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Teen in New Jersey Torches Fellow Student's Turban

CitizenSugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 06:00:59 -0700

A high school senior was in court yesterday on charges of arson and criminal mischief after he was charged with setting fire to a fellow student's turban.

Authorities say Garrett Green set a 16-year-old junior's turban alight with a cigarette lighter during a fire drill last week. The Sikh student suffered patches of burnt hair but was not seriously hurt.

The culturally insensitive act came with some big consequences. In addition to legal proceedings, school officials are banning the high school senior from campus and won't be allowed to attend prom or graduation at the school just east of Trenton. The district will give the 18-year-old home schooling instead.

The turban-wearing student was a Sikh. Sikhism calls for long hair on men who commonly wear turbans. Is this just an isolated incident of schoolyard mischief or dangerous religious intolerance? Though Turkey has banned and then reallowed the wearing of headscarves in schools, should schools have a more neutral dress code? Are articles like turbans detrimental to a learning environment?

Source

Front Page: China Quake Toll 12,000, Florida Fires, Military Meets Goals

CitizenSugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 06:58:38 -0700

China Quake Toll 12,000: The official death toll after the 7.8 earthquake in China yesterday now stands at 11,921, according to state media. The quake is China’s biggest natural disaster in three decades. Tens of thousands of people remain buried beneath rubble today and the authorities say more than 10,000 people are still unaccounted for in the city of Minzhu, and another 2,300 are missing following the collapse of a school and two factories in the town of Shifang. One aftershock rattled today with a magnitude of 6.1. The original quake leveled up to 80 percent of structures near its epicenter. As the battle to rescue survivors rages on, the authorities have mobilized 50,000 soldiers to help with the efforts.

Florida Fires: Fires are raging along Florida's Atlantic coast as firefighters in the town of Palm Bay have spent more than 48 hours battling the state's biggest blaze, which has damaged about 70 homes and scorched about 5 1/2 square miles. A Palm Bay spokeswoman says of the scene, ''everytime I turn around another house is on fire. We don't have enough resources on our own to do a job like this." Just south of Palm Bay, another almost equally-sized blaze destroyed at least four homes in nearby Malabar. Gov. Charlie Crist has declared a state of emergency. The cause of the fires might be arson according to authorities. A witness saw someone in a car drop something into an open field, with the fire starting shortly afterward.
Military Meets Recruiting Goals: Four branches of the US Military met their recruiting goals last month. The Marine Corps bested their goal by the most, enlisting 2,233 people or 142 percent of its goal, according to the Pentagon. The Army recruited 5,681 people, meeting 101 percent of its goal, while The Navy and Air Force also met their goals with 2,905 sailors and 2,435 airmen. A Defense Department spokesman said that if the Marine Corps continued its recruiting success, it could reach its goal of growing to 202,000 people by the end of 2009, more than a year early.

Front Page: 30 Sentenced in Tibet, Wildfires, Economy 0.6 %

CitizenSugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:00:26 -0700

30 Sentenced in Tibet: A Chinese court in Tibet has sentenced 30 people to prison for their roles in the deadly rioting last month. The sentences range from three years to life in prison. Those punished were accused of taking part in the protests, vandalism, and violence that began March 14 in the Tibetan capital. China blames the Dalai Lama for the conflict and the ensuing problems with the Olympic torch relay. A spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry says, “We hope the Dalai can cherish this opportunity, recognize the situation and change his position to take concrete measures to stop his criminal acts of violence, stop his sabotage of the Beijing Olympics and his separatist activities, so as to create conditions for the next step of talks.”

Wildfires Rage: Firefighters enter their fourth day battling wildfires in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles. The fires were 57 percent contained early Tuesday after less than a square mile and most of the more than 1,000 people evacuated from their homes had been allowed to return. Fires outside of Reno are being fanned by up to 68 m.p.h. winds making containment difficult. The blaze has caused a major highway to close, threatened homes, and caused the evacuation of a school.
Economy 0.6 % Growth: The US economy grew 0.6 percent during the first quarter of this year. The growth is equal to the last quarter of 2007. The 0.6 percent statistic doesn't meet the classic definition of a recession, which is a retraction of the economy, though the slim gains show struggle.

Front Page: VA Tech, Iraqi Deserters, CO Fires, India Bus Crash

CitizenSugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:01:40 -0700

VA Tech: Today marks the one-year anniversary of the shootings at Virginia Tech. The tragic event was the most deadly shooting spree in modern US history, when 23-year-old student Cho Seung-hui shot 27 students and five staff members before killing himself. The day will be marked with ceremonies and remembrance.
Iraqi Deserters: A company of Iraqi soldiers abandoned their positions last night in Sadr City, defying American soldiers commanding them to hold the line against Shiite militias. A US company commander in the 25th Infantry Division confronted the Iraqi major who was leading his troops away from the Sadr City fight, saying, “if you turn around and go back up the street those soldiers will follow you. If you tuck tail and cowardly run away they will follow up that way, too.” The desertion by the 50 Iraqi soldiers left a large and important stretch of frontline road undefended.

CO Fires: Wildfires raged over 11 square miles in Colorado last night, forcing hundreds to evacuate and leaving three dead. The three fires broke out following a dry March, and Gov. Bill Ritter has declared a state of emergency, freeing up state resources to help fight the fires.
India Bus Crash: In India at least 44 people have been killed after their bus plunged into a river. Most of the dead are children as the bus had been transporting students to an exam. Four children have been rescued from the wreckage. Road accidents in India claim thousands of lives every year, and most are blamed on reckless driving and poorly maintained roads.

Headline: Street of Dreams Ablaze in Seattle

CitizenSugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 07:13:36 -0800

At least four large homes are currently on fire in the "Street of Dreams" model home development near Seattle this morning. The fires are considered suspicious as they were set in multiple places in each of the separate homes.

Fire officials say that a sign saying ELF was found at the scene. ELF stands for the Earth Liberation Front, and they have claimed responsibility for other arson attacks, including one at the University of Washington in 2001.

Headline: Wildfires Scorch Virginia, the Carolinas, South Korea

CitizenSugar — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 07:55:07 -0800

Firefighters are battling at least 100 brushfires that still rage over Virginia and the Carolinas. Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia has declared a state of emergency as half of his state's counties are burning. Though no deaths have been reported yet, fires displaced scores of residents — the largest fire reached 400 to 500 acres in Bedford County near Roanoke. County officials reported at least 10 fires burning there. The National Guard has been mobilized, sending 100 troops to help control the flames, which have been fanned and spread by the 50 to 60 m.p.h. winds gusting across much of the South. Virginia is set to hold its presidential primary tomorrow.

Firefighters also battled flames in South Korea today as the Namdaemun, which is Korea's top national treasure and oldest wooden structure, was engulfed by flames. It suffered major destruction in the blaze.

Source

Headline: Las Vegas Monte Carlo Hotel on Fire

CitizenSugar — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:50:04 -0800

Few details are known yet, but the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino is currently on fire in Las Vegas. The fire appears to have started on the roof.

It appears as though people are being safely evacuated. Check here for breaking information.