News
Obama Addresses Nation on Syria, Putin Responds
Monique Kreisman, news editor
President Obama warned the nation of possible military intervention in
Syria in an address on Sept, to in response to the use of chemical weapons in
Syria on Aug. 21 that killed over 1,400 people. In response to his speech, presi
dent of Russia Vladimir Putin published an editorial in the New York Times.
While Obama’s speech sought to prepare the nation for the possibility of military
action, Putin’s article asked for caution.
One major difference in the presidents’ positions is the question of re
sponsibility for the chemical attack. The Syrian government has been at war with
a rebel army for two years, and leader of Syria al-Assad claims that the insurgents
are to blame for the use of chemical weapons. While Obama stated, “We know
the Assad regime is responsible,” Putin responded that it was “opposition forces”
and not the Syrian army.
Another point of debate is which course of action will ultimately make
the world a safer place. Obama argues that using a military strike to denounce
the use of chemical weapons is in the best interest of the U.S.; Putin writes that it
would set off a violent chain of events in the unstable Middle East, causing more
war and destruction. Since the conclusion of World War II, the use of chemical
weapons has been a violation of international law. Obama stated that if Assad’s
actions go unchallenged, American troops may face poison gas on the battlefield
one day, and Syria’s chemical weapons may fall into the hands of terrorist organi
zations. In contrast, Putin writes, “A strike would increase violence and unleash
a new wave of terrorism. It could undermine multilateral efforts to resolve the
Iranian nuclear problem and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and further destabi
lize the Middle East and North Africa. It could throw the entire system of inter
national law and order out of balance.” From Obama’s perspective, taking action
against Syria would affirm international law; Putin believes U.S. intervention
would undermine it.
via hollywoodreporter.com
Whatever happens, Obama stated, “I will not put American boots on the
ground in Syria.” He acknowledged that after Iraq and Afghanistan, Americans
are very wary of entering into another war. However, the president concluded
his speech with a challenge to members of Congress and Americans to watch the
videos of the victims in Syria and ask themselves what kind of world we would
live in if dictators are allowed commit atrocities against civilians.
Tokyo Named as Location
for 2020 Summer Olympics
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CANDIDATE CITY
Hannah Nielsen, staff writer
With just a few months until the upcoming Winter
Olympics in Sochi, Russia, there’s a new Olympic fever in the
air. On September 8, 2012, the International Olympic Council
announced that the 2020 summer Olympics will be held in
Tokyo, Japan.
The 2020 summer Olympics will not be Tokyo’s first
time hosting, as the city also hosted the 1964 summer Olym
pics. In fact, Tokyo will be updating some of the arenas used
in the previous games, including the Tokyo Metropolitan
Gymnasium and the National Olympic Stadium, to be used
in 2020. Some scheduled improvements will consist of in
stalling a retractable roof and modernizing the overall look of
some of the buildings. This choice of recycling rather than re
building is sure to save the country large sums of money. Ja
pan can also avoid the cost of improving their transit system,
which countries normally do in anticipation for the excess of
athletes and tourists. The “bullet” train in Japan was actually
developed for the 1964 games.
Economic advantages are certainly evident for Ja
pan compared to many other nations that have gone into
debt after hosting an Olympics due to intense construction
and preparation for such a massive international event. Post-
Olympic costs usually fall on the taxpayers to offset the cost
of building stadiums that don’t bring in enough post-01)anpic
revenue.
The games are not always an economic curse, how
ever. In fact, the 1964 Tokyo Olympics were so successful that
they took Japan out of a post-WWII depression and launched
the country into world recognition for innovations such as
the bullet train and technological advancements that allowed
sports fans from around the globe to watch the games on
their television sets. Undoubtedly, the Japanese government
is hoping that the 2020 games will again serve to boost the
spirits of their citizens who are still rebuilding from the 2011
earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Olympic Timeline:
2008 Summer Oljmipics- Beijing, China
2010 Winter Olympics- Vancouver, Canada
2012 Summer Olympics- London England
2014 Winter Olympic- Sochi, Russia: Olympic Games (February 7-23, 2014)
2016 Summer Olympics- Rio de Janeiro: Olympic Games (August 5-21, 2016)
2018 Winter Olympics- Pyeong Chang, South Korea
2020 Summer Olympics- Tokyo, Japan
Apple Unveils
Redesigned
iPhone
Elizabeth Jones, staff writer
The much-anticipated iPhone 5 was
released on September 13, and some say it re
sembles a gadget out of a sci-fi movie. Apple
has come up with a device that can withstand
25 hours on one charge, has fingerprint identi
fication, and is priced at only $99.
It comes equipped with a billion tran
sistors and an impressive sixty-four bit archi
tecture fit for a desktop computer. According to
CNET news, it also is five times faster than the
old iPhone. The 5C (plastic) starts at $99 and
was released September 13th, and the 5S (met
al) starts at $199.00 and will be released Sep
tember 20. People are calling the new iPhone 5
the “gold standard.”
Users do not have to worry about pass
word-protecting their phones anymore, as the
iPhone 5 is nicely furnished with a fingerprint
detection censor, which allows only the owner
to open his phone by pressing the center key.
Users can also add fingerprints to their phones
to permit multiple people to access it. The back
side is illuminated for lowlight performance,
has a five element lens, and is 25% smaller. The
phone is outfitted with a sapphire crystal lens
cover, which offers better protection and has a
reputation for giving a sharper, clearer image.
It is capable of taking a picture 45% faster and
possesses a shared photo screen, which enables
users to easily share photos with friends and
family.
As an added bonus, there is no need to
search for Bluetooth or click around to adjust
the brightness on the phone because those set
tings are incorporated in a control center that
allows users to access all of the most commonly
used features at once. A staggering 57% of vot
ers for CNET said that they were most looking
forward to more battery life for the iPhone 5,
which now carries a total of 250 hours standby
time. In a five year period, Apple has made ap
proximately $150 billion, and the company is
sure to make more with this impressive new
line of iPhones.