personal web page. Either way they are worth the time to visit.

Here are some items to consider. Frank Sinatra is famous for doing things "his way." Musical artists who are successful today doing things their own way owe him a debt of gratitude. Many artists including Bono of U2 list him as having major influences on their music. When he died in 1998, many radio stations, including numerous rock and country stations, ceased their regular programming to play Sinatra in tribute to him!

Sinatra was way out in front on several social issues. He was one of the first white artists to include musicians of color in his touring act. He is also famous for not staying in hotels that would not allow black musicians to stay there, also. This at a time when segregated hotels were the norm!

During the 2008 Presidential election, there were very few things that President Obama and Senator McCain agreed on. However, on their top ten list of favorite songs one artist was on both lists: Frank Sinatra! Now let's listen to some of his music!

For your post, please provide us with the following: What are your thoughts on his music? What did you know about him before today. Finally, you will need to visit one of the hyperlinks and tell us a fact you learned about Frank Sinatra.

Welcome Back ?!?!?!?!

Wow, did Spring Break go by in a flash! It seems like only yesterday that we were finishing up exams. Now it is back to work.



I hope your spring break was enjoyable and that you did some fun things and maybe created some great memories for yourself. As for me, I did lots of yard work and graded exams. Doesn't that sound exciting!



Now for your part. Please share with us some of the things you did during break! Oh, yes did that mean old alarm clock go off too early this morning?