Tragic Shooting in Newtown, CT Leaves 28 Dead

On Friday, December 14, 20-year-old Adam Lanza opened fire in Sandy Hook Elementary School, killing twenty children, six adult staff memebers, his mother, and himself. 

Newtown, Connecticut, the location of the shootings, was considered an idyllic, rural society, with one homicide within the last ten years.

Lanza, according to his brother Ryan, was identified as "mildly autistic." Students and faculty who knew him also considered him "intelligent, but nervous and fidgety."

This shooting, the second deadliest mass shooting in United States history, as well as the recent mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado has spurned conversations of gun control to attempt to formulate an end to these tragedies. 

Michael Bloomberg, the independent mayor of New York City, urged Congress to renew a ban on semi-automatic firearms that expired in 2004, to improve databases that track gun ownership, and to enforce gun sale more strictly. 

President Obama called for "meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics."

Pedro Segarra, the mayor of Hartford, Connecticut, said on ABC's This Week, "We do recognize our constitutional right to bear arms, but I think that this has gone to a point now that -- to afford some people with the ability of conducting these mass exterminations is just not what we want."

Election Season Brings Out the Best and Worst

By Preston Michelson '13

Nothing riles up citizens of the United States more than a Presidential election. Seldom are the days in which the Democratic or Republican parties do not fill answering machines with recorded messages and television commercials with their vitriolic hatred.

There is nothing more essential to the long-standing success of the United States than the democratic process of election. The presidential campaign process, however, has drastically changed, and not for the better. 

Candidates are becoming increasingly focused on demeaning the opposing party, and less focused on bettering their own case.

On a recent drive down 82nd Avenue on my way to school, I witnessed Palmetto Bay supporters of vice-mayoral candidate Brian Pariser. They were out early in the morning, spreading the word about their candidate. This is the true essence of the American democratic system: promotion of a candidate that you trust and support. 

Far too present are both left- and right-wing supporters who have no patience or understanding of the other side. This should be an optimistic time in America, looking forward to an improved country. But optimism is nowhere to be found--only hate. 

Politics and religion are two topics that should be avoided at all costs in our present society. People have become over-sensitive and over-reactive, with no room for understanding. 

The promotion of your own candidate's ideologies is beneficial for the well-being of the United States. The disregarding of the opponent's viewpoints is foolish and trifling. This tactic, however, is not only possessed by supporters, but by the candidates themselves. 

Presidential hopefuls always throw around the buzz-word of "change." More often than not, this change is abstract, nothing more than a proposition. It's about time to show some real change, and make a difference. Let us return to whence our country came from. 

Holding signs with the message "Romney Ryan 2012" is constructive, and shows your dedication to the Republican party. Signs like "Nobama" are disappointing courses of action. 

The candidates should be accountable. Clearly, this change will not occur in this year's election cycle. But going forward, your own message should be more powerful than decrying the opponent's. 

Hurricane Sandy Worries Community Members

By Jordan Figueredo '13

Hurricane Sandy may have spared South Florida, but it’s about to hammer the upper East Coast with life-threatening conditions, the likes of which have rarely been seen.  

The dangerous 900-mile wide system, which experts have dubbed “Frankenstorm,” will put around 60 million people directly in its eye around 3:00 p.m. today.

“Many have compared Sandy to ‘the Perfect Storm’ of 1991, and experts have warned it may be even worse,” Jason Samenow of Capital Weather Gang told The Washington Post earlier today.

Multiple governors have already declared a state of emergency, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has made evacuation orders for certain zones.

“This storm is a killer storm that will likely take more lives as she makes landfall,” Marlyand Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) told reporters at a press conference late last night.   

Carl Rachelson spoke to his stepbrother in New York, who is worried about power outages and falling trees.

Eighth-grader Albert Fernandez told his sister, Diana Fernandez ’12, who attends Emerson College in Boston, to purchase extra batteries.

Rebecca Verde '13 has a sister who attends college in Norton, MA.

"I'm concerned that the state isn't prepared because big hurricanes so rarely pass that region of the country," Verde said. "I'm also concerned that the buildings up north cannot sustain hurricane-force winds and tremendous amounts of water."

Eighth-grader Gaston Garcia, who also has family in New York, said he was concerned about his loved ones having sufficient water and supplies.

Newsweek goes Digital

By Cassidy Krinzman '13

For the first time in its 80-year history, Newsweek Magazine, citing rising costs and the changing nature of journalism, announced its plans to move entirely online by Dec. 31.

In a statement released in USA Today, Newsweek editor-in-chief Tina Brown said that the company is making the right move.

"This decision is not about the quality of the brand or the journalism--that is as powerful as ever," Brown said. "It is about the challenging economics of print publishing and distribution."

The magazine gained particular notoriety in the 1950s under Managing Editor Ben Bradlee, who would eventually oversee Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s reporting on the Watergate scandal.

The Washington Post Company, facing growing financial troubles, decided to sell the magazine in 2010.

Palmer Trinity Librarian Ruthanne Vogel says that tablets provide a great way for publications to thrive in the digital age. But she also has some reservations.

“I don’t want to see print go away because some people don’t have access to these devices,” she said.

Senior Falconer Managing Editor Steven Angueira ’13 approves of the change.

“I am glad that Newsweek is finally following The Falconer’s lead,” Angueira said, half-jokingly. “I think publishing news online is probably going to be the future of journalism.”

But there is disagreement among book lovers.

Associate Librarian Lois Chumbley feels that moving the publication online is “terrible.”

“There is just something nice about not having to turn on a piece of equipment every time you want to read something.”

Mr. Truby on First Amendment, Google, Anti-Muslim Video